The Followup
After the interview
Follow up with personal thank-you notes – handwritten or emailed – to each person who interviewed you. After that, try to be patient and avoid these common post-interview mistakes.
Appearing desperate: Given our understanding of the recency effect, we don’t want to undo our good work, with more recent poor work. It’s all right (and even expected) to follow up after the interview, but don’t overwhelm your potential employer with multiple messages and phone calls. If you reach out too often, you’re going to turn a positive effect into a negative effect. It is good etiquette to send one thank-you to whoever you interviewed with one or two days after the interview and wait for them to respond with next steps.
No follow-up: After the interview, it is vital to send some form of correspondence, whether it be snail mail, email or even a phone call, thanking your interviewer for their time and effort. But, don’t be generic about it, as it can come across as lazy and inadvertently send the wrong message. mention something that was memorable in the interview, something about the organisation or about the role, but whatever you do, do it with sensitivity and finesse.
Zohar Pinhasi, CEO of MonsterCloud, said that an applicant following up after the interview does more than express gratitude, it shows him that they still want the position. “A post-interview email reassuring me of their interest in the position shows ambition, and also tells me that the candidate enjoyed the interview and is indeed still interested in working for me,” he said. “Plus, it’s the courteous thing to do.”
Social media: By all means follow them up with a LinkedIn request, but only if it makes sense to do so. If you are genuine about staying in touch with the individual and feel that other opportunities might arise, then make sure that you stay in touch. A nice message when you reach out is appropriate and leave a little time in between making contact.
Selfcare
“Self-care” can be understood in many different ways. In its simplest form, the term refers to our ability as human beings to function effectively in the world while meeting the multiple challenges of daily life with a sense of energy, vitality, and confidence. Self-care is initiated and maintained by us as individuals, it requires our active engagement.
Function effectively – When we find ourselves behaving differently to the way that we normally would, or in a way that we don’t aspire to behave, then we know that something might be wrong. This is the moment that we need to start thinking about the implementation of our Self-Care plan.
Multiple challenges – Life is full of a variety of different forces, that are simultaneously in play. Family, work, social life, finances, sport, health and many other things, are important aspects of a well rounded and balanced life. Each of these forces have their own challenges and demands. When a couple of them become overwhelming to us, this can be a sign that things are not going so well and I need to take pause and reflect.
With energy – When I feel like I am depleted in some way, struggling with my motivation or desire, in a way that is inconsistent with normal functioning, then self care becomes paramount.
In order to be effective, I have to take responsibility for self care, recognising that it’s a critical component of performing when I need to be able to.
Things to remember …
- Know the limitations of what you can do and what you can’t do. Don’t over extend yourself, as it may compromise your impact. You will have bad days, so recognise them and allow them to be what they are, just a bad day.
- Recognise key sources of stress and pressure for you and make sure that you have control over these stimuli.
- Be aware of how your job search can impact your stress and wellbeing and respond to the signs that things are getting beyond your ability to cope.
- Learn how to nourish and sustain yourself, the things that have a positive impact on your physical, mental and emotional state.
- Debrief and reflect challenging events, journal, reflect and ponder. Talk to others and get things off your chest.
- Help create a positive, supportive environment, influence your environment in a positive way.
- Find ways to manage stress and unwind, relax, unwind and recover. Energy expenditure needs to be balanced with the same amount of energy recovery.
- Be aware of changes to your emotional wellbeing and speak to your support network when you find things are getting on top of you.
Don’t hesitate to get professional help if you get to point where you are not coping.
Moving on
Start preparing for the next set of interviews – Life can surprise you and you never know when you can receive an email announcing you about another upcoming interview, or if you’re asked to come in for a second interview. It’s absolutely vital that you be prepared at a moment’s notice, Also, if you wish to set yourself apart from other candidates, (and I assume you do) try and find interesting facts and/or figures about the company where you applied for the job. It could be anything ranging from an award they have just won to a recent environmental initiative they have started. It’s best when you introduce this information naturally into the conversation at the interview and it will definitely leave a good impression with the recruiters and it will also increase your chances of landing the job.
Analyse your interview performance – After an interview it’s also important that you relax for a couple of hours. Once you managed to distance yourself from the subject, analyse your performance. Think about what you said and how the interviewer reacted, what you could have said better and keep that in mind if you get called in for a second interview. Furthermore, pay attention to the recruiter and what he says, it is possible that of the things he or she said to have annoyed you one way or another. This helps you determine whether this company suits your principles and values. (Sourced from Forbes.com)
Additional information
Roses in the Ocean have a great page on practical tips if you find the job search process overwhelming at times. You will find it at ……………..