5 Ways to Screw Up After the Interview

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The value of anything handwritten is starting to annoy me.
Unless you are physically going to hand deliver a hand written
note, handwritten note snail delivered is just too slow and just
too unreliable to even worth a bother. So please... stop giving
hand written thank you note advice to job applicants these
days. It's irrelevant.

Jonny of CA 1:48PM June 05, 2010

One company will make a quick decision after a favorably given interview and another will collect interviews and make the decision complicated or thorough.
My last interview process went three rounds - HR Talent Manager, Regional Manager and Plant Manager. The three interviews were in consecutive days but my hire decision took two weeks.
My previous job interview generated an offer immediately afterward.
What if you were the only candidate to not send a thank you note? I have always sent the thank you note.... never hurt me. It gives a last opportunity to demonstrate interest and voice key strengths you bring to the position. You are your salesperson. To resign a final chance to promote yourself seems a little reckless to me.
There are no concrete means in how a company determines making the hire decision. To believe there are is being naive. Each company is different.

evan of KY 10:58AM May 30, 2010

After I finished my interview with a large hotel-casino company, I received an e-mail from HR, using the company's automailer, informing me that I would not be offered the job...just 45 minutes after the interview was completed! I can't believe that can happen so quickly! Could it be a mistake? Could someone in have HR jumped the gun because of miscommunication within the company? The HR department is a half mile down the street. The interviewer had told me it would take a week to make the decision. I had a good interview, it was one of the best I ever had, I can't see why I got this e-mail so quickly. Has anyone heard of, or experienced this also?

Paul of NV 8:34PM February 06, 2010

Do not, I repeat do not, jump through "Any Hoops" to win over the employer.
Turn the tables at the interview by looking at it like this...
Is this employer good enough for me?
What steps are they taking to win me over as a potential candidate?
What can this company offer me in terms of respect and advancement?
Are they pleasant and curteous with me at the interview?
Are they really listening to what I can bring to the position with my skills?
IMPORTANT
Relax and take this time to interview them.
Ask yourself, one important question only: Are they worthy of me?
Here is a step by step guide on how "YOU" should prepare for an interview:
-research the company and know something about it, a must.
-ask the interviewer/employer why you would want to work here?
-what can their company offer you that say another one cannot offer you?
-highlight your strengths and demonstrate clearly what you bring to the table.
-ask what the employer is seeking in a candidate and reemphasize your skills.
-ask what they like about the company and how they feel about it overall.
-ask them what they do and do not like about the company (give examples.)
-do not speak in a negative fashion about any past job experiences.
-do not discuss pay at the interview, only when you get the job, period.
-if they bring up pay fine, let them bring it up.
-ask for a business card from the person who interviewed you to follow up.
-close by stating that you either feel you are a fit or not and be honest.
-if you are interested, let them know and explain that you are eager to proceed.
-always interview them and make sure that they are worthy of you, period.
After interview follow-up on your part:
-Follow up with an email (most companies have emails now) to the interviewer.
(ONLY IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, IF NOT, DON'T BOTHER.)
-restate your interest in the position, and thank them for their time that is it.
-do not state anything that you feel that you did wrong at the interview.
-what happened at the interview is over and done, move on from this point.
-do not follow up with a call after the interview or bother the interviewer.
-if they want you, I guarantee that you will be contacted by the employer!!
**Do not jump through any hoops to win them over, this is a waste of time**
**If you feel the need to call the employer, do not, you did not get the job**
"WHEN DO EMPLOYERS CALL YOU - WHEN YOU GET THE JOB!!!!"
"WHEN DO EMPLOYERS NOT CALL - WHEN YOU "DID NOT GET THE JOB"

Andrea of MI 1:51PM February 04, 2010

The previous reader, Wayne of GA, commented,
"Only people that DON'T get hired have to send a thank you note. Those that get hire will be called later that day with the offer."
I work in a huge well-known international company in Los Angles, and I can guarantee anyone reading this that there has never been an occupant that has been offered a job the same day they were interviewed. In many circumstances it can be many weeks (I have seen as many as 7) before the interviewed candidate was notified of a job offer.
A thank you note is always a great idea, especially in a large company like mine. When a manager interviews over fifteen people for a single position they can all start to blur together and the follow-up thank you note helps keep your name fresh in the manager's mind. Moreover, Managers in a large corporate company will appreciate and accept more formal business etiquette such as thank you notes.

Jessica of CA 7:56PM October 21, 2009

Personally, an email thanking the person interviewing you for taking the time to interview you shows an added interest in the position. I don't think its a negative reflection. It's sets you apart from the others that interview.
There have been plenty of people who have never sent a follow-up email, note or thank you email or note and have still been offered the position. But I would estimate that you could at least double that number for those that have sent some kind of follow-up respose and got the job because of it. And not because they were not honest in the interview, but because the went out of their way to show the interviewer they are still interested in the job.
The time to send the follow up letter is NOT three days later, its within a couple hours after the interview or the next day, NO LATER.
Of course you must keep it short and precise. Emphasize you are still interested in the position and be honest, don't fake it. BE PREPARED TO BACKUP ALL THAT YOU SAY IN THE INTERVIEW AND THANK YOU LETTER if you get the job.
Only in ONE instance have I received a job offer and/or job without sending a follow-up email or letter, and that was my very first job during high school. Every other position offer or job has been with a follow up email. I can't say that was the primary reason for being offered the job, but I GUARANTEE it helped.
But that's just me.

Matt of CA 3:00AM September 10, 2009

I agree wholeheartedly with Wayne of GA. I've always had very good instincts for whether or not I got the job after an interview. Never once sent a thank you note in my history of working and always was right about getting the job. To me, the idea of sending a thank you note is phony and dumb and makes me feel like i am coming across as brown-nosing. That's just not me. I think if I were on the hiring end, it would be almost a turnoff to get a thank you note. It just seems automated and fake. If they want to hire me, they will hire me based on my interview, not on whether or not i send a thank you. I already thank them at the end of the interview for their time and consideration. No need to prolong it. In this current economic crisis we are in, I had an interview recently that I was sure I aced. Out of pressure from people like this who wrote this article, I decided to try sending a thank you email right after my interview. I kept it short and concise and personal and even had several people proofread it before I sent it. It was the first job I DIDN'T get after feeling CERTAIN i had the job. Coincidence? I'm still not sure. But i won't be sending any thank you emails again!

vegetable biryani of AZ 2:07PM August 13, 2009

A hand-written thank you note? Nice idea for 1985. By the time the interview is over, normally you have the job, or don't. 3 days later when the thank you note comes, I laugh and throw it immediately in the trash. Only people that DON'T get hired have to send a thank you note. Those that get hire will be called later that day with the offer.
I'm okay with an email if you have something interesting of follow-up based on our conversation. But that is more about professional courtesy to follow-up on an open item, as opposed to getting the job.
An email to thank me? Don't waste my time. I get hundreds of emails a day and another is not exciting.
You want to set yourself apart? Be honest and open in an interview. I'd rather hire some that I disagree with slightly but has a smart opinion based on experience than to hire someone I can smell is BS'ing me.
Think of an interview like a first date. If he's interested...he'll call. Otherwise, move on...you blew it.

Wayne of GA 10:37AM July 05, 2009

Since companies are getting greener, I think it is better to send an thank you note by email. It's faster and cleaner. I don't think anyone wants one more thing to file, so paper should be avoided. Green is really the way to go.

www.jsantascoy.com of CA 3:12PM June 05, 2009

I've had over 100 different jobs in my life time of 40 years of work. I've found that if they really want you, they will ask you when you can start, and they will follow-up with a letter to confirm your hiring. Thank them at that time with a nice email response to the hiring team. Keep it short, otherwise you may interject other issues they hadn't thought about and that could create doubt and a withdrawal of the job offer.

Tony Lee of CA 3:54PM March 13, 2009