Today’s post is from our regular Wednesday contributor, Cat.
Everyone always gives advice about what you should do before a job interview.
I can’t tell you how many posts I’ve read about choosing the right outfit, researching the company, and practicing interview questions.
However, what about after the interview?
Well, here are two things I would recommend to anyone who is hunting for a job:
1) Send a Real Thank You Note
In the digital age, it’s really easy to send an interviewer an e-mail thank you. Chances are, almost everyone is going to do this. However, I still believe that you should send a handwritten thank you note the day of or the day after your interview. You can even drop it off in person to make sure it gets to the right place.
My advice is to bring thank you notes with you to the interview. Be sure to have something to write on in the interview and try to get everyone’s names that were in the room. As soon as you get out of the interview, write the note. Make sure it’s personalized and that you write something to help them remember you like: I really enjoyed discussing my work history with you, especially because I believe my past position at Forbes gave me many unique experiences that I believe can benefit your team.
Basically, when you reference something you discussed in the interview, it will help jog their memory. Plus, no one sends snail mail anymore. You don’t even have to make your envelope spray confetti when they open it. Just having a handwritten note is memorable, and they’ll likely put the note in your file. Seriously, it works every time because no one does it anymore.
2) Avoid Social Media Commentary
You get out the interview, and you’re excited right? There’s just something that makes you want to hop on Facebook and write Dang! I rocked that interview! As much as it pains you, you should stay away from social media commentary afterwards. You never know who is watching. Even if you have your privacy settings on lock down, you never know which friend of a friend works at that company. I know I sound paranoid, but I’ve worked on hiring committees before where we have really liked an applicant but we didn’t hire them because of something on their Facebook page.
Similarly, you should probably avoid writing negative things about your interview as well. Tweeting something like Wow, some interviewers can be completely inappropriate! can absolutely ruin your career. Even if it’s vague and even if it’s not directed or tweeted to anyone in particular, it still makes you look bad.
In all honesty, I would argue that what you do after your interview is just as important as what you do before it. You could completely impress an entire hiring panel and then lose the job because you forgot to write a thank you note or because you made an off-hand comment online. However, as long as you keep up the good work and a positive persona, you should get your new job in no time.
What else can you think of that’s important to do or not do after a job interview?
Check out some of our favorite personal finance resources:
Are you getting the best credit card rewards? Check out the top cash back credit card offers (updated daily)
Make extra money: 15 ways to make money from your computer
Get the First Chapter Free!
Join our online community and get the first chapter of the book Student Loan Solution absolutely FREE!
Great advice, although I think I broke all of your rules for my recent job interview. Lucky I still landed it.
I agree with both of those!
I know a girl who blabs about how much she hates her job on Facebook all the time. I can’t help but think the wrong will person will see it and get her fired one day. I know that has nothing to do with job interviews, but I think it’s related!
I could not agree more about the handwritten thank you note. It is so easy just to send an email, but it only takes a few extra minutes to write it out by hand and can really help set you apart. That said, it’s hopefully something I’ll never have to worry about again. ;)
Lately it seems like employers ARE watching what you do after the interview. We had interviewing expert Leah McLeod on our show a couple months ago and the lessons she had about interviews blew me away. I’m glad I’m not looking for a job right now!
I hardly ever post anything on social media for my personal life… especially not about work. I think that is a very good point. Sometimes people do a little too much oversharing!
Hey Cat, I never thought about leaving a thank you note. I would say one of the most important things to do is follow the 3 day follow up rule. If you haven’t heard back in 3 days, call to check the status of your application. Continue to do so every 3 days until you get a status. This will show the management team that you are eager to work, and since most people wont do it, gives you a leg up on the competition.
I cannot stress enough how sending an actual thank you card (as opposed to a letter or email) will reallllly make a difference (regardless of if you bring it or send it later that day). I work in a very professional setting and it’s extremely important that it’s a handwritten note and not an email or letter. Nice tips!
I know this is probably my age speaking here, but I would suggest making sure your voice mail message is professional if you are looking for a job in a professional place. I’ve called numbers listed on resumes before and gotten the “Please enjoy the music while your party is reached” followed by some rap song about pimps and hos. If I was all set to call someone for a second interview and got something like that, it would make me reconsider. Maybe that’s wrong on my part, but I’d suggest making all of your methods of contact be as neutral as possible.
I think many in this younger generation probably share too much on social media. It’s probably best to keep most things private as employers will often check them. And yes, thank you notes are always a big plus.
I love the real thank you note approach, it really adds a touch of classiness to the interview and I completely agree on the social media. I know of a number of recruiters who monitor the social media accounts of interviewees, especially twitter, and people have lost jobs because of what they said.
Definitely agree on the social media. At one job, my department wasn’t even concerned with hiring, but a few people thought it was fun to try and stalk potential hires via Facebook. I would add to try and move on mentally after the interview. It’s easy to get caught up and think the job is amazing, but you need to keep looking as long as nothing is signed. You can’t sit there for a week getting your hopes up when you haven’t heard back at all.
I agree 100%, Cat. What you do afterwards matters just as much as the prep you did beforehand and what happened during the actual interview. I am surprised by how often I NEVER receive a thank you note, even an electronic one. I love the personal touch of a handwritten note too, although an electronic one is still better than nothing. And you can really impress with both – an immediate electronic one and follow-up handwritten thank you with maybe an extra tidbit of info that helps ME – such as, “I was thinking about your concerns around XYZ and after some thought …” And yes, do not make any comments on social media, even positive ones can make your potential employer nervous about what types of things you communicate about your work online. Don’t give them a reason to say no. Great tips!
I think it’s important to not keep ringing them to find out the outcome of the interview. One polite email will do I reckon.
Debtbustingchick Yeah it’s hard to decide what to do because so many of them say not to call!
ShannonRyan Good point about the positive comments too!!
JourneytoSaving That’s so true, gotta keep searching all the time!
blonde_finance I know. I’ve hard so many crazy stories about twitter!
Andrew LivingRichCheaply Yeah I probably overshare :) mostly pics of my twins haha
Eyesonthedollar No you are so right! It has to be professional all the way around!
theFinancegirl That is good to know they are still appreciated!
Joshua Rodriguez I like that. Seems like a good enough time to wait!
BudgetforMore It’s true. I share a lot myself but mostly pics. :)
AverageJoeMoney Really? That sounds so interesting. I’m going to have to go listen to that, although I won’t have to interview anytime soon I don’t think!
FrugalRules I doubt you will :)
Holly at ClubThrifty Yeahhh that’s not the smartest thing for her to do!
MonsterPiggyBank Haha well congratulations!!!
I like the Thank You note. I’m going to start looking for a new position soon (shhh don’t tell my employer) so I’ll keep this in mind.
A hand written letter is a great touch. It doesn’t hurt to call the next day and remind them you are very interested in the job.
Great point about sending a thank you letter, this is something that I’ve never done myself (yet), but having been on the other end as the person interviewing, I would be pleasantly surprised to receive a handwritten thank you note. It would definitely make me recall that person’s interview!
Great tips, I had honestly never though about #1 there (I usually take along samples of my previous work to demonstrate and social proof)..
Yes I agree you shouldn’t mention anything about the interview on social media, normally I’ll mention once I am confirmed, what are your thoughts on this?
Another tip I have that has worked very well is following up i.e. the day after or 2 days to discuss with the recruiter how the interview went.. This is to continue the relationship and show that you are interested..
Great post though :)