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Picture this: you’ve just walked out of an interview for your dream job, and as expected, you’ve killed it (duh). Stepping out from the building’s lobby onto the street, your confidence begins to waver. Did you talk too much about your thesis on the integration of #YOLO into everyday rhetoric? Why didn’t you ask about salary expectations? Will you have enough money to keep up with your bros each weekend? BY THE BEARD OF ZEUS, DO YOU EVEN STAND A CHANCE?
Interviews, in and of themselves, are slippery slopes to navigate. What comes after, however, can have you trippin’ even more so. We spoke to our effervescent/occasionally-elusive Job’s Editor, Ms Abi Cruz, about post-interview protocol – the yays and nays following your pow-wow with a potential employer.
THANK YOU MESSAGE
The most important component of post-interview protocol is the thank you message. It’s often the deciding factor for an employer, especially in a neck-and-neck, battle to the desk.
“It’s your chance to say ‘thanks for your time, if you need more questions answered let me know, if you need more examples let me know,’” says Abi.
For morning interviews, Abi suggests sending something through by the afternoon. The following morning is ideal for interviews later in the day.
“The sooner the better – you don’t want to leave it too late because lots of conversations are happening and it just gets lost in the pile.”
Being remembered, or adding to your memorability, is what makes the thank you note influential. You want to be more noticeable than a pimple the day before the party(!).
“Someone in a hiring position has to meet three or four people daily, and things are bound to get muddled up. They can’t remember everything, so you need to remind everyone of who you are.”
It’s 2016. While a handwritten/hand-delivered thank you would’ve held weight in the 90s, it’s probably best to use the same tech that all the kids are.
“I advise email, just because it’s easier. These days the process is usually organised through email, so you want to keep it in the same form.
If the hiring process has been handwritten (for whatever backward reason), then the follow-up should mimic that same medium.
“A phone call’s fine as well, but once again, it runs the risk of getting lost – if you remind me of your strengths in the morning, I’ll probably forget by the afternoon. That’s why it’s always good to have it in writing.”
“When we’re going back through who to pick, it’s always good to have that summary rather than racking our brains and going through our notes.”
(^^^Excellent point).
Now that you get why the thank you note is held in high esteem, Abi has some suggestions on what it should include.
WHAT TO SAY
“Definitely saying thank you for their time, thanks for the opportunity, even complimenting the company in terms of why you want to work for them – for example, ‘you guys seem like a very creative company, that’s something I want to focus on in my career, et cetera,’ then a short summary of why – as in, I’ve got A, B and C, that’s what I can offer to you guys, or I feel really passionate about A, B and C and I feel like this could benefit the company.”
At the end of the day though, your potential employer already has your CV as well as a tailor-made, brilliant cover letter. They’ve also sat down and had a conversation with ya. So, logically, don’t over-do it.
“Keep it short and sweet. It doesn’t need to be an essay-long love letter, it just needs to hit the mark of what was discussed during the interview.”
Don’t hold back on sharing your ~true colours~ either, employers wanna see them shining through.
“It’s not the time to be all, ‘I didn’t want to mention the amazing work I’ve done’ – like, really? You’re going for a job, of course you should be telling me about the amazing crap you’ve done, that’s exactly what I want to hear.”
If you forgot to ask about salary (which won’t have an impact on landing the job, so never feel shy about asking), or the hiring timeframe, then you can include this in the note and follow-up if you don’t hear back. You need to know how long the consideration process is and how much you’re likely to make. All employers understand this.
If you happened to have put your foot in it during the interview, or didn’t get a chance to chat about something important, Abi suggests fanging that info in the note – within reason, of course.
“It depends on how much you screwed up in the interview, there’s some things you just can’t come back from.”
“Sometimes you don’t get the chance to elaborate on something, or didn’t get the chance to articulate something you wanted to because you were nervous or because of time – that’s normal, that’s human – it’s a good chance to expand on it.”
WHAT NOT TO DO
Abi also shared the worst things one can do after an interview.
“Excessively following up – to the point where you’re sending through stuff every single day. Don’t do that. Everyone has a job to do. Everyone’s busy. Sure, it’ll make you stand out – but you’re standing out because you’re a pest. That’s not going to get you the job.”
“Bad mouthing or being snarky about why you’re leaving a company, being a bit ‘mmmm’ about where you came from – I don’t think you should do that at all. What if we hire you and for some reason it doesn’t work out. Presumably you’ll apply for jobs and bad mouth us like you’ve done to others. It’s not a good look.”
Now that you’re prepared to handle the trials and tribulations of post-interview protocol, let’s look at your options to secure landing that interview in the first place. The best way of going abouts it is by getting a Meryl–Streep-level degree (Aunty Meryl obviously being the best in the business). Wanna know who makes Meryl-Streep-level degrees? Swinburne. Those champions offer career-ready courses that could have you showered with job offers the day you graduate which, y’know, is what you want after a long haul of study. Go check ’em out HERE.
