This is a guest post by Ashyia Hill on what to do after an interview to improve the chances of getting a job. You can read the guidelines to guest posting at our write for us page.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market is finally on the rise, with nonfarm payroll employment rising by 200,000 in December of 2011. Even though this spells good things for the economy and the employment outlook for our future, it still doesn’t mean that getting a job is easy – especially if you’re in a particularly competitive field.
How to Raise your Chances of Getting a Job:
It could often be very frustrating if you do not hear from the interviewers after the interview is done. Since you are anxiously waiting for a response, it becomes even more important that you get an update immediately.
If you’ve been sending out applications and getting interviews without follow-ups, here are some things that you need to start doing after every interview to raise your chances of getting hired:
Know What Comes Next
Before you even leave the interview, make sure to get a clear idea of what happens next in the hiring process. Most of the time, a potential employer will have an idea of when they will be contacting candidates for further interviews or job offers.
Asking questions about this timing lets the interviewer know you are definitely interested in the job and also helps you decide how to time your post-interview communications properly.
Ask If You Can Get In Touch
Another way to ensure that the interviewer knows you are interested in the position is to ask if and how you can get in touch after the interview. You don’t want to be annoying, but most potential employers won’t mind if you touch base through a short phone call or email a week or two after your interview. Asking about this at the end of your interview can lead an interviewer to expect such contact, as well.
Send a Thank You Note
This is one of the simplest ways to make a good impression. Send a hand written thank you note to each person who was part of your interview shortly after the interview.
Some job coaches recommend sending an email twenty-four hours after the interview and a hand written card or letter that will arrive one to three days after that. A thank you note makes you look polite, and it also keeps your name in the front of your interviewers’ minds.
Follow Up with a Letter
Sometimes, following up with a longer letter – rather than just a short thank you note – can be a great idea, as well. If you’ve learned more about the company after your interview or have had time to process some of the company’s problems or challenges after the interview, link your accomplishments and skills to those issues in your letter.
A letter can also be a good place to address achievements, skills, or experiences that you did not get around to discussing during the interview.
Keep Your Word
If you say that you’ll send a list of references or a documentation of a certain training or experience the day after your interview, then do it. Punctuality in carrying out such tasks will show that you’re serious about the job and will ensure that you look nothing but professional.
Be Careful of Your Credit
Many potential employers will check your credit history to gauge how responsible you are in your personal life – which is often a good indicator of how responsible you will be in your job. This means that you may not want to apply for a credit card online or run up a bunch of new debt the weekend after your interview.
Remember, credit card applications and other applications for credit will put dings in your credit history, so make only wise, necessary credit choices in the few weeks before and after an important job interview.
Be Patient
While it’s a good idea to have some contact with your potential employer and interviewers after an interview, it’s also important not to come across as desperate and avoid becoming a pest. Choose one or two forms of contact, and stick with that. Wait for the employer to call you, otherwise.
If you have not heard from the potential employer for two or three weeks after the interview, it’s acceptable to call to check on the status of the hiring process.
Don’t Burn Bridges
This is perhaps the most important piece of post-interview advice. Even if you aren’t chosen for the position at that particular time, remain professional. Unprofessional behavior can burn bridges with employers and interviewers who might otherwise hire you sometime in the future, so remain calm, professional, and courteous throughout all your post-interview interactions with anyone from the company.
Don’t forget to remain professional and courteous even on your favorite social networking sites, as well! Using them for a venting outlet about a potential employer could well cost you a job opportunity in the future.
These steps will help you stay in contact with potential employers after your interview so that you’ll more likely be hired for the job. It may take you a couple of interviews to learn to use these techniques perfectly, but once you do, you’ll raise your chances of getting a job any time you get an interview.
About the author:
Ashyia Hill contributed this article. She is a social media advocate at the credit card comparison website, http://www.creditdonkey.com/