Things To Do When The Interview is Over   by Kurt Allan

in Careers / Career Management    (submitted 2012-01-30)

So you've just concluded an interview for a position you're actually interested in. What are the next steps? Certainly, there's yet steps you can take after the interview is over that will assist you to get that job. Let's check out a few things you can do to continue to highlight your interest and qualifications.

The 1st thing to do is promptly send a thank you note or e-mail to each one of your interviewers (you did remember to get their contact information, right?). Sending a note within twenty four hours of the interview provides you another opportunity to connect with the decision makers with the company again and show them that you're both interested and highlight one or two quick items that make you right for the job. It's amazing how few job candidates actually send a basic thank you note. In an area in which you are in search of ways differentiate yourself from the other applicants, it's a fairly easy win.

If there were areas of the interview that you thought went notably well, make sure you make a few quick notes to make sure that if there are any follow-up meetings or interviews you will be able to highlight these areas again. Likewise, if there were requests or a specific interviewer that gave you concerns or difficulties, make sure you write these down also. When there's opportunities to connect with the company once again (even in your brief thank you note), you may get the opportunity to better clarify or detail areas you thought needed further explanation.

Moreover, even if you don't get the job you interviewed for, the experiences at the job interview will let you be better prepared for the subsequent interview. Improving and more confident with the interviewing process and questions can only help you. Having these few short notes available will help you prepare for your next job interview.

One of your final questions at the interview should be obtaining clarification on what will be the next steps and when you would expect to hear back from a representative of the company. This is also the perfect time to inquire if you could call back at that time to check in. Be sure to put a memo in your calendar or your organizer right away to remind yourself to communicate with the corporation on that day (provided you haven't heard earlier). It just yet another chance to highlight yourself and display your professionalism and meticulousness.

So after the interview is over, don't forget to do these few elementary follow-up tasks. There simple, take hardly any time, but nonetheless they should help highlight your candidacy over other job applicants and make it easier to land that ideal job. Cheers!

About the Author

Kurt Allan publishes MN Unemployment. The completely free Minnesota Unemployment website with all the key resources for your Minnesota Job Search.