*formerly posted on the BGSU MBASA website in 2009
The information below may sound familiar. Hopefully, the listed advice is something that you already practice. If not, please take note and adjust accordingly.
The interview is over. The interviewer tells you that he/she will call you back in 2-3 weeks to let you know whether or not you are being hired. Now, it is time to wait, right? Maybe place a call or send an email in a week to show that you are still interested?
This may have worked for the earliest of career jobs--it worked for me when getting a summer internship in high school. However, at the MBA level, we are expected to be polished job applicants.
There is a saying that "silence is golden". Another saying says "no news is good news". There are times when these sayings provide good advice, but not here.
Reviewing the situation above, our role in the interview process does not end with the interview. Once brought in for an interview, we should send a thank you letter to the interviewer(s). This should be done promptly, within 1-3 days. We might get leeway, say if we have been through a series of interviews. For example, when I interviewed with Sky Bank, I had 3 interviews--1 phone interview (in which the interviewer did not provide contact information beyond a phone number), 1 interview with an HR representative at a regional office, and 1 interview with a branch manager and a regional officer (who was substituting for the team leader) at a branch location. In this case, I sent out all of the thank you letters after the 3rd interview. Regardless, I sent out the letters.
These "thank you" letters should not just say 'thanks'. These letters are another opportunity for us to explain why/how we are qualified for the job. We can connect ourselves, our resumes, and statements from the interview together in these letters. By doing so, we demonstrate the ability to process our thoughts and communicate clearly. We also prove that we were paying attention during the interview and were not just answering questions mindlessly.
We need to remember our references as well. While they might not need a letter per se, we can send them a short email or give them a short phone call with an update. Whether or not we get the job, we can always tell them thanks for the help.
The overall lesson is clear. Be thankful; say thank you. In turn, people such as the hiring manager may say "you're welcome" as the company hires you.
The information below may sound familiar. Hopefully, the listed advice is something that you already practice. If not, please take note and adjust accordingly.
The interview is over. The interviewer tells you that he/she will call you back in 2-3 weeks to let you know whether or not you are being hired. Now, it is time to wait, right? Maybe place a call or send an email in a week to show that you are still interested?
This may have worked for the earliest of career jobs--it worked for me when getting a summer internship in high school. However, at the MBA level, we are expected to be polished job applicants.
There is a saying that "silence is golden". Another saying says "no news is good news". There are times when these sayings provide good advice, but not here.
Reviewing the situation above, our role in the interview process does not end with the interview. Once brought in for an interview, we should send a thank you letter to the interviewer(s). This should be done promptly, within 1-3 days. We might get leeway, say if we have been through a series of interviews. For example, when I interviewed with Sky Bank, I had 3 interviews--1 phone interview (in which the interviewer did not provide contact information beyond a phone number), 1 interview with an HR representative at a regional office, and 1 interview with a branch manager and a regional officer (who was substituting for the team leader) at a branch location. In this case, I sent out all of the thank you letters after the 3rd interview. Regardless, I sent out the letters.
These "thank you" letters should not just say 'thanks'. These letters are another opportunity for us to explain why/how we are qualified for the job. We can connect ourselves, our resumes, and statements from the interview together in these letters. By doing so, we demonstrate the ability to process our thoughts and communicate clearly. We also prove that we were paying attention during the interview and were not just answering questions mindlessly.
We need to remember our references as well. While they might not need a letter per se, we can send them a short email or give them a short phone call with an update. Whether or not we get the job, we can always tell them thanks for the help.
The overall lesson is clear. Be thankful; say thank you. In turn, people such as the hiring manager may say "you're welcome" as the company hires you.