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So you've left an interview feeling confident that you'll get the job. All you have to do now is sit back and wait for that comforting you're hired phone call, right? Wrong.
HR professionals agree there's one final, yet very important, step that dates back to the generations of old. It's a phrase that's been ingrained in most of us since childhood and it doesn't stop when we're out on the job hunt.
We need to say thank you
A carefully constructed, well-timed, handwritten thank-you note could be the missing puzzle piece to land you the job you really want. And, as old-school as handwriting a thank-you note sounds, according to experts, it's the best way to gain an advantage over other applicants.
I was a guest on Canada AM recently and on the wall of the green room I noticed a bunch of thank-you notes from guests; one of them was from Lionel Richie, and I was reminded that even global stars use thank-you notes to make themselves memorable, says Alan Kearns, founder of CareerJoy, a Canada-wide career coaching and counselling service. So if Lionel Richie sends thank-you notes, you know they're important.
While sending a quick email or even tweeting a thank-you might be the instinctual response for most students in our technological age, it's actually the reverse approach that leaves your name fresh on a prospective employer's mind.
The way things have changed with employment and technology, it's looking for those added edges every chance you can to make an impression and leave an impression, says Irene Wallace, employment facilitator at Camosun College in Victoria, BC. Handwritten cards are seemingly pass├® but, believe it or not, it's coming back into our approaches. Some students see them as unusual, and sometimes they're just not sure if it's a good move to send one. But it is.
Recent graduate Nick Noble got a full-time job at Risdall Marketing Group, a media agency, three weeks before he got his undergraduate degree in business and marketing. How did he come across such amazing timing?
I emailed the online marketing group president and thanked him for talking with us during an intern-for-a-day event, explains Noble. I also included a couple of questions about the industry and asked how I could improve my skills. He responded and asked me if I would be interested in interviewing. If a simple thank-you email can make an employer perk up and take notice, experts advise that a well-planned, personalized thank-you card can work absolute wonders.
It's the immediacy of follow-up, and people are looking to see how reliable you are, says Wallace. It's an excellent way to create an impression, and it works.
Getting mail is a rare thing now, especially a handwritten card, agrees Kearns. There's that book Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, and I actually disagree. It's all about the small stuff.
How to make it count
Thank-you notes are a must for a successful job interview follow-up. But how should they be presented? What should be included? And what's the ultimate goal?
The number one goal is to thank the person. Never forget that, says Kearns.
Kearns and Wallace agree notes should be in the form of a simple, handwritten card that's relevant, genuine, and timely.
Cards should be mailed in or dropped off as soon as possible after the interview and well before the hiring deadline. They should also be handwritten on the outside of the envelope, to signify a personal touch and set them apart from junk mail.
The message inside the card should thank the employer for the interview and express the desire for a possible follow-up. However, it shouldn't force the issue or attempt to sell your wares all over again, warns Wallace. Instead, it should strategically and briefly reiterate one or two things that you can bring to the company.
And anything you've forgotten or wish you had said during the interview, you slide that in, says Wallace.
Most importantly, a thank-you should be error-free and legible. And if you're not good at handwriting, says Kearns, have someone else write it out for you.
Photo: Helge Woell/Thinkstock