Sex and Your Job Search 2013: A Guide to Scoring Your Dream Job (29 page)

Third Base is almost over. You and the interviewer have connected and may really like each other professionally. Yet, you won’t be satisfied until you score a job offer. This waiting period of days, weeks, or more can be painful.

Here’s how to leave them wanting more.

1. As I mentioned in the Questions to Ask, make sure you know what the next steps of the interview process are and what the timeframe is for making a decision (Question #12).

If there is another interview, ask to be considered by saying: “I am very excited about this job opportunity and the possibility of contributing to your organization. Would it be possible to schedule the next interview now?”

Be sure to say this with excitement and a smile. If they deflect,
don’t
be pushy.

If there isn’t another interview, exit by saying: “I am very excited about this job opportunity and contributing to your organization. I appreciate the opportunity to interview with you. It was nice meeting you and I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

2. Have everyone’s business cards and the correct spelling of everyone’s name. If you don’t already have that information, ask for it. Very smooth move. It makes you look thoughtful and detailed. (This turns them on professionally. Trust me you’re not wasting their time.)

3. Job offer. If they offer the job on the spot, act excited and ask for at least twenty-four hours to think about it, even if you’re completely thrilled. Then read Chapter 14, Home run: Nailing a Job Offer.

4. As you exit, keep that Old Spice, “I’m on a horse” confident eye contact and smile. Then shake hands firmly. Indicate that you appreciate their time, have enjoyed interviewing with them, and that you would love to join their team.

Several interview books recommend a high-pressure sales approach at this point and suggest that you must lock down another appointment. Trust me, there is nothing you can do
as an applicant
to convince a HR rep or hiring manager to schedule something else if they haven’t already asked. It. Is. Not. Your. Decision. Don’t risk pissing someone off by being pushy. They are not on your timeline. In most cases, HR reps need to deliberate with multiple people before determining whether someone is a good fit and moving ahead with the hiring process. Bow out politely.

A colleague was walking a young gentleman back to the lobby after an interview for an entry-level position. He was following the applicant down a hallway with offices and various rooms.

As they passed a door with a small window to a conference room, the guy stopped in his tracks, leaned his head back, and declared, “Who dat?!” My co-worker was stunned and stammered, “You… you mean that girl? She’s… uh… another applicant” (being vague on purpose). “Dayum! Can I talk to her real quick,” the male interviewee replied and motioned in her direction. “No… let’s get you to the lobby. Thanks so much for interviewing,” said my serious colleague as he pointed in the direction of the lobby.

Through some flash of brilliance, the applicant snapped back to his professional self and quietly walked toward the door. Before exiting, he turned and said, “Thanks again, sir.”

Not even a “Thanks again, sir” can save you after you’ve tried to get someone’s digits during an interview.

FOLLOWING UP AND KEEPING IN TOUCH:
“I REALLY HAD A GREAT TIME!”

Obviously, a hot model interviewer is going to be pretty popular. Your competition will be stiff and following up is an expected part of the job-search process. You want to be remembered, especially if you were the first of five to ten applicants being considered for the job.

Here are some recommendations to keep you, your skills, and your values top of mind when decision time comes. Many, many times it is the applicant that shows a little extra effort who gets more attention and is selected for the position.

WRITE YOUR INTERVIEW SUMMARY

The first thing you should do after the interview, besides saying, “Nailed it!” like Barney from
How I Met Your Mother
, is write a summary of the interview. Take good notes while everything is still clear in your mind.

I suggest starting in chronological order from the moment you entered the building. Keep track of who you met, what they do, and anything personal about them. What answers did the interviewer respond to the best and what did you learn about the company and job? If they mentioned big projects, corporate initiatives, conferences, or other topics, put those down as well. Is there an article or information you can send them that will help solve one of their problems? Did anything go badly? What could you have done to improve?

It’s OK to take some notes during the interview. You may even ask if it’s OK to do so. But don’t write a lot. Just keywords. I had one applicant write one full page and something seemed fishy. Like he was interviewing me and writing a research paper right in front of me. It was an odd situation, as mutually agreed on by the other interviewers who spoke with him.

SEND A THANK YOU EMAIL 
AND
HANDWRITTEN THANK YOU NOTE
WITHIN 24 HOURS

In a recent
Cosmopolitan
article, research showed that 87% of guys like receiving a follow-up text from women after a date. Conversely,
Men’s Health
recommended in a new article that guys should always send a follow-up text within a few hours following a date.

The texts tend to say thank you for a great time, reference something memorable, and are more casual in tone. For example, “Thanks for dinner last night! I had fun. I’m still laughing about your band camp story.”

After an interview, the advice is similar, except that you should send a thank you email and a handwritten thank you note, with the tone being professional. This shows your enthusiasm and organizational skills.

If you really want the job, you
have
to send a thank you note. Yet, so few people actually do. On average, maybe one out of every twenty to thirty interviewees send out thank you emails. And at best 1% of all applicants send a handwritten thank you note. I asked one of my co-workers today how many thank you notes he’s received in his fifteen-year HR career. He said maybe twenty handwritten notes that he’s saved in a folder and at best fifty emails. Just like my co-worker, I still have all of the thank you notes I’ve ever received.

Send a thank you note and you will present yourself as someone who stands out from other applicants, is determined, follows through, and has great people skills. As a result, you will build even more trust that you are a fit within the company. Remember, sometimes the decision to hire you may be made similarly to how someone decides to hook up with another person: emotionally. Sending a note may just cause them to select you.

In your email and note, thank them for the opportunity, mention something personal or memorable from the interview, and/or do research to see if there is a conference, list, author, publication, or association that can help them with a challenge. Then reaffirm your interest in the position.

I recommend that you send the thank you email before the end of the day, and at the latest within twenty-four hours, and that you drop a handwritten thank you note in the mail within twenty-four hours. Within how many hours? Twenty-four, like the TV show.

Research shows that most hiring managers prefer handwritten notes. Just as you would when you’re going out with someone, being creative and showing effort through a handwritten note scores major points with interviewers.

Some books recommend sending an email after business hours. It doesn’t matter! No one cares as long as it isn’t thirty seconds after the interview. That’s just weird and contrived. Wait at least an hour after an interview is over. To me, it shows that an applicant is still thinking about me and that my company is a priority to them.

Thank You Email,
with the Subject Line of “Thank You”:

Dear Mr. John Public, (Keep it formal out of respect.)

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. It was a pleasure discussing the _________ position and learning more about Acme Corporation.

After meeting with you, I have a better understanding of why your company has such high employee satisfaction. I feel that I could learn a lot from you and that my skills and values would contribute to your positive work environment.

I’ve also been thinking about what you said about_________ and I thought you would appreciate the link I’ve copied below to an article that reports on it. (Nice personal touch, and by doing this, you’re getting them used to you making their lives easier.)

I look forward to hearing from you concerning your hiring decision. Again, thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Dominic Bokich

Thank you Note Handwritten, on Nice Stationery:

Dear Mr. Public,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. I enjoyed learning more about the _________ position and meeting your staff. I feel that my attention to detail, customer service skills, and experience in your industry would contribute to your future success.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,

Dominic Bokich

The Thank you Email and the Thank you Note say similar things, with different wording and different length.

Quick Tip:
The main interviewer and decision-maker gets an email
and
handwritten thank you note. Everyone else you talked with should just get a handwritten note.

THE FOLLOW-UP PHONE CALL

Stick to the timeline that was provided during the interview. If they said to follow up after two weeks, wait two weeks. Don’t call after two days. In my opinion, follow-up phone calls are only to be used for an update on the status of the position and to briefly express your continued interest and availability.

When you do call, thank them for their time, briefly re-emphasize why you can do the job, what attributes will make you a good employee (the top three for the position), and that you are still very interested in the job.

The importance of getting business cards and taking good notes after the interview is highlighted in this step as well. I’ve had applicants call and say, “Yeah, please tell Janis that I appreciated her time, too.” The other interviewer’s name was Janine. Doh!

If this happens to you, try to laugh it off and say, “I guess I was so excited to be interviewing that I got it wrong, haha.” But, that’s really no excuse if you have business cards.

A superstar applicant for a summer internship followed up one a month after her initial interview at the start of the school year (she was smart for looking so early). Along with her short note, she emailed the hiring manager a
Dilbert
cartoon that mentioned the city where he worked. It cracked him up, as it referenced a peculiarity of the region that he lived in and that they discussed during the interview.

The young lady ended up getting a job offer, which she ultimately turned down due to several competing offers. She was such a desirable candidate because of her brilliant communication and follow-up skills.

OTHER FOLLOW-UP STEPS

Remember the person from the Vince Vaughn movie
Swingers
I mentioned in Chapter 7? The one who left some twenty-plus voicemails? Don’t be that guy or girl here. If the interview process stretches on for weeks or months, follow up every three to four weeks by email expressing your continued interest. Don’t call the next day or two days in a row. Stick to the timeframe they gave you in the interview.