A Thank You Note is Just One Way to Impress After an Interview

If you are currently in the job market you may be preparing yourself for upcoming job interviews.  While you will spend a good amount of time preparing for interviews, it is just as important to know what to do when the interview is over.

It is important to remember that you need to do well in the interview first. These are some preparation tips that may help you before the interview: familiarize yourself with common interview questions, create a list of questions that you should ask interviewers, and select a professional outfit to wear. As soon as you have each of these preparation steps out of the way, you may want to take the time to focus on after the interview.

If you are wondering what you should after a job interview, you are definitely not alone.  Unfortunately, this is where many in today’s job market make mistakes, possibly costly mistakes.  Many believe that as soon as they finish up a job interview, the rest is in the hands of the management staff. While this can ring true in many cases, did you know that there are still steps that you can take to improve your chances of getting the job, even after the interview has ended?

The first step to take after the interview is over is to go out of your way to thank the interviewer.  In most cases, you will find that this person would be your supervisor if you were to get the position.  Be sure to thank them for the job interview opportunity. Also, if you had a scheduling conflict or were late to your job interview (although your should NEVER be late to an interview), be sure to thank the interviewer for being patient and accommodating to you. This may improve your chances in more ways than you could have ever imagined, especially if you were late. Be sure to shake hands.  Many view this as the “official,” closing of a job interview.

When you leave the interview room, there is a good chance that you would have to walk through the rest of the establishment. Whether you have to walk fifty feet or five hundred feet, there is a good chance that you will come into contact with other individuals, namely other employees.  Be sure to acknowledge them with a quick hello as you pass.  This is particularly important if a company supervisor is escorting you from the building or at least watching you leave, acknowledging other coworkers shows that you are able to go out of your way to get along with them. This is a good sign that you may be a great team player.

Once you return home, you will want to prepare a thank you letter to mail out to the interviewer. There are many individuals who have pre made thank you letters.  In fact, some will even mail out their thank you notes on their way home from the interview. While it is possible to do so, you may want to add a personal note to your thank you letter.  This will help to prove it wasn’t a necessarily a preplanned gesture. With that in mind, the sooner that you can mail out your thank you note, the better shape you will likely be in. You will want to try and have your thank you note reach its recipient before an official decision has been made on who gets the job.

As outlined above, there are a number of different ways that you can go about landing your dream job even after the job interview has concluded.  What is nice is that these steps are relatively easy to implement.  In fact, you rarely have to take any special action.  These steps may not always lead you to be hired for the job, but there is no harm in taking a chance.