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THANK-YOU
In to-day's busy world of cell phones and texting the majority of people have forgotten to say thank-you. Wherever I traveled in the world I always made sure that I knew the two magic words in whatever country I was visiting. Amazing to see the smiles and gestures of appreciation after I thanked them in their native language.
I have some advice of what to during and after your interview. Every salesperson would teach you to "never ever miss an opportunity to sell yourself." This is especially true not only when you are job searching, but even after the interview is over.
Hopefully you dressed appropriately, business casual, for the position you are applying for. Get rid of the visible body piercing to the nose ears and eyebrows. I trust that you have a well written complete resume that speaks volumes for your talents. I have actually seen resumes that are dirty and crumpled with tons of grammar and spelling errors that are supposed to impress the recipient.
There was a time when thank you notes were hand written messages that you took the time to hand deliver saying that you appreciated the time the Human Resource Director spent to interview you.
I know that to-day the majority of people do not use " slow mail" preferring to use e-mail correspondence. Slow or lightening speed thank-you notes should be sent the same day that you are lucky enough to be interviewed. It can be the last-ditch effort to sell yourself.
There are some key components that you should follow in your thank-you note of appreciation . Remember to thank everyone who took the time out of their busy schedule to interview you and learn of your strengths and weaknesses. Reinforce your ability to be a team player where you can help the company to be more successful. Emphasize your good ability, good work ethics, good willpower and your ability to embrace positive changes in the interview and in the follow up letter.
In short the thank-you note is part of your strategy to land the job and leave the last impression with the hiring panel. Drive the message home that you are the best candidate for the job. Many times, hiring decisions are made based on who seems to want the job more.
Make sure that there is absolutely no question in anyone’s mind that the best qualified person who wants the job is you.
For 20 plus years thousands of clients, that I have counseled, have received a summation thank-you letter mailed to their home address. I thanked them for the trust that they bestowed on me to counsel them to choose appropriate universities/colleges and careers. Amazing, to see the hundreds of referrals that flowed from my interviews and taking the time to say thanks. When you think of it, time is a non-renewable precious finite resource that we have to learn to use well.
Thank-you for taking the time to read my column.
Len Lesser