Best practices around contacting the employer after an interview may vary, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of taking time to say ‘thank you’.

Let’s break the interview series up and talk about how you can approach your prospective employer contacts after the interview(s).

1^st Interview – After your first interview you should send a thank you message immediately. The medium you use can vary, but some suggested formats are:

a.) Short letter – send a thank you letter to the hiring manager who interviewed you and also include a paragraph about why you believe the position is a good match for you. Pick something you know is a ‘hot spot’ for the manager that you know you can provide a solution to. Also, send a separate letter to the human resources professional who interviewed you. This needs to be an original; not a redundant cut-and-paste version of the letter to the hiring manager. People like to be communicated with on an exclusive basis. If the HR professional and hiring manager get together and discover you sent them the exact same letter it will put you in the ‘cheesy’ pile. Not necessarily a turn-down, but definitely not much extra effort merit.

b.) Email message – you can send an email thank you and also share your interest. However, keep in mind that people do not like long drawn out emails. Your email should be short and to the point, without wordy explanations.

c.) Handwritten Note/Card – These can be very effective since most people are used to just getting a quick email. But, be sure the recipient is not someone who travels a lot, or they may not receive it for months. A handwritten note/card has a way of making the receiver feel special. Choose a card that is professional looking & blank inside – no joke cards. Perhaps just something that says “Thank You” on the outside.

2^nd Interview – Great, their really getting interested! If you have not yet sent a short letter format as listed in (a.) above, then this is a good time to do so. Beyond that, other methods can include:

a). For new interviewers – Returning for a second interview often means that you are meeting with a new group of people. Again, immediately after you interview send a ‘thank you’ email to these people indicating that you appreciate their time and are excited about the opportunity.

b). HR or Hiring Manager – if this is your 2^nd meeting in this arena and you’ve already sent the short letter format then an email ‘thank you’ is appropriate here. If you have not sent the letter, do so now. I know that the letter can be difficult to compose, but the employer knows this too and it will show them that you put forth extra effort. Believe me, showing extra effort means a lot during the selection and hiring process.

You may have noticed by now that I have not spent anytime suggesting that you simply “call” the prospective employer. Why? Because there is a difference between written contacts and phone/verbal contacts. Written contacts allow you to express your appreciation and let the employer know how you can be their solution. A phone contact ends up being more of a “hi – have you made a decision yet”? Doing this early on in the interviewing process can be a real turn-off. So, spend time in the extra effort categories and it will pay off.

3^rd Interview – Can you call yet? Yes, you’ve now earned calling privileges. However, do not call immediately after the interview. As usual, send an email thank you to all those who spoke with you right away. Then, target five days – yes, I said 5 days, as your waiting period for the phone call process. When you do call, simply state that you’re just checking in on the process and would be happy to provide any further information they may need and that you are still very interested in the opportunity (or something along that line).

Of course there may be variations on a theme here. You may go for only two interviews and the employer will tell you they will get back to you shortly. Follow through on your written messages. Then mark your five-day period and give them a call as noted above. Employers will not always take you through the process of three separate interviews, but usually always two.

Ok – if you’ve got any questions here just blog me back J

Posted by Robin Ogden – FiredUP Careers

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