Post-interview, if you find yourself sitting on your hands to avoid pestering the folks in HR, you’re not alone.
That’s because it’s widely reported that the span from interview to job offer is on average 24 business days. But when you take into account vacations, last-minute business trips and, for some positions, the need to interview with several teams’ worth of people, you could be looking well beyond that timeframe.
The good news: Folks in a hiring position expect you to follow-up — appropriately.
“If you have not heard from the interviewer within two-to-three weeks, don’t sit around biting your nails,” says career coach Caroline Kim Oh. “But don’t be that stalker interviewee making the interviewer uncomfortable with unsolicited phone calls or needy emails either.”
It’s a fine line, when you want the job. But by sticking to certain parameters, you can continue to express interest in he role without cancelling out your chances of getting the job.
Rule #1. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread.
There is no bigger turn-off than an email with even one misspelling.
“Check for typos and grammar mistakes,” says Oh. “Those darn iPhone autocorrects can do some embarrassing things to professional emails. Also watch out for harried copying and pasting of old email texts to a new email. Formatting can come out wacky that way.”
Oh also stresses that every touchpoint until you have a job offer accepted is a mini interview in itself, she says. Potential employers may see typos or grammatical mistakes as indicative of the work product you will be handing in if you get the job.
Rule #2. Avoid Templates.
HR professionals read cover letters every day, and say that candidates who go the extra mile to convey their desire for the job make an impression over those that issue a more milquetoast plea.
“I love candidates who are engaged and ‘on,’ says Sharon Jautz, Director of Talent Acquisition at Sandow Media. “They really want to work here and that comes across in their note to me. Make it personal; refer to specifics in conversation in the interview. Ask for the order – tell me you want the job.”
That said, you want to keep it short and sweet and avoid making the recipient feel you are being unrelenting in your desire for the job.
“Send a short, friendly email and see if you can be helpful to the decision making process by providing any more information than they already have,” says Oh. “Offer to schedule a follow-up meeting or call, but don’t be pushy. This is meant to help them make a decision, not to bully anyone to hire you.”
Rule #3. Trust The Process
Resist the urge to keep emailing or calling. It may alleviate some anxiety on your part, but multiple points of contact are likely to turn the recipient off.
“It’s really tough hiring great people, just as it’s tough to get great jobs,” says Oh. “If you’ve aced the interview, you’ve followed up and the interviewer is stalling, they are most likely not ready to hire you, whether it’s because there is another candidate they are courting, or because they are too swamped with other work. Unless you have a time-sensitive matter at hand (another job offer you must take or give up, for example,) try to be patient and trust the process.”
Did you find the typo in this article and it bothered you? If so, good. Don’t let it happen to you!
