Most people who are interviewed for jobs forget to write thank you notes – thanking the interviewer for taking the time to interview them. If five people get interviewed as many as three may not bother writing a “thank you”. So if you want to stand out from the crowd, writing a thank you note seems to be a no-brainer of a suggestion. Doesn’t it show your professionalism and courtesy compared with all those candidates who didn’t bother to write one? Isn’t it another opportunity to point out how well you will fit the company’s needs? So what’s wrong with thank you notes?
There is nothing wrong with the conventional thank you note and it won’t hurt to send one. Some people say it should always be handwritten, but unless you have perfect Palmer Method penmanship, you will be better off using your computer for this note. Start by saying something like “Thanks for meeting with me. After our meeting I am even more interested in the job of (position). I can see that I will like working at (name) because my (character trait or skill) will be a good fit in the role. When should I expect to hear of any developments?” If you send in a Thank You note like this, you will stand out from the crowd, however you will not stand out as much as the candidates who use the far more effective “thank you” note plus approach.
The “thank you” note plus or follow-up letter has everything you would put in the conventional thank you note but it adds a little something extra. And that something extra will have a powerful impact on your job hunt.
Using this technique requires you to lay a little groundwork in the interview. All you have to do is ask one or two questions and think about the information you receive in reply. Ask your interviewer: “What are the challenges in this position that the new hire must immediately address?” and “Can you give me some background knowledge on these challenges that the previous incumbent would have had available to him or her?” Then, after the interview, think about this information and develop two to four possible approaches you might use to address one or two challenges. Now, after thanking the interviewer, expressing your interest and showing your fit for the position, add to your note something like this: “I have been thinking about the challenges we talked about and I’ve come up with a couple of ideas that may be helpful. Feel free to call me and we can discuss them.”
By offering your ideas about how to address a problem situation even before you have been hired, you have once more signaled your seriousness, professionalism and commitment to the job. And, because you are offering solutions, you are also offering to show the manager exactly how you will go about doing the job and an idea of what you are capable of. So the manager will definitely call you back.
When the manager calls, discuss your ideas. After you have completed brainstorming, say something like: “It has been great thinking through these challenges. Do you know when HR will be taking the next steps?”
Tim Cunningham, CPRW (tim@ffresume.com) is Vancouver’s only Certified Professional Resume Writer and the Founder and Principal Writer of Fast & Focused Resume Service (www.ffresume.com).
