Cv For Interviews

Posts Tagged ‘Second Chance’

The interview follow up letter can make or break your chances of becoming hired.  For that reason it should become an essential part of your job hunting tool box, right in there with the other tools you use: resume, cover letter, thank you note, reference sheet and salary history.

Think of the letter as a second chance.  Some people don’t interview in person as well as they can write.  Living up to the standards your resume set for you may be difficult.  If that is the case, then the interview follow up letter will improve your appearance after the fact.  Other people interview well in person, and are able to use this letter to reemphasize key points discussed with the hiring manager, and remind the hiring manager of the good points about the applicant.  In either case the interview follow up letter is essential and if prepared properly will help the applicant get the job.

The following sample interview follow up letter gives an idea of what should be included.

The time I spent interviewing with you today gave me a clear picture of your organization’s operation as well as your work environment.  I want to thank you for the thorough picture you painted of your organizational needs.

I left our meeting feeling very enthusiastic about the scope of the position as well as its close match to my abilities. I believe the key strengths that I can offer you are:

• Experience in dealing with people of all types and backgrounds through my life experience, education and training.

• Proven ability to operate a business at a profit, supervise and train personnel,  facilitate activities to improve morale and cash flow,  and interact successfully with both staff and customers.

• Excellent communication skills—particularly the ability to gain feedback and summarize succinctly.

With my energetic work style, strong people skills and attention to detail, I believe that I am an excellent match for this position.  I welcome a chance to meet with you  further to elaborate on my background and possibilities of future association.

Thank you for your time.  I look forward to meeting with you soon.

Sincerely,
John Doe
You’ll notice that it is written in a positive and upbeat style.  In sales, many successful salesmen assume the close.  This does essentially that. The applicant in writing this letter is controlling the conversation and steering it towards positive attributes that he or she possesses, which would make the applicant appear valuable to the company.  In addition, by using an interview follow up letter an applicant is “walking the walk as well as talking the talk” simply because most applicants fail to use an interview follow up letter after an interview.  Using a letter like this shows that the applicant is conscientious, thoughtful, intelligent, and just the kind of person the company needs.  Using an interview follow up letter will lead to more job offers and more jobs.

This may seem obvious, but it happens way too often.  No matter the reason, there is no
excuse for it (besides an injury or family emergency and then kudos for you for showing
up).  Getting lost, bad traffic, or losing track of time doesn’t matter to an interviewer. 
They are taking time away from their primary duties to sit down with you to try and give
you a job.  It is rude and disrespectful to not show up on time.

Here are a few tips to ensure this doesn’t happen:

* Do a dry run.  If you are going to a city or a part of the city you are not familiar
with drive there a few days before.  Ideally you will do it during a week day at a
similar time to your interview time to gauge the amount of time it takes to get
there.
* Leave early.  Not just 15 minutes early, you can plan to arrive 30-60 minutes
before your interview time.  Don’t go into the building though.  Get into the area,
find a coffee shop and relax while reading the paper or reviewing your resume. 
Not only will this ensure that you are on time it also gives you time to relax and
calm yourself before walking into the building.
* Pay for parking.  Don’t circle the block 12 times looking for cheap parking on the
street.  Pay the money to park in a parking garage.  You do not want to waste
valuable time looking for parking and start to stress yourself at the same time.

If you are running late (but really, you shouldn’t be), make sure you call.  The
interviewer may not have time to complete the interview if you are running late and you
will save both of you the time if you let them know.  You can try and salvage the faux
pas by trying to book another appointment right away.  And if you are lucky enough to
get a second chance, follow the tips above to arrive not only on time, but early.