Interview Follow-up Letters - Do You Know Their
Importance?
You've
had your interview with a perspective employer.
Now what? Do you simply wait for a response
or do you take a more proactive stand? The fact
is that job searching doesn't end with the interview.
It's what you do in the days that follow the
interview that can shift things in your favor.
Do
you know the importance of a follow-up letter?
It is the last piece of the overall resume package
but it can be the most powerful and persuasive
piece of material you can have in your job-hunting
arsenal. Not sending one to someone, who has
interviewed you for a position, can be the biggest
mistake that you can make. It is the one thing
that can be used to sell your skills to an employer,
one final time before they make a decision.
It actually serves two purposes.
1. It thanks the interviewer for taking the
time to interview you. This is especially
important because they are busy people and
it's a nice way of acknowledging that you
value their time.
2.
It gives you one final chance to remind the
interviewer what skills and experience you
will bring to the position. This gives you
an edge over the competition for 2 reasons.
A) Many candidates never send one and B) It
keeps you and your skills fresh in their minds.
This
can give you the edge needed over the competition
to sway their decision in your favor. Since
it can have a dramatic impact on the hiring
decision, it should be written carefully and
with much thought.
Because
hiring managers literally view hundreds of resumes
for a single position, they can't remember all
the details of a particular resume. It's your
job to make sure they don't forget you or your
skills. This is why it is extremely important
to use a follow-up letter to get their attention
one last time.
Constructing
a good follow-up letter is key to continuing
the professional appearance you need to portray
to a potential employer. The first paragraph
should "thank" the hiring manager. The second
paragraph can restate key skills, abilities
or experience that you mentioned during the
interview. Keep it brief, but choose your words
carefully. Make sure to mail it no later than
the day after the interview.
Don't
pass up the chance to sell your qualifications
to a perspective employer one last time, it
really is your final opportunity. It can mean
the difference of getting the position or losing
it to someone else. So send it off and put yourself
one step ahead of your competition.
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