Congratulations. You have written an awesome cover letter.You sent in your resume and you have been invited for the job interview. Everything seems to be just perfect like the meal Goddie had prepared in the children cartoon Goddie and Bear. So you pick up every single advice on how to prepare for an interview and you seem to be just ready.
But wait just a minute!
Are you prepared for the set of things you need to do immediately after the interview?
You know the interview process does not end when the recruiter ask you if you have any questions.
The interview process ends when you either get the offer letter or not.
While lots of people focus so much on the processes before the interviews, the actual steps you take immediately after an interview can make a significant difference whether you will get the job or not.
This guide is to help you consolidate your great achievement on the things you need to do immediately after the interview to increase your chance of been hired.
Ready?
Let’s dive in on “What to do After Interview?”
1. Always ask questions regarding the next steps:
Like I said earlier, the interview does not end immediately the interviewer stops asking questions or after you asked your questions. Once you are done with the questions sessions and the interviewer has thanked you for coming, the next thing is to ask the interviewer what the next steps after an interview are. Some of the most important things you want to clarify are by asking questions. You can
Ask questions about:
- How long the process is?
- When are you likely to get feedback?
- Ask them if it is okay to keep in touch with them and if the answer is a yes, then you want to ask for their contact information or business cards.
2. Evaluate your performance:
Once you step out of the room, you need to go to a quiet place and access your performance. Try and recollect as many questions that you were asked as possible and what your answers where. You want to evaluate your performance and give yourself a score if you did well at the interview.
This is important for future purposes so you can know the areas where you need to improve your interview performance.
3. Online Portfolio Review:
If you are just doing this, then that means you were not adequately prepared for the interview. Despite that, it is not a bad time for you to immediately review your online portfolio at this stage. If the company is interested in hiring you, they may now want to seriously check your online portfolio out especially your social media pages. While most recruiters uses LinkedIn, it is important to make your LinkedIn page as professional as possible, some may go further and check your Facebook and Twitter pages too.
Review your online portfolio and make sure there is nothing in it that might embarrass your future employer
4. Contact your references:
Immediately after the interview, it is the right time to contact your possible references and keep them in the known that they might be contacted by your prospective employer and to know if they are willingly to provide not only useful but also positive information about you.
Giving your references a heads-up ensures that they are not caught unaware and therefore are able to provide accurate and correct information about you.
5. Send a Thank you Letter:
A few hours after the interview usually not more than 48 hours, you want to send a thank you letter to your interviewers.
Sending a thank you letter is very important for the following reasons
- It shows you are appreciative of the opportunity given to you
- It sets your apart from the rest of the pack
- It gives you an opportunity to restate your skills and why you are the best candidate for the role
- You have a chance to reinstate unique point of interest
- Gives you a chance to mention a particular strength you neglected to mention during the interview
Sample Thank You Letter After Interview via Email:
Genevieve Johnson,
25 Pine Street,
Lekki, Lagos.
(234) 8175765106
genejohn@gmail.com
February 23, 2017.
Mr Adam Levine,
Director, Janit Recruiting Centre,
21 Dyer St, El Paso.
Dear Mr Edward,
Thank you for making out time to interview me for the Financial Analyst position with First Entertainment Group. It was nice meeting you and the other members of the interviewing committee and learning more about the position.
After speaking with you and the group, I would like to stress my interest in the position and state that an opportunity to work with First Entertainment Group as a Financial Analyst will be a dream come true for me and will go a long way in helping me.
I believe my degree in journalism and internship experience in Splash Media House has provided me with strong analytical and writing skill and has also given me the experience needed for this position.
I feel that I could be a positive addition to the company. Thank you again for your time and consideration. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me at (234) 7233482013 or anamarc@gmail.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours Sincerely,
Joanne Tucker
If possible, you can send your thank you letter via post but if not, sending it through an email is just fine. What is worse is not sending a thank you letter at all.
6. Do Follow up after the Interview:
Following up after an interview when you have not heard from them especially after the timeframe for the feedback has expired can be an important strategy if well executed.
Following up does not mean you are desperate. It only shows you are interested in the position and can be employed as a light tough communication to remind them of continued interest.
After Interview Follow up Tips:
- A phone call or email is usually the best way to follow-up on a prospective employer.
- Follow up a week after the period for a specified next step has elapse and you have not heard back from them
- If you are asked for additional information of any kind, respond as quickly as possible, usually within 24 hours after the request was made.
Learning the important steps to take after an interview can make the difference between you becoming the desired candidate for the role or just one of the potential candidates for a role.
Remember that the more prepared you are for your interview, the greater the chance of you succeeding. If in doubt about anything, at least, send a thank you letter to your interviewers.
Author’s bio:
Emmanuel Adegboye is a career coach and community manager of CareerNaija.
