Two Big Mistakes After A Job Interview
Imagine that you just had an interview for your dream job. The position is a perfect fit, you like the work environment, and you feel that you nailed the interview. What is the next step? What can you do to make sure that the interviewers do not forget about you? Conversely, how do you check in with them without being intrusive?
Two common mistakes after job interviews are: 1) neglecting to send a thank-you note, and 2) checking in with the interviewers too frequently or impolitely.
The first mistake is easy to correct. The purpose of a thank you note is to:
- Show appreciation for the employer's interest in you
- Remind them of your interest in the job
- Review your qualifications for the position
- Include any information the employer may have asked you to provide after the interview.
Send the letter by regular mail to the hiring manager (the person who makes the hiring decision, such as the group leader) about a week after your interview. You can then send thank-you notes via email to others who interviewed you, including the HR person.
The etiquette for checking in with your interviewers is a little trickier. The employer might not get back to you for several weeks if he/she is interviewing others or has a busy schedule. If you do not hear back within a week after they received your thank-you note send them a reminder via email to inquire about their timelines. If the interviewer is interested in you, he/she will respond to your email. Another strategy is to ask someone you know at the company to find out from the hiring manager their plans for getting back to you. In the event that the hiring manager does not respond to your letter or email, and several weeks have passed since your interview, it is a good idea to call them over the phone. Remember to rehearse what you will say before you lift the phone, and remain polite throughout the conversation.
"Waiting for the phone call" can be tough emotionally, especially when you are unemployed. Employers are very busy (sometimes they take 3-6 months to fill a position) and there are many qualified candidates on the market. You cannot rush the employers' decisions (nor would you want to) but you can remind yourself of the following job-searching mantra:
Until you receive a written offer from an employer, your job is to keep looking for employment opportunities
Curious about sample thank-you-notes and other "after-the-interview" etiquette? Check out the websites at the end of this post.
Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: "The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."
http://www.best-interview-strategies.com/post-interview.html
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/thankyouletters/a/samplethankyou.htm
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/intfollowup.htm
Naturally Obsessed With Science: Are You?
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to view the movie Naturally Obsessed during an evening hosted by the Massachusetts chapter of AWIS (Association of Women in Science). I did not think I would sit on the edge of my seat during a movie about graduate school, but it was a gripping story.
Naturally Obsessed chronicles the lives of three graduate students at Columbia University over a three-year period. As viewers, we become familiar with their personal and professional challenges, and their obsession with making a ground-breaking discovery. Naturally (no pun intended) the movie sparked a lively discussion about the frustrations that graduate students face.
Would these students have started PhD programs if they had known how many hurdles they would need to overcome? How many disappointments can you take before you decide to give up? How do you overcome the fear of someone else publishing before you? Can you tell beforehand which students will become the most successful?
A scientist who received her PhD from a different country commented that she and her classmates experienced just as much stress as the students in the United States. So, even though the culture was different, the scenery in the lab was the same. "What can we do differently to make the PhD experience better?" she asked. "What is it about the PhD process that is so stressful, and is there a way to make it better?"
There was a long pause in the room after this question, followed by a few comments, but no one gave a final answer. If you have any thoughts on how one could make the PhD experience better, of it you have seen the movie and would like to comment on it, please click the "Reply" button below. (You must be logged in to see the "Reply" button.) We look forward to your feedback!
For more information about Naturally Obsessed or to view a trailer, go to
Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: "The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."
Career Fairs: What's The Point?
Just a few weeks ago, I was talking with Tomas (not his real name) who came back from a career fair completely exhausted. "I do not know what the purpose of career fairs is anymore," he said with an air of disappointment in his voice. "I stood in line for 20 minutes for each company and at the end the reps just told me to apply for jobs online. My back hurts from standing in line for hours."
Good point. What's the point of career fairs? You walk into a crowded exhibit fall with lines snaking along the wall. All these people, you might think, are applying for a handful of openings. Why even bother coming, when you can just apply online?
Yet, career fairs do serve a purpose. First, you'll get a sense of companies that are hiring, or expanding in the future. Exhibitors need to pay a hefty fee for booths, and career fairs are a quick way for them to collect resumes and talk to candidates at the same time. Be sure to look over the floor plan in advance so you will know where the relevant companies are.
Another reason to attend is to collect contact information from friendly reps. If you get to the career fair early, before the reps get exhausted, they are more likely to talk to you in detail about their openings and possibly give you their business card. If you do exchange contact info, be sure to follow up and send them a copy of your resume electronically.
Career fairs will also give you an opportunity to talk to recruiters at staffing agencies, who can recommend your resume to multiple companies. Recruiters frequently hire for temporary positions as well, which can help you get a foot in the door into industry.
Finally, career fairs are great for networking. You might meet a colleague or old acquaintance, and you could help each other in the job search. The more professional events you go to the more people you will meet and the more connected you will become.
For more tips about career fairs, visit:
http://www.nationalcareerfairs.com/advice/
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/CareerManagement/story?id=4575484&page=1
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobfairtips/Attend_a_Job_Fair.htm
Networking, For Real!
Good Morning!
A few weeks ago, I ran into one of my good friends at a cafe, and asked her how she was doing. "Great!," she replied. "I love my job. I have been with this company for 2 years. That's a real record for me!" We both laughed, because this was her fifth job job since she got her PhD eight years ago. She did not plan it this way, of course. Two of the companies she worked for had layoffs just months after she started. She left another job voluntarily as they overwhelmed her with work for a very small pay. She liked the fourth company, but after some clever networking she got a job at another company that offered more exciting work, higher pay and was in a better location. Hey, if you are smart, you can get what you really want even in a recession!
My friend certainly had an adventurous career path, with five PhD-level job offers in six years. None of the job offers came through internet job applications. Please do not get me wrong. The Internet is a fantastic resource that will give you information about companies that are hiring, and the skill sets they are looking for (I did, in fact, have a blog about Internet job searching two weeks ago.) But networking (the right way) trumps Internet job applications any day.
I named this blog "Networking, For Real!", to highlight one of the most important aspects of networking. Networking is a two-way street. Job seekers often make the mistake of "jumping" at industry professionals with job searching requests. Once in a while a nice person will forward their resume and the job seeker will the forget about this favor and move on. In real networking, you offer something in return. A thank you card is a good start, but once you are in more deeply networked professionally, you can invite them to join societies, online communities, and give them contact information of interesting people who might help them.
My friend from the above example is rarely idle at networking events. When she talks to someone in need, she immediately says, "Oh, I know who can help you!" She connects people, forwards resumes, and goes out to lunch with friends in need. No wonder other people are helping her, because she is the type of person they would like to have in their network. A busy businessman once told me: "Networking takes a lot of time, and it can cost a lot of money, but is is totally worth it. In fact, all of my major career moves happened through networking."
When you network for real, you offer something in return. But how do you get started? Well, you need to show up. Especially if you are looking for a job, you need to go to all the networking events that you can, and meet as many people if possible. Follow up with interesting people soon after the event and start the correspondence. Keep in mind that people are busy, so you probably need to remind others politely to forward your resume or arrange an interview.
Here are a few other books that could help you become a better networker:
The Networking Survival Guide: Get the Success You Want By Tapping Into the People You Know by Diane Darling
Make Your Contacts Count: Networking Know-how for Business And Career Success by Anne Baberand Lynne Waymon
Smart Networking: Attract a Following in Person and Online by Liz Lynch
In such difficult economic times, students get inspiration by reading stories from other stories. If you would like to share your story (by name or anonymously), I would love to hear from you! All stories are special and unique, and our readers will be grateful. Please email me if you would like to share your story, or even if you would like to retell someone else's. Also pass this message along to your friends and colleagues.
Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author:"The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."
www.phdnet.org