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."

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

http://www.job-interview-site.com/what-to-do-after-an-interview-things-to-do-after-the-job-interview.html

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