Y
ou landed an interview and you think it went pretty well. Now what? Here are some do's and don’ts to keep in mind while waiting to hear back from your potential new employer.
DO
Send a thank you note/email following the interview. If multiple people interviewed you, send an email individually to each person. It may also be helpful to thank other people who weren’t in the interview but helped you out, such as the HR rep that helped organize your interview.
DON’T
While a handwritten thank you notes add an extra level of personalization, don’t hand it directly to the interviewer immediately following the interview. This may make the thank you seem disingenuous since you already had it written before the interview even took place. However, having a card with a basic thank you that includes room for a specific topic discussed in the interview can help save you time. Simply drop in a mailbox on your way home and it will arrive on their desk in a few days.
DO
Reach out to the employer if you haven’t heard back, but wait for the timeline of when decisions are expected to be made before making contact. It doesn’t hurt to reiterate your interest in the position and the company.
DON’T
Be pushy. It can be tempting to send multiple emails until you hear an answer, but you don’t want to put yourself in a position where it may lose you the job. Keep in that in addition to filling the role, day to day responsibilities are still expected and even the most well intentioned can get busy.
DO
Keep applying for jobs while you wait to hear back. While landing an interview or two can be a great feeling, you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. Until everything is finalized with any offers you may receive, keep applying to other jobs so you don’t miss out on an opportunity.
DON’T
Focus on the parts of the interview that you feel didn’t go well. This is easier said than done since the longer you have to wait to hear back may have you questioning everything. Instead, focus on what you did well and write these down, such as a connection you and the interviewer made. Not only will this help you with thank you note personalization, it can also help prepare you for future interviews.
