Follow Up After an Interview Without Being a Pest

By : Anthony Balderrama

Comparisons between job hunting and dating are common, and never are they more true than when it comes to the follow-up. After a date, you want to let the other person know you're interested, but you don't want to appear desperate. Plus, you don't want to feel foolish if he or she had no intention of contacting you again. On the other hand, what if he or she is waiting for you to make the call and if you don't, you'll miss out on a great romance?

So many questions and no definite answers to any of them. Ultimately you have to use your judgment and hope for the best.

Following up after a job interview is similar. As if you weren't nervous enough, you end up asking yourself a dozen questions and imagining hypothetical situations. "If I follow up now, do I seem desperate? If I wait too long, will they think I'm lazy? What if I'm the front-runner but I bug them and they cross my name off the list? What if I'm tied with someone else and my initiative gives me the edge?"

As with dating, job hunts don't have rules set in stone. At best, you can do what feels right and see what happens.

Here are three possible methods for following up with an employer and ways to know if you've crossed the line from eager to annoying.

1. The thank-you note is necessary after an interview, and no job seeker can afford to forgo it. Thank-you notes tell hiring managers that you respect their time. They have packed schedules and can afford to spend time interviewing only a select group of applicants, so your note acknowledges how grateful you are to get some face time.

Appropriate: An e-mailed note on the same day of the interview shows that you are courteous and don't dawdle. For most employers, an e-mail is an acceptable form of thanks because e-mail is a part of everyday business life and arrives quickly. A handwritten letter can be sent as a supplement to the e-mail if you want to stress your gratitude or you know the interviewer is old-fashioned.

Overkill: If you're going to follow up with a letter after your follow-up letter, think again. You already said thank you, so what else do you need to say? Both you and the hiring manager know that another letter is your way of asking, "Did I get the job?" Don't clog the hiring manager's inbox with more notes unless you want to be thought of as a pest.

2. The phone call is daunting and not the right move in every job situation. In fact, many job postings specifically state, "No phone calls." Unless you're feeling brave, you might want to skip it.

Appropriate: Unless you were specifically instructed not to call the hiring manager or another contact, you can make the call after an appropriate amount of time has passed. In this case, if you were given a deadline for when a decision would be made, let it pass and wait a few extra days and then make the call. Just once (unless instructed to call back).

Overkill: The phone call is one of the easiest ways to sabotage your image. Call once, when appropriate, and don't call again unless you've been told to. Phone calls are a nuisance in a way that letters and e-mails aren't. You can decline to open a message or just read it and ignore it. A phone call is harder to ignore if it requires the hiring manager to screen his or her calls once you become a repeat offender. If the company wants you, it probably won't forget to call you.

3. The pop-in causes you anxiety when your in-laws do it. Your place is a mess and suddenly you're forced to entertain people who you might not like very much anyway. Don't do that to an employer if you want to be considered for a job.

Appropriate: Stopping by to visit the company is rarely acceptable. Unless you have an explicit indication that you're welcome to show up uninvited, which would actually imply that you are invited, showing up in person is inappropriate. This follow-up is one case where once is almost certainly too much.

Overkill: When you show up and the hiring manager or receptionist gives you a look that says, "Why are you here?" you'll know you've crossed a line. Employers are busy -- they have schedules, meetings, clients and tasks. By showing up unannounced, you not only disrupt their routine but also imply that you are more important than their obligations and deserve their immediate attention.

Of course, you're bound to meet someone who broke one of these rules and impressed the hiring manager by his or her audacity. Perhaps going against etiquette will work for you. Just be aware that you're risking your professional reputation and could be removing yourself from the running for a job where you were a top candidate.

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6 Steps for First-Time Job Hunters

By : Kate Lorenz

Congratulations, you've done it! You made it through college, have your degree in hand and are finally ready to make your mark. You are now in the real world and it's time to get your professional life started.

If you are in the middle of this crossroad, it can be scary, exciting, confusing, overwhelming or all of the above. Following are some steps to make a successful college-to-real world transition.

Step 1: Pinpoint Your Direction.
After four (or five, or six) years of college, you are completely certain about what you want to do, right? If not, now is the time to determine what your strengths are and identify what kind of careers suit you. Are you someone who loves to be around people? Or are you happier crunching numbers or creating computer programs? Consider all of your strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes and interests when thinking about your career plan. Read about fields that interest you and talk to others who are doing jobs that you find interesting. Focus your direction on positions and fields that match your interests and talents.

Step 2: Do Your Research.
It is vital to learn as much as you can about the companies that interest you and to consider all of your options, says Pam Webster, a recruiting manager for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. She should know: Enterprise is the nation's largest recruiter of college graduates.

"You should be open-minded about opportunities in companies and industries you might not have thought of before," she says. Once you have identified companies that you want to target, Webster suggests looking at their Web sites, reading news articles and talking to current employees to learn as much as you can. "You also need to look at a company's stability," she says. "Is the company going to be there for the long term?"

Step 3: Assemble Your Toolkit.
It is important to have the right tools for any task. The tools needed for a job search are a résumé, cover letter and a portfolio of your work. Take the time to develop a résumé and cover letter that clearly convey your strengths and experience. Here are a few tips to remember:
# Think about the type of résumé you need. A functional résumé, which highlights your abilities rather than your work history, is a good choice for first-time job seekers.

# Focus on accomplishments and results you have achieved, rather than simple descriptions of experiences.

# Use action words in your résumé and cover letter to describe your experiences, such as "initiated," "produced" and "managed."

# If you are low on practical work experience, look to your part-time work, school activities or volunteer positions. "Evaluate all of your experience and translate how it applies to any job you might apply to," Webster says.

Step 4: Network.
One of the most important tasks in any job search is networking. Take advantage of any resources you have, including your school's career placement office, friends who graduated before you and are already working, friends of your parents, former professors, and neighbors. Send e-mails to ask if your contacts know someone who can help you. Pass your résumé around and ask others to do the same. Call your contacts to see if they know someone who works for a firm you are interested in joining.

Step 5: Play the Part.
If you want to join the professional world, you need to act -- and look -- the part. Buy a business suit and wear it to all of your interviews. "Make sure your e-mail address and voice mail greeting are appropriate," Webster says. That means if your e-mail user name is "crazygirl2005," you might want to get a new account. Webster says you should also remember to be professional at home. "Be prepared for a phone call or a phone interview at any time," she says. The more you play the part of a well-trained professional, the more people will see you as a professional.

Step 6: Don't Give Up.
The real world can be a real challenge. Set realistic expectations and recognize that you will probably have to start at the bottom and work your way up. You will likely face rejection as you start looking for your first full-time job, but everyone goes through it. Just remember to be proactive, be persistent and remain confident that there is a great job out there for you!

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Are You Shooting Too Low in Your Job Search?

By : Beth Braccio Hering

Does your application secretly have the words "overqualified," "desperate" and "likely to be bored stiff within a month" written all over it? If you are aiming too low in your job search, chances are employers will read between the lines and notice -- and move on to someone else.

There are two primary reasons why people aim low, says Duncan Mathison, co-author of "Unlock the Hidden Job Market: Six Steps to a Successful Search When Times Are Tough":

1. They want to increase the number of opportunities. (More lower-level positions are available than higher-level ones.)

2. They think it will raise their odds of being hired. (They believe they will appear more qualified compared to other applicants.)

Lisa Quast, author of "Your Career, Your Way!" and founder of Career Woman Inc., a Seattle-based career development consulting company, adds that workers who are laid off or fired may think they just need to find a new job as quickly as possible due to their economic situation. Beyond money matters, she notes that sometimes people "lack internal confidence about their skills and abilities" and "don't have a clearly defined strategic career plan," both of which can lead them to apply for lesser positions.

The dangers

At first glance, it might seem that being overqualified would be a good thing. Wouldn't an employer like to get somebody who is even better than the job description?

Don't bank on it.

Overqualified candidates raise concerns in a hiring manager's mind. Will the person insist on doing things his own way? Can he accept instruction from somebody who is his superior at the firm but his equal (or less) on paper? Will the worker jump ship as soon as he finds a better job? Will he constantly be jockeying for more money and a higher position instead of focusing on the job for which he was hired? Will he get frustrated with this lower position and quit?

It's not just employers, though, who face risks; it's job seekers, too.

"The biggest danger is that you will not be hired if you shoot too low and then think to yourself, 'Good grief. I can't even land that crummy position. I must be a real loser!'" Mathison says.

Quast says other key dangers for the applicant include:

* Losing money. Accepting a job that pays $10,000 less per year than you're actually worth totals $200,000 in lost wages over 20 years.


* Stifling progress. You'll be less likely to be doing work that will allow you to grow and develop in your field.


* Becoming bored: Frustration from job dissatisfaction can escalate stress and harm health and overall well-being.


Upgrading your job search

Instead of downgrading a job search in order to try to increase the likelihood of landing a position, Mathison suggests coming up with a more fruitful plan of attack.

"When the economy is tight, a lower percentage of open positions are actually advertised as employers rely on less expensive recruiting through referrals and informal word-of-mouth advertising," Mathison says. "This 'hidden' job market actually becomes a bigger share of open positions. This means that networking plays a bigger role in uncovering unadvertised leads."

To maximize potential opportunities, Mathison recommends job seekers spend more time researching employers and asking people in their network and at professional organizations for leads. "Directly approach people who could be your future manager and tell them of your availability. These are the people who care most about what you can do and how you can make them and their teams successful."

Quast suggests spending some time on self-examination.

"Clearly define your career aspirations. If you don't know where you want to go, how will you determine how to get there? Know your strengths and weaknesses when you search for a new position so you can avoid targeting jobs that are beneath your skills. Identify those things you do better than other people. These are the things you do that will set you apart from others and that make you special."

Above all, hang in there and exude confidence. After all, if you don't believe you're worthy of the job you really want, how will anybody else?

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Do You Get Flustered During Interviews?

By : Lizandra Vega

After months of seeking out jobs, hundreds of revisions to your résumé and going to every networking event you can, you've finally landed an interview. After brief small talk about how bad the traffic was or how slow the elevators are, the interviewer switches gears and begins her formal line of questioning.

"I see you currently work for our main competitor. What makes our company a more appealing choice for you?"

It's not a difficult question to answer. But suddenly you're tongue-tied and your answer comes out as: "Well, actually, it's like, um, you know."

What happened? This scenario is all too familiar to many job seekers. In stressful situations such as speaking in front of a group or interviewing for a job, people often revert to filler words such as "like," "you know," "basically" or "actually," and even sounds such as whistling, snorting or giggling to patch over pauses before collecting their train of thought.

We're all guilty of throwing in one or two of these utterances during normal conversation, but the danger lies in how often they are repeated. When you rely on these interruptions as substitutions for actual words in order to express your thoughts, you diminish your image as an intelligent professional and viable job candidate. You may be perceived as an individual who has trouble focusing, or as someone who has difficulty organizing his or her ideas -- deficiencies that potential employers interpret as hindering your work performance.

Self-awareness is a fundamental step toward correcting such habitual speech patterns that disrupt the flow of conversation, so here are seven ways to pick up on when you're about to trip up.

How to eliminate common speech hurdles and increase your verbal fluency:

1. Evaluate your verbal communication skills by taping yourself as part of a mock interview, suggests Leah Ross-Kugler, a certified speech-language pathologist. That way you can go back and listen for where you stumble.

2. Prepare talking points about yourself and keep them tucked inside your writing portfolio. Discreetly refer to your points in order to keep the flow of conversation moving smoothly.

3. Focus on your breathing by taking replenishing breaths between phrases so you can use complete words instead of sounds. Ross-Kugler explains this helps slow down your speech and allows you concentrate on what you're going to say next.

4. Modify a distracting behavior such as giggling by smiling. By using an action considered to be positive and engaging, you not only patch over potential gaffes but also improve your connection with the hiring manager.

5. Wear a ring or a watch on a hand that is not routinely assigned such accessories. They serve as reminders for avoiding nervous laughter during an interview, Ross-Kugler says.

6. Join a speaker's group such as the National Speaker's Association or Toastmasters International to practice and improve your verbal communication skills.

7. Keep an empty "filler sound jar" and lots of pennies handy. Monitor the number of filler sounds you use or enlist a friend or family member to do so. Similar to keeping a "swear jar," throw a penny inside the jar each time you use a word filler, snort, giggle or do anything that interrupts your flow of speech.

When you want to get the right message across, it's best to let the words flow. While you may not catch every 'um' or 'ah' at the next interview, you'll certainly reduce the number you say and come off as the clear, intelligent candidate you are.

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The Best Way to Conduct a Mediocre Job Search

By : Kaitlin Madden

Most of us can pinpoint some form of mediocrity in our lives. For example, I am mediocre in that I do my own laundry, but I rarely separate my lights and darks. I like to run, but never more than three miles at a time. I watch the History Channel, but only to make up for the brain cells I've lost while overindulging in reality TV. I know that I am mediocre in these areas because I have blue socks that used to be white, I run four days a week but haven't lost a pound, and I probably know more about the Kardashians than I do about the Kennedys.

If you have been at your job search for a while now, and: A. Haven't gotten an interview, B. Haven't gotten a second interview or C. Can't seem to close the deal and land a job, mediocrity has probably contaminated your job search like a pair of blue jeans in a load of whites.

If you are guilty of one of these mediocre job-search tactics, it's time to step up your game.

You apply to 10 jobs per day, but don't send a cover letter

A cover letter can be time consuming. You have to find out the name of the person you are sending it to, and tell that person -- in a unique and extraordinary way -- why you are exactly what the company is looking for. You may even be able to double the number of applications you send out in a week by not including a cover letter. So you decide to stop sending them altogether. The only way that not sending out a cover letter with your résumé is anything other than mediocre is if you're in the job market only for the thrill of the chase. In that case, it is an excellent tactic.

"Hiring managers know that it's easy to just send in a résumé," says Monique Honaman, CEO of ISHR Group, a leadership development company based in Suwanee, Ga. Providing a customized cover letter that targets the specific job opening shows that you put some extra energy into applying for that position, and it also tells the recruiter why you are a good fit for the job, she says.

Basically, if you don't include a cover letter with your application, you might as well just change your first name to "Lazy" on all of your application materials, because that's all the recruiter will see anyway.

You land an interview, but don't research the company beforehand

Would you go to Paris without knowing how to say, "Where's the bathroom?" in French? Would you make a chocolate cake without a recipe? Would you go on a blind date without doing an Internet search on the person first? If your answer is yes, you may also be inclined not to research a company before an interview. Although it may seem like you're saving time initially by winging your interview, in reality, you're actually wasting time, since your interview will be fruitless if you show up unprepared.

"There is nothing more embarrassing in an interview than being asked a question and not knowing some very basic element about the company and its product or service lines," Honaman says. "And don't think that hiring managers don't have some stock questions in mind to get at the very basics of whether you have done your research. You can't convey a message of, 'This is the perfect job for me' if you don't know the basics about the company."

Although research is time consuming, it is also time consuming to go on 10 interviews and not get a job offer. In order to rise above mediocrity, remember the five P's: Prior preparation prevents poor performance.

You do so much research that you don't have any questions for the interviewer

Before your interview, you may spend days researching the company, the industry it's in and the type of position you're up for, so by the time the interview rolls around, you may think you have all the information you need about the company. When the hiring manager asks, "So, do you have any questions for me?" you reply, "No, I think I'm all set!" Even if this is true, ask a question anyway.

"Someone who doesn't ask any questions appears to be disinterested in the position and that apathy shows through," Honaman says.

So, if you want the job, it's best to ask something (read: anything). "Hopefully, the interview process truly did generate a few questions in your mind," Honaman says. "If not, be prepared with a few 'stock' questions such as, 'What do you like most about working here?' or 'After reviewing my résumé and having this interview, what concerns, if any, do you have about my fit for this role?'"

This lets the interviewer know you were paying attention and are interested.

You have plenty of questions to ask, but you don't think before you speak

For example, "If you ask about work/life balance, do it without sounding lazy," says Ed Muzio, author of "Make Work Great." "One of the best ways I ever heard this put was like this: 'Every job falls somewhere on a continuum; on one end is people putting in their 40 hours and leaving, on the other end is 90 hour weeks with nothing but work and sleep. Where would you say this job falls?' One of the worst ways I ever heard it put was like this: 'Are people expected to work, like, a lot of extra hours?' Same question, different message," Muzio says.

If you ask thoughtful questions that reflect both your interests, as well as the employer's, you're sure to leave a good impression.

Like anything else in life, when it comes to a job search, you get out of it what you put into it. A mediocre effort yields mediocre results, and -- unless you don't mind selling yourself short -- it's best to put 100 percent into your job search.

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