Today’s accelerated hiring pace means that Hiring Managers will be interviewing lots of people in a short amount of time. How do you stand out from the other candidates after an interview? Here are four great tricks to keep you ahead:
Leave A Thank-You Card With The Receptionist As You Leave The Building
Want to make sure that you are the first thank-you card your Hiring Manager sees? During your next interview, pre-write and sign your card and leave it with the receptionist on the way out of the building.
How This Sets You Apart: Being the first thank-you card the Hiring Manager reads will make an impression as it stands out from the piles of cards they will read in the days that follow. You also take away the risk of having the card get lost in the mail or taking a week to get to their desk.
As Soon As Possible, Take Notes of the Interview
Your recollection of the specifics of the interview will fade over time, so the quicker you sit down and take notes the better. If you didn’t like a specific answer you gave to a question, take note of what you wish you would have said. If there were questions you wish you would have been asked, jot those down as well.
How This Sets You Apart: Most interviewees will want to unwind after an interview, which may be good for their heart rate but bad for remembering specifics of what was said. Getting it all down on paper immediately, before your brain has time to focus on something else, is extremely beneficial to knowing what you should focus on when following up with the company.
Send an Email Follow-Up Letter Within 24 Hours
Sending a follow-up email within 24 hours of your interview is beneficial in a variety of ways. First and foremost, it demonstrates that you are actively interested in the position and that you are eager to take it on. In addition, though, it also allows you to emphasize your match to a trait or skill they’re seeking, and it allows you to take another pass at re-answering a question you weren’t entirely happy with. A good example of what you should send is:
Thank you for your time and information about the position of ___________________. What I learned is that you need someone who can __________________________________. After taking some notes after our meeting, I can confidently match myself to your team and the position because I have _________________________, and in past performance reviews/or award earned my boss stated that I was appreciated for my _________________.
The reason I am even more interested in the position with your team is because I would have the opportunity to work under your mentorship and with your team.
As I mentioned earlier, I work hard every day, and take pride in doing things to exceed expectations. I would like to be a contributing employee at your company and I hope you will offer me this job. May I answer any questions or can we speak again soon?
How This Sets You Apart: Most job candidates aren’t going to want to reach out so soon after a job interview, so sending a follow-up will give you an advantage. Hiring Managers want to hire people who are excited about taking on a new challenge, so even a small reminder of that during their decision making process is important.
Make a Check-In Call Just Before You Are Expecting a Decision
Near the end of your interview, ask the Hiring Manager the proposed timeline for their hiring process. Having at least a general time-frame will allow you to time a check-in call near the end of the proposed decision process. A day or two before you expect a decision, a gentle check-in call will help show that you are interested, and that you are excited for the prospect of moving to the next step.
How This Sets You Apart: While you never want to be a bother, or seem too desperate, it’s never a bad idea to make yourself noticeable during the decision making process. While it may seem like a minor thing, a check-in call shows that this job matters to you, and could be a nice tie-breaker that could put you over the top in a tight-race.
You can find additional tools to help you with all four of these tricks at: https://appleone.com/Career_Seekers/nhp/.
AppleOne Blog 
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