Job Interview Follow-Up Do's and Don'ts

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

Remember that your work is not done once you finish the interview. You can't sit back and wait for the job offer, so consider these key rules and strategies for following-up your job interviews.

• Do ask at the end of the interview when the employer expects to make the hiring decision.
• Do be proactive and consider follow-up a strategic part of your job search process. Follow-up can give you just the edge you need to get the job offer over others who interviewed for the position.
• Do use these follow-up techniques to continue to show your enthusiasm and desire for the position, but don't make it seem as though you are desperate.
• Do obtain the correct titles and names of all the people who interviewed you. (Ideally, do get each person's business card.)
• Do write individual thank you notes or letters to each person who interviewed you -- within two business days. Each letter can be essentially the same, but try to vary each a bit in case recipients compare notes. Don't ever fail to send a thank you -- even if you are sure the job is not for you. And do write thank you notes after every interview.
• Don't worry so much about hand-written versus typed thank you letters, but don't make a mistake by sending it through the wrong medium; make sure you know the best method of reaching the employer, whether by regular mail, email, or fax.
• In your thank you letter, do show appreciation for the employer's interest in you and do remind the employer about why you are the perfect person for the position. See some sample interview thank you letters.
• Don't ever have any errors (misspellings or typos) in your thank you letters.
• Do alert your references -- if you have not done so already -- that they may be getting a phone call from the employer.
• Don't stop job-hunting, even if you feel confident that you will get a job offer. Do continue to interview and attempt to find other opportunities.
• Do follow-up with a telephone call to the employer within a week to ten days (or sooner, if the employer had a shorter timetable) to ask about the position. And do continue to build rapport and sell your strengths during the phone call.
• Do be patient. The hiring process often takes longer than the employer expects.
• Do continue following-up, especially if the employer asks you to. Remember the adage about the squeaky wheel getting the oil. Just don't go overboard and annoy or bother the employer.
• Don't place too much importance on one job or one interview; there will be other opportunities for you.
• Do use other job offers as leverage in your follow-up -- to get the offer you really want.
• Don't burn any bridges if you do not get a job offer. And do try and turn the situation into a positive by bringing the interviewer(s) into your network, possibly even asking them for referrals to other contacts. Read more about the art of networking.

See this website for additional job related information: http://www.quintcareers.com/

Unfilled Openings Frustrate the Jobless

By MARK WHITEHOUSE , Associated Press

Job openings aren't what they used to be.

Among the explanations for the stubbornly high U.S. unemployment rate, factors such as housing troubles and extended unemployment benefits have played a leading role. Increasingly, though, economists and job seekers are identifying another problem: Employers are being pickier, or not trying as hard as they usually do to fill the openings they have.

The reasons for the foot-dragging are closely related to the reasons employers aren't creating many openings in the first place. Companies lack confidence about the outlook for consumer demand, they're not sure what the government will do with taxes and regulation, and they want to keep squeezing as much output from their current workers as they can. They also feel they have plenty of time to pick the best candidates.

"What we're seeing is delay, delay," says Jeff Joerres, chief executive of staffing firm Manpower Inc., noting that clients are taking a lot longer to fill positions, even when they've been presented with the right candidate. He says he expects the problem to persist at least through next year.

The slow uptake could actually be a good sign if it means unemployment is being held up more by a temporary lack of confidence than longer-term "structural" flaws such as improperly trained workers. "It means there is some reason to think there's an exit path from the weak labor market that doesn't require us to retrain the entire work force," says Steve Davis, a professor at the Chicago Booth School of Business.

So far, employers aren't showing much sign of the confidence needed to turn the job market around. The unemployment rate held steady at 9.6% in September, and hires are growing even slower than the low level of job openings would suggest. Economists estimate that if openings were turning into jobs at the pace they usually do, the unemployment rate would be about three percentage points lower.

Donald Washkewicz, chief executive of industrial-parts maker Parker Hannifin Corp., says his company is being careful about hiring ahead of the November congressional elections. Uncertainty over issues such as tax increases and environmental policy, he says, are aggravating concerns about the broader economy: "Anything's possible in November. Things could get better for business—or they could get worse."

Some companies complain that when they do try to hire, they have a hard time finding the right people. Extended unemployment benefits could make people less willing to take the jobs available, or mortgage troubles and poor credit scores could make it difficult for people to move for work.

But job seekers say some of the blame should be placed on the companies—either they're not trying very hard, or they're waiting for the perfect employee.

"I think a lot of companies are fishing," says Korey Stephens, a former mortgage-finance manager who has been looking for work since early 2007, while simultaneously training to update his computer skills. "They're just putting their feelers out, and if they find someone who's ridiculously awesome then maybe they'll hire them."

Mr. Stephens says he's spent more than a month chasing a banking job that a manager said needed to be filled quickly. On other occasions, he says, he's gone through interviews only to learn that the position had been canceled or frozen.

John Meline, a 39-year-old patent attorney who was laid off from a major law firm in October of last year, says he's seen some positions in his area of specialization advertised for as long as six months. When he sends in his resume, he gets no response despite his six years of applicable experience.

"It tells me that they're not really serious about filling the job, or they're going to be hyper-selective," he says. "They're just blowing us off."

A recent study by three economists—Mr. Davis of Chicago Booth, R. Jason Faberman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and John Haltiwanger of the University of Maryland—suggests the job seekers have a point. Using Labor Department data, the economists constructed an estimate of "recruiting intensity," which encompasses various factors that influence how fast employers fill open jobs, such as advertising, pay and the rigor of their screening process.

As of August, the recruiting intensity index stood 14% below the average for the seven years leading up to the recession. The economists estimate that the lack of intensity accounts for about a quarter of the shortfall in hires compared with openings.

At Leggett & Platt Inc., which makes metal parts for bedding and other purposes, Chief Executive David Haffner says his company remains hesitant about any kind of expansion, because it's not clear to what degree demand will snap back. But when it does hire, it's taking more time.

"With more experienced talent on the market in these challenging times, we are utilizing a more rigorous screening and interviewing protocol," says Mr. Haffner. "We feel it is crucial to add 'top graded' talent."

That could be good for companies and their shareholders. But it will mean a lot more frustration for the 14.8 million Americans looking for a job.



How to Get Better Online Job Search Results

It can be tough to figure out the nuances of the online job search. With the option to search by keyword, location, industry, company or all of the above at once, it's hard to know which query will return the best search results for you.

In the absence of knowing the best method for getting targeted results, many people default to what they DO know about their job search: the title of the position they're looking for. While searching for "marketing assistant" or "pediatric nurse" may seem like a good way to get direct hits on the jobs you want, searching by job title actually eliminates a lot of positions that may be exactly what you're looking for.

Why? Because job titles often aren't standardized across different companies and industries. One company's software engineer is another's database programmer. The job descriptions might be exactly the same, but the positions may have different titles.

In order to get the largest number of relevant search results, try one of these methods instead.

1. Search by keyword
Instead of simply searching by a job title, develop a list of keywords that represent both the type of job you're looking for and the work you're qualified to do. The list should be comprised of functions you've performed at previous jobs, duties you'd like to perform at your next job, as well as relevant skills and experience.

For example, if you're looking for software engineering position, your keyword search terms may include:

•Software design
•Software languages
•Algorithms
•Linux
•.Net programming
•Network security
•Computer science
•Master's degree

Instead of searching the term "software engineer," use the terms above terms to find job results that match what you're looking for.

2. Combine keywords with Boolean search terms

While searching by keyword will bring up a broad range of search results, combining keywords to create a "Boolean search" will allow you to narrow down your results.

Though the term may sound complicated, Boolean search is actually a simple way to combine search terms in order to form strings of keywords. They're surprisingly easy to conduct once you understand the basics.

The basics:
•Put quotes around terms you want to keep together. For example "software languages." This will ensure that your results are returned with listings that contain this specific phrase, not just the words software and languages somewhere in the listing.

•Combine words using plus (+) and minus (-) signs.

◦For example, if you're searching for a job where you can put your Master's degree to good use while working on software languages, your search may be: "Master's degree" + "software languages."

◦However, if you prefer not to use the JAVA language, your search may look like: "Master's degree" + "software languages" - JAVA.

•To make your search even easier, Boolean searches also enable you to search root words. Meaning you won't have to conduct separate searches for "programmer" "programmers" and "programming." Instead, type in the root of the word, with an asterisk, to search all forms of the root word. For example, you might search "software language" + program*.

3. Try an advanced search
If you're not sure exactly what you're looking for, or you're interested in a job function, but not a specific industry (i.e. an administrative position in any sector), start with a broad search -- you can always narrow it down as you figure out what you want and don't want.

On CareerBuilder, for example, you can type in a general keyword, like "administrative" and then narrow it down through a variety of search categories. If you realize you'd prefer to work as an administrative assistant in a medical office or at a school, for example, you can specify this in the advanced search.

Similarly, if you are only interested in jobs that pay over $50,000, you can enter in your salary requirements as well.

The more fields you enter values for, the fewer, but more targeted, your search results will be.

Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Learning From Rejection: The Questions to Ask When You Don’t Get The Job

By Kaitlin Madden on May 28, 2010 in Career Advice, Featured, Interviews


When you got cut from your high school chess team, you asked your mom if you could transfer schools.

When you thought that you and that awesome guy were more than just friends — and thought wrong, you spent the next three days in your pajamas.

When you went on an awesome interview, but the job went to another candidate, you vowed to learn the pots and pans and spend the rest of your life as a street performer.

We’ve all been there.

Rejection is just one of those things that, no matter how many times it happens in life, it never gets any easier. However, it doesn’t always have to result in self-loathing and days spent moping around in your pjs. In fact, John Kador, author of “301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview,” dedicates an entire chapter of his book to rejection, and how it can actually have a positive effect on your job search — if you take advantage of it by finding out why you didn’t get the job.

True, it may seem like adding salt to your wound to reach out to the refusing employer and ask “What’s so wrong with me?” However, doing so can also be one of the most rewarding ways to handle a rejection, since any constructive feedback you receive can be applied to your future job search.

Also true, is that positively handling rejection is a lot easier said than done, so below are the top tips for following up with a company that has turned you down, adapted from Kador’s “301 Best Questions to Ask On Your Interview.”

1. Figure out where the recruiter was coming from

Sometimes, you will have a hunch as to why you were rejected. Maybe you were under- qualified, or maybe you set your salary expectations too high. But on those occasions where you were completely blindsided by the rejection, understanding it will take some further investigation.

Usually, this involves contacting the recruiter. Start by sending a simple note. Something like:
“Thank you again for interviewing me. I understand your decision to go with another candidate and I accept your decision. I’d appreciate any feedback you can give me.”

Sometimes, this will be enough to get you a constructive dose of honesty. However, HR departments are often apprehensive to give straightforward feedback these days, due to a fear of lawsuits. But, that doesn’t mean you should just accept their generic response saying “You were great, but the other candidate was better.”

2. Cut to the point
To increase your odds of getting true, useful criticism, take your query one step further, by following up with something along the lines of:

“I need to improve my interviewing skills and I’m asking for your help. I am asking you to be honest about my performance and what I could have done better. If you do, I will make you three promises. First, I promise I will not interrupt you. Second, I promise I will not defend myself. Third, I promise I will not contact you or your company for a year. Will you help me?”

This approach lets the HR rep know that you have no interest in hounding them or pleading your case, and are genuinely interested in honest feedback. It should also help ease the recruiter’s fear of getting in trouble.

When using this approach, though, be ready to keep your promises or risk putting your reputation with the company — and possibly the industry — on the line.

3. Be gracious

If directly asking the recruiter for interview feedback still seems too intimidating, at least send a thank-you note. Many interviewees discontinue professional niceties when they don’t get the job, but genuinely thanking the interviewer for their time makes a good final impression. If possible, prove your gratitude by:

Recommending another good candidate for the position

Offering a sales lead

Including a link to an article, website or job-board you think the recruiter would find useful

Asking if there is anything else you can do for the recruiter or the company

Simple gestures like the ones above will make you stand out to the recruiter, who will be more apt to keep you in mind for future jobs at the company.

Hopefully, you won’t face too much (if any) rejection during your job search, but if you do, the above guidelines will help turn a negative response into a learning experience. Be sure to personalize these steps based on your individual interview situation and what you feel comfortable with. If you don’t think you can handle hearing a less-than-glowing review from a recruiter without interrupting, you may want to skip step No. 2. For more suggestions on what to ask before, during and after an interview, check out “301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview.”

Want a Loan? A Sale? A Job?

When Brad Newman introduced himself as an actrepreneur, I was hooked. Everything about his title told me he had information I wanted to hear. Over a few additional seconds, I learned that this actor and entrepreneur is the founder of Zentainment, "a socially conscious media company committed to growing brands that encourage you to dream big and live a sustainable life." From there, a longer conversation and a business relationship followed, all spurred by an attention-getting introduction that took just moments to deliver.


The elevator pitch rides into the speed-dating era
Today's economic environment has turned job fairs, trade shows, networking events and even sidewalk sales into buyers' markets where only those with quick, compelling pitches survive.

In the 1990s, high-tech entrepreneurs named these short spiels "elevator pitches" because they could be conveyed during an elevator ride. The tech bubble ballooned and burst (and ballooned again), but elevator pitches are here to stay. Everyone whether seeking employment, sales or profitable business associations needs one.

Is your introduction ready to roll?
"So, what do you do?"
Those five words are on the minds of everyone you meet, whether in person or online. Brad Newman's introduction helps provide a formula that can assist you in preparing your answer and attracting attention from those you aim to impress:

Describe yourself in five words or less. Use a distinctive title or phrase that makes people think, "This sounds interesting" or "This is what I'm looking for." Consider the difference between "I'm a copywriter" and "I turn browsers into buyers." Or, in Newman's case, between "social media entrepreneur" and "actrepreneur."

Explain what you do in one sentence. After introducing yourself, introduce your offerings. "Our name combines the words Zen and entertainment, which stakes out our media space," Newman says. "We're a media company that focuses on socially conscious content. That definition tells what Zentainment is and rules out what it isn't." Work on a similarly specific description for your business.

Define your target audience. "Our market is comprised of 30- to 49-year-olds who care about socially conscious living," Newman says. "By defining our market in that way, people immediately know whether our business is for them." In other words, Zentainment isn't trying to be all things to all people. It's focused on a specific target audience, which is a key to success in today's crowded business environment.

Communicate your vision. "We're committed to growing brands that encourage you to dream big and live a sustainable life, whether they're our own brands or ones for which we consult and serve as producers," Newman says. "Our vision is clear enough to keep us focused and broad enough to make us adaptive to the opportunities of a changing market and media world." It's also compelling enough to attract a growing contingent of Zentainment consumers and business clients. What does your business stand for? What attracts your customers and their loyalty? Your answers can serve as a magnet for growth.

Practice, practice, practice. Create a script that conveys who you are, what you offer, your market, and the distinctive benefits you provide. Edit until you can introduce yourself and your business in less than a minute, which is how long most prospects will give you to win their interest.

Shrink your introduction even further so you can tell your story in 20 words or less. That's how much space you have in most marketing materials and online presentations, whether on your own site, on social media sites, or on sites that link to your home page. If you're thinking, "Twenty words? You've got to be kidding," scroll back to the start of this column. That's exactly what Brad Newman used to get my interest.
Barbara Findlay Schenck is a small-business strategist, the author of “Small Business Marketing for Dummies” and the co-author of “Branding for Dummies,” “Selling Your Business for Dummies” and “Business Plans Kit for Dummies.”

Keep your chin up

How to stay positive during a long job search


By Dawn Rosenberg McKay, About.com Guide

Losing your job can be devastating. You have to deal with loss of income, loss of health insurance, and the feeling of rejection. Of course if you find a job quickly those feelings may all be alleviated. However, in a tough job market, finding a job can be difficult. Extremely talented people can be out of work for months at a time. Hopefully a combination of your severance package, unemployment insurance, and your savings will sustain you financially. COBRA (The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) will help you continue your health insurance for a while. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) will help you continue your health insurance if your insurance from your employer expires before you find a new job.

The hardest part of being out of work for an extended period of time will be keeping a positive attitude when a job search turns from weeks into months. And it's imperative that you keep a positive attitude, both for your own emotional well-being as well as for the impression you give to potential employers. Here are some things you can do to keep your chin up when your job search seems to be heading downhill fast.

• While you should spend a respectable amount of time on your job search, you should take time away from it too. Find something you enjoy doing and spend a few hours a week doing it.

• Take the time to do things you don't have time to do while you're working, i.e. spending time with your children during the week instead of only on weekends.

• Take on household chores you didn't have time for when you were employed.

• Volunteer. Find a project that can use your skills and talents and spend some time on it. Just be sure not to abandon it entirely when you find a job.

• Learn a new skill. There are some free online courses available as well as low cost courses available through continuing education in your community.

• Go to a movie matinee. The crowds are much smaller and the prices are usually lower.

• Join a job hunting support group like the ones listed on the Riley Guide. Share your experiences with others in the same situation and network.

• Meet friends for lunch.

• Take long walks.

• Read:  Borrow books from your public library.

Companies hire at slow pace for third straight month

Private employers added just 71,000 workers in July

Lynne Sladky / AP

Joseph Oeler Jr., 35, of Hollywood, Fla. waits in line at a job fair sponsored by National Career Fairs in Dania Beach, Fla. Employment fell for a second straight month in July as more temporary census jobs ended and private hiring rose less than expected, pointing to an anemic recovery.

WASHINGTON — Companies showed a lack of confidence about hiring for a third straight month in July, making it likely the economy will grow more slowly the rest of the year.

Private employers added a net total of only 71,000 jobs last month, according to the Labor Department's July report Friday. That number was far below the roughly 200,000 needed each month to reduce the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate for July was unchanged at 9.5 percent.

The modest job gains were even weaker when considering a loss of government jobs at the local, state and federal levels in July that weren't temporary census positions. Factoring those in the net gain was only 12,000 jobs.

“The good news here is we are not falling off a cliff; we are getting job growth,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com, told CNBC Friday. “But obviously this is not enough. If we don’t see better job growth later this year and next the recovery is in jeopardy.”

Speaking on the July jobs report following a tour Friday of Gelberg Signs, a small business in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama emphasized the significance of the private sector job growth last month. Jobs in the private sector have grown in each of the past seven months instead of declining as they did in the first seven months of 2009, he noted.

“That’s a good sign,” Obama said, adding that the U.S. economy is emerging from the most serious downturn since the Great Depression. “Climbing out of any recession takes some time,” he said. “The road of recovery is not a straight line.”

Still, progress “needs to come faster,” Obama said, and he called on Congress to take more steps to help businesses.

In its July jobs report the government sharply revised down its jobs figures for June, saying businesses hired fewer workers than previously estimated. June's private-sector job gains were lowered to 31,000 from 83,000. May's were raised slightly to show 51,000 net new jobs, from 33,000.

Overall, the economy lost a net total of 131,000 jobs last month, mostly because 143,000 temporary census jobs ended.

The slow pace of hiring will weigh on the recovery, he said, with economic growth in the current quarter likely to come in even lower than the April-to-June quarter's already weak 2.4 percent.

The "underemployment" rate was the same as in June, at 16.5 percent. That includes those working part time who would prefer full-time work and unemployed workers who've given up on their job hunts.

All told, there were 14.6 million people looking for work in July. That's roughly double the figure in December 2007, when the recession began.

Even if hiring picks up, it will take years to regain all the jobs lost during the recession. The economy lost 8.4 million jobs in 2008 and 2009. This year, private employers have added only 559,000 new hires.

Friday's report is being closely watched by the Federal Reserve as it considers ways to energize the recovery. The report could persuade the Fed to take new steps to boost the economy and keep interest rates at record lows when it meets next week.

Without more jobs, consumers won't see the gains in income needed to encourage them to spend more and support economic activity. Even those with jobs may not feel confident enough to ramp up their spending.

That's important because many of the trends driving economic growth earlier in the recovery are fading. Companies boosted production in the winter and spring to rebuild inventories that were depleted in the recession. But that boost won't last much longer. And the impact of the federal government's stimulus package is also declining.

The economy grew at 5 percent in the fourth quarter last year and 3.7 percent in the first three months of 2010. But that slowed to 2.4 percent in the April-June period. That's not fast enough to generate many jobs and reduce the unemployment rate.

Many companies appear to be getting more out of their current employees rather than adding new staff. The average work week increased by one-tenth of an hour to 34.2 hours, the department said. That's up from about 33 hours in the depths of the recession.

Average hourly pay also rose 4 cents to $22.59, up 1.8 percent from a year earlier. That, along with the increase in hours worked, could provide some boost to spending.

The number of temporary jobs fell by 5,600, the first drop after nine months of gains.

Employers usually hire temp workers if they need more output but don't want to hire permanent employees. But "firms aren't even adding temporary workers right now," Gault said.

Manufacturers added 36,000 jobs in July, slightly above its monthly average this year. Those gains were aided by General Motor's decision to keep its plants running last month. Usually it closes them and temporarily lays off employees to retool for the new model year.

Construction firms cut jobs for the third straight month, losing 11,000, while financial firms shed 17,000 workers.

But retailers added 6,700 jobs. And the leisure and hospitality industry hired 6,000 additional staffers.

Corporate net income rose sharply in the second quarter, but businesses aren't yet using the proceeds to ramp up hiring. Companies in the S&P 500 index reported a 46 percent increase in net income for the April-to-June period, compared to a year earlier.

But many employers are uncertain about the direction of the economy. Some are concerned sales will slow once government stimulus and other temporary factors fade. Others fear what will happen if federal income taxes are allowed to rise next year as tax cuts enacted by President George W. Bush expire. "People have a long worry list they're looking at," said Ethan Harris, chief economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Some companies are adding permanent workers. The hospital chain HCA Inc. has 8,300 open positions, company spokesman Ed Fishbough said. That includes nurses, physicians and information technology professionals needed to build HCA's ability to handle electronic medical records. HCA employs about 190,000 people.

But layoffs are also continuing. FBR Capital Markets, an investment bank based in Arlington, Va., cut its work force by about 15 percent in early July to about 500 employees, saying it needed to reduce costs.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.