The DO’s and DON’Ts of Follow-Ups

You’ve found a position at a company that you are really excited about, and now that you’ve had the big interview, what’s your next step?  If you want to be the one they choose, you need to let the team know that you are interested, even more so now that you’ve met them.   Landing a great job takes a bit of work and some skill – and your work isn’t finished after that interview.  Make sure to take the next step and follow it up with a nicely-written, professional email.

Here are our DO’s and DON’Ts when it comes to following up:

• DO take the time to thank the person or team who met with you

Not only does sending a thank you note show your good manners – it also provides you with the opportunity to show the team just how enthusiastic you are to work at their company.  Take the time to ask a good follow-up question in order to keep the conversation going.  Your follow-up will keep you fresh in the minds of the hiring team, which is right where you want to be!

• DO make sure to send your follow-up to the right people

Try your best to get the necessary contact information during your interview, but if you can’t then follow up with your recruiter and request the information for the manager or the most senior person who interviewed you.  Direct your email either to the team or to the lead person you met.  Also take the time to thank an HR person who may have helped you set up the interview.  And always contact people at work, not through a personal email address or phone.

• DON’T be a pest

During your interview, ask up front about the hiring timeline so you can set your expectations accordingly.  Send your follow up and wait for a response.  If there is none and you feel it’s appropriate, you can send another email, perhaps gently asking them where they are in the hiring process.  And then move on.  At this point, they know you are interested in the position and they will contact you if they want to meet with you again.

• DO be prompt & precise

It’s best to promptly follow-up by sending your thank you email the day after your interview.  This will give you some time to think of what to ask or how to present yourself carefully, while still making sure you are responding in a timely manner.  Carefully proofread your email for errors before sending it, and try to note precisely what excites you about the company and the position and what you can bring to the team.  If you made some technical mistakes during the interview and have now had the time to think them through, you can also attach a corrected solution to the problem. 

•DON’T be long-winded or generic

Don’t waste people’s time with a long-winded letter; take care to craft a concise follow-up note that cites specific reasons for your interest in this particular company.  The team should feel that your message was written especially for them, and not a generic thank you note you send to other companies as well.

Making the Most of Your Skype Interview

In our last blog entry, we addressed the ins and outs of telephone interviews.  Today we are going to address online interviews, using programs such as Skype.  While most people would rather meet face-to-face during an interview, it’s not always possible in today’s hectic world.  Because of an interviewer’s busy schedule or frequent business travel, a Skype interview may be the only choice.  Don’t feel pushed aside if asked to interview over Skype instead of in person – remember that it’s an opportunity to interview in a format that will give you much more feedback than a telephone interview.  Here are four tips for making the most of your next Skype interview:

1) Be comfortable with the format

An interview is not the time to get acquainted with new software, new hardware, or the process of video conferencing itself.  If you aren’t comfortable and at-ease during your interview, it will show.  Do everything you can to make things go smoothly. 

First, make sure you have the necessary equipment.  As technology is inexpensive these days, not having a properly configured setup or using a poor-quality camera is a really bad excuse for refusing a video call.

If you don’t Skype often and are unfamiliar with the program, practice with your friends and family.  Practice until you are fully confident that you won’t seem awkward and uptight with video conferencing.  Test the program and your hardware so that you feel at ease and relaxed during a real interview.

If you are familiar and comfortable with Skype, you may want to create a new account with a professional username to use just for your interviews.  And practice with this account to make sure everything is working smoothly.

2) Imagine you are on the other side

Since this interview is critical to getting that invitation to meet the team in person, you want to make sure that your enthusiasm, energy, and answers as well as questions come through undistorted. 

Test your hardware when practicing with friends and ask them for feedback.  Can they see you clearly? Can they hear you well?  Is the camera pointed at a funny angle?  Take the time beforehand to ensure you are set up properly before the actual interview.

Choose your location carefully.  Test to see if the lighting is good enough for people to see you clearly.   Find a place to sit where there a solid   or business-like background; this will ensure that the interviewer’s focus is on you and not your room.

3) Look professional

Even though you may be in the comfort of your own home, this is a real interview and you still need to have your “game face” on and look prepared, ready, and excited to join this new company.

Take care to choose a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted during the interview. And make sure that people in your household know that you are interviewing so you don’t have distractions (like people walking past or children making noise in the background). 

Dress and groom yourself – it’s just as important to look professional for a video call as it is for an in-person interview.  There are many funny stories out there of people who only dressed well from the waist up who for some reason had to stand up in the middle of the call!

4) After the interview

When testing your equipment, make sure that you know how to use the mute button, and also how to hang up.  And after the interview, take care to make sure that your system is really turned off!  More than one candidate has made the mistake of thinking that a video or cell phone call was over even though they were still connected.  So keep the discussion about the interview for later, when you are certain you are truly disconnected… just in case!

The Ins-and-Outs of Telephone Interviews

Telephone interviews pose certain challenges for a candidate, but due to today’s busy schedules, long commutes, and the desire for expediency, they are definitely a fixture in the current hiring process.  So how can you prepare for one?  And what steps can you take to come across as a great candidate over the phone?

Take it seriously.

A phone interview is often your chance to make a great first impression.  Even though it’s a just a stepping-stone, it can lead to serious discussions about a job opportunity, so make sure that you take it seriously.  Find a quiet place (with good reception) so that you can hear the questions clearly and the hiring manager can hear your answers.  Make sure your phone is fully charged and you have left plenty of time for the conversation.  If things are going well you don’t want to have to cut the interview short due to a low battery or a scheduling conflict.  And don’t ever interview while driving!  You will be distracted and it will show.

Be Prepared.

Make yourself a “cheat sheet” with bullet points that you can refer to during the interview.  This will help you to stay on track with your talking points and not go off on a tangent.

Think of common questions that are asked and prepare a clear, concise answer for each of them.  Several common questions are:

-What are you looking for in a new job?

-Why are you interested in opportunities with our company?

-Why are you looking for a change?

-What was your favorite project over the past few years?

Take the time to actually rehearse your responses to common questions, as well as any others you think may come up during your phone interview.  This will help you have a more fluid response, especially in the case of a language barrier.

It’s also a good idea to be prepared for some specific and technical questions that may arise, even during the first phone interview for a high-tech position.  For example, you may be asked for your ideas on how you would debug a certain problem (like a slow performing system), design objects to model the functionality of an application, or set a certain testing environment.   Preparing your response to this type of question will help keep you relaxed and on-point during the interview.

Be Clear & Concise.

The most challenging thing about a telephone interview is the lack of visual cues and body language.  Without those, it’s hard to know if the person on the other end is engaged, wanting you to continue with what you are saying, or trying to end this part of the conversation and move on.  Your goal is to have a dialogue with the person on the other end – not a monologue!  So keep your answers short (limit yourself to one minute at most) and listen for a response.  If more detail is needed, a follow-up question should be asked.

Often in today’s high-tech world, there is also a language barrier to overcome.  This is especially difficult over the phone.  Take the time to make sure that you are using the correct terms in your conversation.  We have had one client mistakenly use the word “project” for “product” and it created a good deal of confusion with the hiring manager. 

Play it Safe.

This is probably your first opportunity to get your “foot in the door” and get invited to visit this company for an in-person interview.  Play it safe and don’t come across as negative.  Do your research on the target company and make certain your answers don’t conflict with its culture.   Be careful not to come across the wrong way.

Make sure that you only speak about the positive aspect of things; you don’t want to seem like a negative person.  So if you are asked, “What do you dislike the most about your current position?” you can mention that you like your current company but are exploring this new one because it offers new challenges (and be specific here) that align with your interests.

Some last thoughts:

While a telephone interview isn’t the ideal way for you to express your desire to meet the team, it’s a common feature in today’s hiring world.  Do you best to be prep for it and view it as an opportunity to make that great first impression.  Your energy, knowledge, and enthusiasm can absolutely come through over the phone, so make sure that you start the conversation in the right frame of mind and with a positive attitude!

5 Tips to Ace That First Interview (& Get Invited Back for #2)

 You have that first interview lined up at a company you are really excited about.  You’ve already done your prep work and your research and you’re ready to go in and meet with your interviewer(s).  Here are a few tips you can use during that first meeting that will help you get invited back for a second interview, or even get a job offer right after the first one!

1.  First Impressions Count!

Research shows that people’s first impressions really do matter.  We know people who have been told, “I knew I was going to hire you as soon as we started talking.”  Your outfit, your handshake, your body language and eye-contact all have a more important role in the hiring process than you realize.  In that first minute, hiring managers can often assess cultural fit, which is critical in landing a job.  So do your best to present yourself well and make a great first impression!

2.  The Right Frame of Mind is Critical!

It’s natural to feel nervous when walking into a company and meeting people for the first time, but do your best to relax and seem comfortable.  Show that you have done your research, let them know how curious you are about the company.  Also, be appreciative of people’s time – realize that both you and your interviewers are taking time from work to talk (and that their deadlines won’t be extended just because they are spending time meeting you). This can help put you in the right frame of mind, and your confidence and abilities will shine through.  And feel lucky if you get a trivial question -- answer it as respectfully as you would a challenging one –- view it is an opportunity to earn some easy points!

3.  Ask the right Questions

During an interview, you aren’t just expected to answer other people’s questions – you need to have some good ones of your own.  Good questions often revolve around the substance of the job you are seeking, the team’s requirements for that job, and the technology used.  Also, ask some smart, thoughtful questions about the company and the employees – showing your curiosity (and that you have done some research) will let people know that you are engaged and interested in the position.

4.  Don’t ask the wrong Questions

Just as important as asking the right questions is NOT asking the wrong ones!  It’s never appropriate to discuss salary and benefits at a first interview.  Even in later interviews, it’s better to not start this conversation.  Always leave it to the interviewer to bring up these topics but plan ahead as to how you will answer them.  You want to create a game plan that will put you in a strong position to negotiate salary and benefits.

5.  Don’t be afraid to show who you are

While it’s normal to feel nervous, try to open up and be your true self.  Be a three-dimensional candidate and show who you really are.  People will remember you better if you do this, and they will generally like you more.  If for some reason you really don’t “click” with the team, then at least you know early on that it’s a bad cultural fit and not the right company for you.

5 Steps to Prep for Your Interview

Are you looking for a new and exciting position?   

Do you have an interview lined up?   

Here are a few steps you can take before your interview to get you started on the right track:

1.  THE RIGHT MINDSET

First, and MOST importantly, walk into that interview with the right mindset.  Being prepared and confident will help.  If you are comfortable, relaxed, and imaginative people will enjoy talking with you – and they will be more likely to want to meet with you again!

2. DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Making time to research the company is essential, especially since you want to be able to explain what excites you about their products and why you are interested in working there.  Prepare some interesting questions to ask the people you will be meeting (and make sure to have different ones if you will be meeting with both hiring managers and engineers).

Researching their team can also pay off.  If you can find “soft data” on the people you are meeting (from LinkedIn or Facebook or the company website), you may find some mutual interests and find a way to click with the team.

3.  REFRESH YOUR MEMORY

Go over your resume carefully (before every interview) and make sure that you can tell a compelling and interesting story about every single bullet point.  Also, make sure that you can discuss a clear example of how you used EVERY SINGLE technology or tool that you have mentioned in your resume.  Try to make an illustration or diagram to go with your stories – if you can illustrate your accomplishments you can impress your interviewers.  This may take quite a bit of your time initially, but since you can re-use these diagrams for other interviews, it’s time well spent.

4.  DRESS FOR SUCCESS

How should you dress for your interview?  Since different companies have different “clothes cultures” it isn’t easy to know what to wear.  It’s perfectly fine to ask your recruiter (or the HR manager) what is common at the company.  In fact, people may appreciate the question since it shows that you are interested in their company and want to be prepared. 

Be comfortable with your look, and take extra time for grooming on the day of your interview.  When choosing your clothes, think about whether you will be comfortable eating and drinking in them.  Layer items in case you end up in a chilly office or a very warm one.  And wear layers that are easy to remove if it is too warm – a pullover sweater may not be a good idea in this case.

5.  WHAT TO DO ABOUT FOOD

We suggest that you eat beforehand, even if you expect to be offered lunch.  This way you wont get low blood sugar if the meal is delayed.  Also, you might want to talk more than dine… so order something easy to eat.  And remember: this lunch is still a part of your interview, so keep your focus on the job and not the food!

In case you are asked out for “happy hour,” tread carefully.  Watch the culture of the team, don’t drink much, and make sure to keep your wits about you!