The following is a guest post from Ben at Trees Full of Money. Ben’s personal finance story revolves around his realization that he was over $90,000 in debt in 2003. They developed a plan, and paid off the debt within two and a half years. Way to go Ben!
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Making a great impression with a prospective employer goes well beyond the formal interview. A quick search on the Internet will reveal a virtually unlimited number of tips, some good and some bad, on how to “nail†your job interview. However, landing your dream job goes well beyond a nice suit and good grades. Here are some suggestions to remember after the interview to raise your stock as a prospective employee.
Maintain Your Professionalism
There have been many cases of recruiters being blown away by a candidate’s curriculum vitae and interview performance only to be discouraged later by his lack of manner in follow-up conversations.
An anonymous writer in a recent letter to “Dear Abby†suggested candidates refrain from slang such as “when does this gig start†when communicating with a prospective employer. She also cautioned against using personal email accounts such as “hotchick99â€. If you haven’t already, get a more appropriate email account such as your initials and last name @yahoo.com (for example).
Write a Thank You Letter
To this day, 10 years later, I am convinced the main reason I landed my current job is because immediately following my interview I sent the recruiter a respectful “thank you letter†with a reaffirmation of my interest in the company and my future with them.
As an added touch, I included a bumper sticker from my school, Maine Maritime Academy. It didn’t make my GPA any higher but I believe it gave my name more recognition.
Unfortunately, the recruiter left the company shortly thereafter and I never got a chance to formally thank him (Kevin O’Flaherty if you are reading this, thank you!).
Clean Up Your Online Profile
The Internet has become a powerful tool for recruiters looking to dig up information on a prospective candidate. You may not mind a recruiter discovering that you were an all conference athlete in school; however, that picture of you doing a “keg stand†at your friend’s bachelor party might be a detriment to your job prospects.
A general rule is to remove anything from your MySpace or Facebook page, or other social networking sites, that you wouldn’t want your grandparents to see.
