When it comes to your job search you may think you have the right skills to land any job you want. Your contacts may be strong, your networking skills are the envy of your colleagues but do you know it’s not what you say in an interview that matters but what you do after that counts the most? Most candidates think the interview stops when you leave the office and are on your way to Starbucks to celebrate your great meeting. Wrong. Your interview continues long after the last handshake. Most people forget to do the most important thing after an interview and that is to follow up.
Here are 10 things you should make sure you are aware of BEFORE you interview for your next job. Knowing how not to sabotage your chances even if you nailed the interview, is a sure way to ensure you actually get a job offer:
1- Forget to get a business card or email contact of the person who interviewed you.
2- Forget to send a follow up with a thank you email INCLUDING NEXT STEPS on how best to follow up on the opportunity and if there are any additional folks to meet who are necessary to the hiring decision.
3- Doing poor homework on the company BEFORE the interview and AFTER you have met with key individuals in the company. What lessons did you learn? Was there valuable information shared during the interview that can help you strategize about career opportunities there. What did you do with the information you learned?
4- Do all of the talking and FORGET to ask the interviewer important questions about the job while you are in the actual interview. Were there any follow up questions you forgot to ask that might further keep you engaged and the dialogue going long after the interview has ended?
5- Forget to disclose any information that might prevent you from accepting a job if offered, such as under a contract, have issued clearing a background or drug test, have personal reasons that would prevent you from accepting an offer at this time?
6- Forget to discuss compensation expectations during or after a follow up interview even before an offer is extended. It helps to know you are both on the same page as to compensation expectations.
7- Forget to complete or request to complete an employment application BEFORE the interview.
8- Forget to provide update and inform your professional references that they might get a call from the company you are applying to and tell them a little bit about the job you are up for.
9-Forget to bring a hard copy of their resume/bio to the interview or follow up with an electronic one after the interview to make sure the company has the right version.
10-Forget to update your LinkedIn profile and check any and all social media outlets to ensure there is nothing erroneous or controversial posted that could prevent anyone from extending you an offer.
Your job interview is not the only way you can sabotage your efforts to land an offer. Good preparation before and after the interview is over is the best way to make sure you are still in the running and there are no surprises left to discover!
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