I've had a couple of job interiviews lately-yesterday and last week, and another one about 3 weeks ago. In each case, I received a business card by each interviewer(s) with the interviewers' phone number and e-mail address on the card. During the interviews, I've asked all of the questions I could think of. I know that interviewers love being asked lots of questions. Whenever they say: "Do you have any other questions?", I'm quietly trying to rack my brains out to come up with more questions to ask, but at some point, I just end up saying: "I've got a pretty good idea of the what the job entails" or something along that line. I usually meet with the department supervisor and sometimes with a second person-second in command in the department and/or the HR manager. They go into great detail describing the job I'm applying for, which answers half of the questions I was going to ask.
In each case, the interviewer said to me: "If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to phone me or e-mail me. You have my card". Sounds simple enough and a nice gesture. But is it? I always go into an interview with questions in mind and come up with a few more during the interview. So what am I to ask after the interview is over?
What I'm wondering is if the interviewer is expecting me to contact them with more questions, and if I don't contact them back, does it appear that I don't have much interest in the job and hurt my chances of getting it? If I really don't have any more questions (other than money which would be discussed at a follow-up interview), does it look bad?
Would you contact them regardless-and say what?
If I'm genuinely interested in the job I send a follow up letter like the one below:
Quote:Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Dear Susan,
Thank you for taking the time to discuss your opening for (insert job title) . I enjoyed meeting with you and learning more about the position and (insert company name).
I believe that my extensive marketing experience and my educational background qualify me for this position.
I am particularly impressed with (here you could insert any awards or company philosophy you've heard about. Makes it sound like you know about the company)
I look forward to hearing from you to discuss next steps. Please feel free to contact me any time if you require further information.
Sincerely,
As far as questions during the interview, it's always a good idea to ask at least one:
What would a normal working day be like?
Can you explain the position and the type of candidate you would like to hire for it?
What do you expect from the successful candidate in the first two months?
Is this a newly created position?
To whom will the new employee report?
Do you see any major changes within the company that will affect this position?
How often are performance reviews given?
Is it possible to tour the facility?
Does the company provide any training or other educational opportunities for staff?
What is the dress code?
Some of these of course will be covered during the interview so it's a good idea to keep in mind which ones were not so you can ask at the end.
I always like to have my portfolio open during the interview so I can glance at my resume while we're going through it as well as the pertinent questions.
Oh yeah, the follow-up thank you letter. I guess it's standard practice now. Thanks NKB for providing one that I can use as a template. I'm guessing it isn't much use if it's sent late, like to the place where I had an interview 3 week ago. But I'll definitely send one the the place where I had an interview yesterday. How soon after an interview do you usually send it? I'm wondering if it's too late to send one to the person who interviewed me last week.
When I had the interview yesterday, I was interviewed by both the department manager and the HR manager-one interview with both of them. Do I send both of them a thank you letter?
I like to wait 24 hours but there is no hard and fast rule. There is no harm sending one to the interviewer from a week ago. It will keep you top of mind if they have not already made a decision.
This day in age, we all need as much help as we can get to land that job. All is fair in love and war, I say. And finding a job is WAR!
I really like this question:
"What do you expect from the successful candidate in the first two months?"
The others are reasonable, but might already be covered or they might seem odd if they are the only question asked ("Why did she ask about the dress code? Does she normally wear jeans and sandals?). Touring the facility is also usually a good one, although sometimes it might not be possible and at other times it might not be worthwhile.
I don't think they are necessarily expecting you to contact them to ask further questions but of course if you have any I would include them in a post interview/thank you email. I consider the follow up to be part of the interview process. How you present yourself in that follow up email might just be what tips things in your favor if they haven't already made a decision on who to hire.
Job hunting is such a a puzzling endeavor. I've seen articles saying that interviewers decide in the first minute or two if the person being interviewed will be get serious consideration for the job, If the person has that intangible something about them that clicks with the interviewer, then the job is pretty much there's, as long as the rest of the interview goes smoothly.
The other day I was talking to a former college instructor who used to have a management job in industry way back when, and I asked him how long it took him to decide on a candidate for a job when he interviewed people. He said when he interviewed people, he knew almost right away which one(s) had a good shot at the job or actually got the job immediately. The other candidates were just as qualified, but there wasn't that spark or whatever.
So here I am, racking my brains out trying to make sure I have a perfect resume, make sure I have enough good questions to ask at an interview, make sure every hair is in place, sending the interviewer a thank you e-mail afterwards, and the interviewer might have decided as soon as I walk through the door if I had a shot at the job or not. The only thing I can hope for is getting more interviews, and when I arrive for the interview, the interviewer thinks to him/herself: "Aha. This is the person we were looking for."
The worst possible response is that you have no questions. The reason very simply is that it implies you aren't interested in the job.
Some questions to ask with my commentary:
What is the typical work day like? (you are trying to assess your actual duties as opposed to the job description which is usually inaccurate.)
Why is this position available? (Is it a new position, did someone quit, or was someone fired?)
How many people have filled this position in the past five years? (If you get an answer of one person then there is nothing to worry about. If you get told that there are ten people in that job then that's a huge red flag. If you do get an answer of more than two people in five years then ask why. If the answer is promotions or job transfers then it's ok, but if they hem and haw there is something wrong.)
What is the career progression from this position? (If you're applying to work the fry machine at a fast food joint, obviously this doesn't apply. In a typical white collar job you need to think about this.)
May I have a tour of my potential work area? (This isn't so much to impress them but to see the place. If you hate phones for example and the phones are ringing off the hook then it's a clue you might not like it there.)
What qualities would you want in the perfect employee? (Whatever they say will tell you a lot. If they express a lot of concern for sales but you hate sales then obviously this is not the job for you.)
What expectations do you have for the employee in this position over the next five years? (This tells you if they want someone to actually contribute to the company or if they want a warm body in a chair.)
(05-13-2010 09:40 PM)Dog Holliday Wrote: [ -> ]Job hunting is such a a puzzling endeavor. I've seen articles saying that interviewers decide in the first minute or two if the person being interviewed will be get serious consideration for the job...
I'm not surprised by this at all. This is true IRL as well. When you meet someone for the first time, don't you assess them right away? I can usually tell within a couple of minutes if I'm going to like a person. Wrong or right, it's human nature. First impressions are lasting impressions.
I agree with Eddy. If you don't have at least one follow up question, they will perceive you as not being interested in the job.
It's always nice to turn the tables and ask them questions to see how quickly they come up with an answer and if that answer is good for you. I'd love to ask him / her "Where do you see yourself in five years?" That would be hilarious. I might just do that if I go for an interview and think that I don't want the job. I'd love to hear the response.