April 30, 2012
The Dos and Don’ts of Interview Follow-Up
By Beth Cliff, IT Engineering Recruitment Manager, Redfish Technology
 Do call your recruiter.
When working with a recruiter, let that person know how it went. Give them a call shortly after the interview to give your impressions, discuss anything unexpected that came up, affirm your interest, and discuss next steps in the process.
Do send a thank you.
It is always a nice touch to send a prompt follow-up thank you. Not everyone expects one, but your interviewer might be one who does! Do this anytime within 48 hours of the interview. If you are working with a recruiter, talk to them first and then write your thank you. This allows you to include any elements your debriefing may bring up.
Do it, paper or electronic.
If you interview at Twitter, an email is going to fit best into that culture. If you interview with a more traditional company, perhaps a paper card or letter is most appropriate. While most business correspondence is electronic these days, feel it out.
Do keep on point.
Your message should include a thank you and confirmation of your interest in the opportunity. Thank the interviewer for their time. Hit on a couple points about what you liked about the company, your keen interest in the position, or other topics that came up in your conversation. Reaffirm briefly what you bring to the table, how you can help accomplish the company goals, why you are perfect for the job. Keep it brief, you should be able to cover this in a few paragraphs.
If there was discussion during the interview about any follow-up information or references, provide those.
 Don’t go overboard!
Don’t send the interviewer chocolates or a Facebook friend request. Your professionalism should of course continue after the interview. It is not appropriate to send a friend request after a job interview. Chocolates or flowers are appropriate for dates, not interview follow-up.
A candidate once sent an email follow-up to the CEO of a company that had passed on hiring him. In the 2-page email, he compared himself to an athlete and gave himself statistics like a ball player, and he called a couple of times. It was a little too much. The company went from liking him but thinking of him as a little too junior for the role, to thinking he was a little crazy. In the end the candidate ruined any opportunity for a future role better suited to his experience.
Don’t be impatient.
As discussed, your initial follow-up should be prompt and relevant to the discussion in the interview. Now give it some time. Interview schedules are hectic. Hiring processes take a lot of time; time away from the regular schedule, and time to process and discuss with the various stakeholders.
Do respect protocol.
Listen for when the interviewer says they will be contacting you with any next steps; if it doesn’t come up, ask about the hiring time line at the end of the interview. If you are working with a recruiter, s/he will advise you on the timing in which you should hear back. If not, go with the timeline given.
If you don’t hear back within the specified time frame, give it a few days and then make a polite follow-up call to reaffirm your interest and check in on next steps. Keep in mind that while the hire may be a priority, there are lots of competing priorities in a day, so any delay may have nothing to do with you as a candidate.
Do listen to feedback.
If you have an opportunity in a follow-up discussion to get feedback, appreciate it and use it to hone you interviewing skills. If the feedback is critical, don’t get defensive. Instead, thank the interviewer for his candor and acknowledge it, for example “I’m sorry I gave you that impression. I’ll work on that.” Remember interviewing is an art and takes practice. Each interview and any feedback provide you with the opportunity to improve.
Don’t despair!
Occasionally, it is just impossible to get clear feedback on the status of the process or the candidate. This is always frustrating, of course. There can be a lot of players and a lot of moving parts involved, so chalk it up to not being the right opportunity at the right time, and leave everyone you interact with the best impression possible. You never know when there might be another opportunity with the same company, or the same person in the future. We’ve even seen hiring managers pass along the name of a person they interviewed to another company hiring.
About the author:
Beth Cliff, High Tech Engineering Recruitment Manager
Beth Cliff has recruited since 1995, with Redfish since 2006, and currently heads up the High Tech Engineering recruiting on the East coast. She is successful at dialing down into the technical details while balancing the total human picture.
February 20, 2012
 What are Your Interview Takeaways?
Job Interviews are not the most natural situation for most of us. Typically you are meeting the interviewer(s) for the first time, most likely in a new place with a company you don’t know intimately. You need to convince the person that you are the best person for a job that you have not practiced with that employer. And hopefully you only do this every few years, so you may not have had a lot of practice lately. Ug.
Whether you are speaking with a recruiter or a hiring manager, there are proven ways to make a good impression and effectively communicate who you are and what you have to offer. First of all, prepare several talking points (and don’t forget the last one like happened in a recent political debate). Have the main points you want to make to the interviewer down pat. This will allow you to say on point.
Identify the company’s or the hiring manager’s priorities ahead of time if possible, or at the outset of the interview. If you work with a recruiter or have an opening conversation, ask what those priorities to prepare for the interview. Dialogue with colleagues and industry professionals to learn about what the company/position/sector really needs to succeed. Research the company’s culture, track record and mission/vision. Now tailor your talking points to how your skills and abilities will fit the company’s needs and strategic vision.
Armed with your talking points, you should relax and dialogue naturally incorporating your message into your responses. If you are asked about your track record, know how your successes will match up with what the hiring manager needs from his next hire. If you are asked about previous challenges and how you overcame them, choose an example that shows that your decision making would be an asset for this company’s needs. Align your answers to support the takeaways that you want to leave with the interviewer.
Remember, this isn’t a social call, it is a sales pitch. You must sell yourself, your experience, your abilities, and your fit, while demonstrating how you meet the company’s needs and effectively communicating your takeaways.
Redfish offers a number of job serach and career managment articles on the Redfish website in the Candidate Resource Library. Check it out!
October 3, 2011
Secrets to Impressing your Recruiter and Landing the Job
 Rob Reeves
Whether you are applying directly to a company or working with an independent search firm, you need to impress the recruiter! The recruiter is likely your first point of contact, you need to impress them and do your part to streamline the process.
How? (more…)
July 7, 2011
 Shannon Tinker Hiring the Right Candidate:
Set Bait, Cut Bait
By Shannon Tinker
While staffing industry pros are acutely aware of the ins and outs of finding and closing candidates, I’d bet the rest of the world doesn’t spend much time contemplating the hiring process. In fact, during a candidate rich market, employers may land their dream candidate by skipping a bunch of hiring “steps,” including “the close.” But what happens when the market shifts?
An improving job market isn’t all roses and smiley faces. Simple supply and demand dictates, and unfortunately a flourishing job market also, lead to losing more candidates to competing opportunities. While tragic, some losses are unavoidable. Yet, other times a quick re-read of the “Closing Candidates 101” handbook may give you the upper hand.
Closing the right candidate really requires little or no sales ability whatsoever and is remarkably simple. Really. (more…)
April 14, 2011
Shannon Tinker How to Hire the Best Candidate: Get Out of Your Own Way
By Shannon Tinker
Last month, I offered some pre-resume reviewing steps for preserving time and sanity during the hiring process. Hiring isn’t rocket science. You get approval, decide what you want and need and then go about finding “It.” What’s surprising is what happens when you do find “It.” Managers make tough decisions daily, yet when faced with a viable candidate they don’t always make their move.
Even veteran managers accumulate reasons for why they shouldn’t extend a job offer to the right candidate. I’m not suggesting that you should jump on any candidate with Java on his resume and a pulse. (This isn’t 1999!) But it is interesting and heartbreaking when “best practices” and fear get in the way of hiring your next star employee. (more…)
December 1, 2010
Holiday Rush – The Yearend is Busy!
 Joanna Edwards By Joanna Edwards, Executive Recruiter, High Tech Sales & Marketing Division Manager
As I write this, a beautiful snowfall blankets Sun Valley, Christmas music is playing and eighteen resumes were in my inbox prior to 6am MST. It can only mean one thing: yearend is approaching. We are just weeks away from January 1st and in the world of recruiting it is typically our busiest time of year for a multitude of reasons.
First, many companies and/or hiring managers have a specific number of open roles they must fill prior to EOY, or they lose the open requisitions, or worse their MBO or an equivalent monetary sum. (more…)
September 20, 2010
Job Searching
There are many ways to job search, and certainly the more avenues that are explored and doors knocked on, the greater number of opportunities you will find. Obviously you need your resume polished and ready. Next, develop a list of the companies you’d like to work for. Now get in touch! (more…)
August 4, 2010
Credentials, Please
Credentials? Qualifications? Well, what sort of professional development have you done lately? In today’s uber-competitive, ever specialized workplace having an additional set of skills is absolutely critical for career advancement. Whether it’s LLM, PMP, CCIE or MBA, the acronyms can be dizzying but from my vantage point it takes certified, specialized knowledge and training to really pass muster these days. (more…)
March 4, 2010
Thoughtful Interview Preparation – Originally published in the Find Your Dream Job Newsletter, Issue 2.
Getting Your Dream Job
You’ve identified an opportunity that you are excited about and well-qualified for. You’ve polished and targeted your resume, and crafted your cover letter. Great news: You are invited for an interview! Now it is time to really gear up. Preparation is key – whether you haven’t interviewed in a decade or if you’ve had ten recent interviews.
Whether you end up in a conversational style Q&A or are engaged in a competency based (behavioral) interview approach, spend time in advance thinking about answers to some potential questions in advance so that you are prepared to answer them naturally and informatively.
Know your Audience: Research the company and the people. Read about them online, ask your recruiter to share insights into the company culture and strengths, network with current and former employees, read the bios of the people you will be meeting with and upper management. Be prepared to identify what about this company attracted you to them, show that you are someone who will be dedicated and invested in this company.
Know the Industry: Who are the company’s competitors, who are their customers and suppliers? What are the key business missions, messaging, and the recent benchmarks? What are the recent trends, challenges and opportunities in the industry? Be prepared to show your knowledge of the industry players/issues and how your experience and skill set is pertinent to the company’s business.
Know the Position: Re-read the job description and be very clear on the duties. What examples can you offer of your experience in success at accomplishing these responsibilities? What are the most relevant highlights of your track record? Be prepared to elaborate on how your experience and skill set will contribute to the company’s success.
Know your Take Away: Why are you the right person for the job? Why should they hire you instead of other candidates? How can you fit in and contribute immediately? Be prepared to communicate your take away message on why you are the right person for the job.
Here are some examples to help you in your interview preparation.
Ability and Career Initiative questions:
- How would your boss describe you?
- What is your reputation at work?
- What professional accomplishments are you most proud of and why?
- What is the most important thing you contribute to any organization?
- Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?
- Name three things you like and dislike about your current/last position.
- Why do you want to leave/did you leave your last position?
- Why is your current organization a better place for you having worked there?
- Why would this position be a good move in your career development?
- What have you done in your current/last position to improve your company’s bottom-line?
You want to paint a picture of yourself as a qualified, capable person, ready, willing and enthusiastic about contributing to the company’s mission. If you are looking for a new position because the last/current one was negative, or if you’ve been unemployed for a while, formulate your response carefully. Never share dirty laundry and don’t waste time on negatives. Focus on the proactive and the positive aspects of your interest in the opportunity you are interviewing for and what you can bring to the table. Show career pride and initiative.
Competency-based questions:
- Tell me about a situation in which you had a miscommunication with a customer/colleague/boss and how you handled it.
- Describe a time when you didn’t accomplish a professional goal and how you rectified the situation?
- What was the biggest professional challenge you faced in your last position and how did you overcome it?
- Can you describe an example of when you worked with a colleague or group to solve a problem?
You will definitely need to have real-life examples ready. Be prepared to explain how you resolved the situation favorably, what you learned, and how that experience could be applied to the work environment of your potential employer. You want to demonstrate your ability to work well with others, accomplish the mission, be accountable and proactive, and problem-solve.
Real-life Work Scenario:
You may have a real work problem laid before you, and be asked to describe how you would proceed. While this is a little harder to prepare for in advance, you should be thinking about the aspects of the role and draw from your past experience. This is similar to preparing for competency based questions.
New-Age questions:
- If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
- If you were a fruit, what kind of fruit would you be?
The interviewer is looking for a correct answer of an animal that is efficient, proactive, social, organized, and a fruit that mixes harmoniously in a fruit salad medley. Hopefully no one is ruled out because they say cat (sleeps a lot) or an avocado (doesn’t mix well in a fruit salad). Perhaps the true point is to see how you might react and if you have a sense of humor.
Gauging Interest and Engagedness:
- What did you like on our website? What attracted you to our organization?
- What questions do you have for me/about the company/role?
- How could our company do better?
There is no wrong answer to these questions except to not have an answer. This is your opportunity to find out more about the company/management culture, goals, strengths, etc. And importantly, this is your chance to show your serious intent and enthusiasm for the company. If you have no more questions, take this time to express that the conversation has touched on all the points you wanted to explore more and that you appreciate the manager’s candor and time; leave them with the impression of satisfaction as opposed to disinterest.
Formulate your responses using the STAR approach:
When formulating your response, maximize the opportunity to demonstrate your professional success. Situation. Task. Action. Results.
For example, if you are asked what you have done in your current position to improve your company’s bottom-line, “As the International Channel Manager (situation) of a company trying to gain market share in international markets (task), I spearheaded and drove an International Distributor meeting with focus sessions on marketing and sales strategies and tools, introduction to add-on products, as well as software localization and OEM technology and coordination (action). The result was 2 additional language versions of the software being produced, strengthened communications and renewed marketing and sales motivation with a 20% increase in International channel sales and a strengthened relationship with our channel partners (results).
On the humorous side, YouTube videos:
The Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRX0AQKFtwU
ABC’s The Middle Mike Heck on an interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_H-jNCaEvI
Do you have any funny interview questions or anecdotes? Please share them with us.
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Do call your recruiter.
Don’t go overboard!
