| Interview
Follow-up Letters - Do You Know Their Importance?
Simonne Emmons
http://www.Hispanic-Jobs.com
You've had your
interview with a perspective employer. Now what? Do you simply wait
for a response or do you take a more proactive stand? The fact is
that job searching doesn't end with the interview. It's what you
do in the days that follow the interview that can shift things in
your favor.
Do you know
the importance of a follow-up letter? It is the last piece of the
overall resume package but it can be the most powerful and persuasive
piece of material you can have in your job-hunting arsenal. Not
sending one to someone, who has interviewed you for a position,
can be the biggest mistake that you can make. It is the one thing
that can be used to sell your skills to an employer, one final time
before they make a decision. It actually serves two purposes.
1. It thanks
the interviewer for taking the time to interview you. This is especially
important because they are busy people and it's a nice way of acknowledging
that you value their time.
2. It gives you one final chance to remind the interviewer what
skills and experience you will bring to the position. This gives
you an edge over the competition for 2 reasons. A) Many candidates
never send one and B) It keeps you and your skills fresh in their
minds.
This can give
you the edge needed over the competition to sway their decision
in your favor. Since it can have a dramatic impact on the hiring
decision, it should be written carefully and with much thought.
Because hiring
managers literally view hundreds of resumes for a single position,
they can't remember all the details of a particular resume. It's
your job to make sure they don't forget you or your skills. This
is why it is extremely important to use a follow-up letter to get
their attention one last time.
Constructing
a good follow-up letter is key to continuing the professional appearance
you need to portray to a potential employer. The first paragraph
should "thank" the hiring manager. The second paragraph
can restate key skills, abilities or experience that you mentioned
during the interview. Keep it brief, but choose your words carefully.
Make sure to mail it no later than the day after the interview.
Don't pass up
the chance to sell your qualifications to a perspective employer
one last time, it really is your final opportunity. It can mean
the difference of getting the position or losing it to someone else.
So send it off and put yourself one step ahead of your competition.
About the Author:
Simone Emmons
is a human resources professional of 18 years and founder of www.Hispanic-Jobs.com
and www.Asian-Jobs.com
At http://www.hispanic-jobs.com
we provide thousands of job opportunities for bilingual/Spanish-speaking
professionals ranging from entry level to executive level - nationwide.
The author has
given full permission to publish it either electronically or in
print, free of charge, in its entirety, as long as the article content
remains unchanged as is published here today and that the authors
copyright with resource box are included.
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