11. December 2007 | Show Originial
What is the Follow-Up?
What a silly question right? Sadly, in this day and age it seems to be the question many people are silently asking themselves when they are looking for a job. They might not be literally asking that question out loud, but they are asking with the actions they do during their job search. How many of you have experienced this? A good friend is complaining about not being able to get a job. You ask them to tell you the things they have been doing to get a job. They say they have applied online to a few places, they have turned in a few resumes, and they have called a few spots. You ask them about the Follow-Up. They look at you blankly. That seems to be the problem that many people are facing these days when going out and getting a job especially the younger generation.
Many people forget one of the most important steps to do when you are looking for a new job: Following Up.
Since many of you already learned the benefits of making a great first impression thanks to the first part in our Practical Interviewing Series, and that having an upbeat shining personality can help you stand out amongst the many applicants a company usually sees thanks to the second part, we are going to go into a step that is very essential in showing that you above everyone else want the position. Any time that you are applying for a job, if you never take into account that you are competing for the opening with many other job seekers, you set yourself at a major disadvantage. Whenever I am applying for a new position, I always keep in mind that somebody wants this job more than I do. That's how I always think about the situation beforehand because it gives me the drive to mentally challenge myself with, "NOBODY wants this job more than me!" This is what should be going through your head for any potential job. The Follow-Up is a very important part of the job seekers journey in not only getting a new job, but actually getting the job that you really wanted to get in the first place.
After initially applying to any position you should always allow what I like to think of as a grace period before you follow up with any contact with that company. It really depends on what type of job you are applying for, of course. If it is a job at say, a fast food restaurant (simply because they tend to hire more entry level candidates), the best thing to do is get the number of whomever you talked with about the job. Follow-up with them in about two to three days following the interview by calling them, of for the majority of fast food and retail jobs, showing up can be the extra step that puts you firmly in the mind of whoever is doing the hiring. For most other positions, the grace period is usually around the same amount of time, unless they give you a specific call back date. Personally, I think showing up always proves that you are willing to take the extra step to get the job. Now I don't suggest camping outside the office until you get hired, but waiting three to five days before following up for a higher level job is perfectly acceptable.
The most important things you need to remember to ask when you do your follow-up are: "What is my status?" This is to check and see if they have made a decision on hiring yet, and, "When will a decision be made?" This is to give yourself a ball park figure of when to either expect a callback or when it would be good for you to do another follow-up. Another important thing you can remember to ask is if there are other positions available. This is especially good if you are looking to get your foot in the door of a particular company and are willing to start anywhere. Above all, remember that you need to set yourself out from your competition for that particular job. The best way to do that is following the helpful steps that we have provided for you in our continuing Practical Interviewing Series.
What a silly question right? Sadly, in this day and age it seems to be the question many people are silently asking themselves when they are looking for a job. They might not be literally asking that question out loud, but they are asking with the actions they do during their job search. How many of you have experienced this? A good friend is complaining about not being able to get a job. You ask them to tell you the things they have been doing to get a job. They say they have applied online to a few places, they have turned in a few resumes, and they have called a few spots. You ask them about the Follow-Up. They look at you blankly. That seems to be the problem that many people are facing these days when going out and getting a job especially the younger generation.
Many people forget one of the most important steps to do when you are looking for a new job: Following Up.
Since many of you already learned the benefits of making a great first impression thanks to the first part in our Practical Interviewing Series, and that having an upbeat shining personality can help you stand out amongst the many applicants a company usually sees thanks to the second part, we are going to go into a step that is very essential in showing that you above everyone else want the position. Any time that you are applying for a job, if you never take into account that you are competing for the opening with many other job seekers, you set yourself at a major disadvantage. Whenever I am applying for a new position, I always keep in mind that somebody wants this job more than I do. That's how I always think about the situation beforehand because it gives me the drive to mentally challenge myself with, "NOBODY wants this job more than me!" This is what should be going through your head for any potential job. The Follow-Up is a very important part of the job seekers journey in not only getting a new job, but actually getting the job that you really wanted to get in the first place.
After initially applying to any position you should always allow what I like to think of as a grace period before you follow up with any contact with that company. It really depends on what type of job you are applying for, of course. If it is a job at say, a fast food restaurant (simply because they tend to hire more entry level candidates), the best thing to do is get the number of whomever you talked with about the job. Follow-up with them in about two to three days following the interview by calling them, of for the majority of fast food and retail jobs, showing up can be the extra step that puts you firmly in the mind of whoever is doing the hiring. For most other positions, the grace period is usually around the same amount of time, unless they give you a specific call back date. Personally, I think showing up always proves that you are willing to take the extra step to get the job. Now I don't suggest camping outside the office until you get hired, but waiting three to five days before following up for a higher level job is perfectly acceptable.
The most important things you need to remember to ask when you do your follow-up are: "What is my status?" This is to check and see if they have made a decision on hiring yet, and, "When will a decision be made?" This is to give yourself a ball park figure of when to either expect a callback or when it would be good for you to do another follow-up. Another important thing you can remember to ask is if there are other positions available. This is especially good if you are looking to get your foot in the door of a particular company and are willing to start anywhere. Above all, remember that you need to set yourself out from your competition for that particular job. The best way to do that is following the helpful steps that we have provided for you in our continuing Practical Interviewing Series.