Tips to help make your job work for you!
Job interview brain freeze. We’ve pretty much all had it at some point. You know what I mean … your mind goes blank. Or you’re getting thoughts, but they come out jumbled. Or they don’t come out at all!
But the good news is that a little brain freeze and interview nerves in general doesn’t mean you won’t get the job. Still, you want to do all you can to put your best foot forward. So it’s wise to prepare in advance to help keep those nerves at a minimum!
So you’re probably wondering why anyone would want to thank a company for rejecting them. That’s certainly NOT your first reaction. Well, since you didn’t get the job anyway, what could it hurt to try once more to connect? This sample rejection thank you note may just help you plant a seed that grows!
In my own career, more than once I wound up getting a job that I was not the first candidate for. Well, it was usually because I was trying to talk my way into a job where I didn’t have direct experience. (Will talk about that later on in this post.)
While not always successful, on occasion persistence can pay off. And so can networking and relationship building over time. You never know when an impression you leave after an interview leads to a job in the future. Now for that sample…
SAMPLE REJECTION THANK YOU NOTE [Read more…]
After your interview. you may wonder whether to send a post-interview thank you note or letter. And if so, what should the note say? Or NOT say. (That’s right. You can still screw things up. But I’ll say more about that later.)
Just remember that your interview process does not start or end at the interview itself. Every contact you have with the company — or even people somehow connected to the company — can wind up being communicated to the hiring team.
And so whatever you do, you want to add positively to the picture of yourself you’re painting. And that even applies to thank you notes!
Thank you notes are a nice extra. They won’t on their own get you the job — except in rare cases. And not if you aren’t qualified for the job. But they shouldn’t lose you the job either. (Again, there are exceptions.)
Although I never ruled someone out for not sending one, some hiring managers may use the lack of one to help eliminate people. Not my idea of smart hiring, but everyone is different — especially if the job requires relationship building and interpersonal communication. Still, odds are it won’t cost you the job if you’re highly qualified in their eyes.
But why risk it? A short, polite, well-written post-interview thank you can add a positive note to the impression you leave behind. It can help you stand out (and be remembered) as someone thoughtful and professional who they’d enjoy working with. Especially if you take the time to make it a good one! [Read more…]
If you’re worrying about a job interview, I have some good news. You’re not alone. Most people worry about interviews. But there’s more good news. A lot of things you’re worrying about may not be all that important to your eventual success.
Now I’m not saying you don’t need to prepare — and a key part of that is actually feeling prepared. But it’s also good to know some things about the interview process itself. And about the mental framework of the folks who interview you.
Remember: Interviewers have their own worries … will they find someone who fits well with the job and company. Hiring the wrong person is both costly and disruptive.
I spent many years helping hire people. Besides overseeing the process, I screened resumes, worked with HR, spoke with potential candidates on the phone, and then helped conduct interviews.
But you learn the most by listening to comments from the hiring team. Seeing what things matter to them, what’s easily overlooked, and what impressions stick. In the end, the things you might worry about — and kick yourself for afterward — may not hurt you at all.
It’s totally normal. Until it’s over, there’s no way to shake off every single interview nerve. And a little bit of nerves can actually help with your energy. Maybe tell yourself that when you do start to worry. 🙂
But knowledge and familiarity with a process helps, too. So here are some more posts to help — both before, during, and after!
If you’re stressing over how to give a perfect job interview, here’s some good news: there’s no such thing. Too many things go into an interview, including interview chemistry. So your real job is simply to give the best interview YOU can give. That’s all anyone can do.
You can let go of any pressure to be perfect. The interview process is about finding the right match. But since there is no perfect job or perfect interviewer, a “perfect” interview would be wasted. Whatever perfect is anyway. Mostly it’s about the overall impression you leave.
But there are things you can do to help your chances. Ways to reduce nerves and increase how “present” you are — meaning you can be yourself while having a conversation. Of course, you still want to make sure you aim the interview in a way that shows how well you match.
Before a job interview there are a few things that would help for you to know. I recently wrote a much a longer version of this, but for simplicity sake, here is the handy-dandy condensed version — with a few extra tips.
Hopefully this will help you review your pre-interview “must dos” quickly. And feel free to add your own suggestions, ones that will help add to your feelings of confidence and interview readiness.
While you want to come off as natural as possible, please don’t think that means you shouldn’t prepare for a job interview. During the interview itself, mindset and familiarity with the job and company — as well as what YOU bring to the specific job — will help you relax enough to be yourself.
I remember well my first interview where I relied on “quick thinking and natural charm” to win the day. And I also remember how nervous I got — and not getting the job. While I can’t guarantee that prepping for an interview will always land you the offer, feeling well-prepared can help ease your nerves enough to at least show interviewers who you really are. And that’s a big part of getting any job.
As a former hiring manager, I get lots of questions from readers asking for all kinds of job interview tips. So I decided to provide a handy-dandy guide to what I actually look for when I sit down and interview candidates for a job.
Obviously each interviewer and industry is different. But I think these interview tips offer general advice that should work for most people. With that in mind, this is what I would be looking for if you walked into my office for an interview: [Read more…]
I just found “why do I get so nervous during job interviews?” among the search terms used to get to this blog. In fact, there are quite a few of you looking for help with job interview nerves. Clearly, being really stressed out by the interview process is not an isolated problem. (To say the least.)
So why do job interviews make us feel really nervous, even if we know we’d be great for the job? A good question indeed. I’ll do my best to come up with some answers. And offer tips to help you fight those annoying nerves that may be keeping you from the job you want.
The situation itself puts us out of our comfort zone. None of us like to give up control to others when it comes to something as important as your career. And almost everyone gets nervous during interviews to one extent or another — sometimes even the interviewer is nervous!
I hope it helps to learn that most interviewers expect you to be at least a little nervous. But for some of us, the mere thought of being on the answer end of an interview question makes our nerves run wild — way beyond a little nervous! And that can be a problem.
Actors are usually told to take their nerves and turn them into performance energy. It would be great if we could do this in interviews. And it’s worth trying. But of course we don’t get to rehearse our exact words the way actors do. For most of us, the only thing we gain from a bad case of interview nerves is a strong desire to run!
Worst of all … as much as we want to gain control of ourselves and our nerves during an interview, the more we try to control our nerves, the less relaxed we are. But of course what we want more than anything during interviews is to relax and just be ourselves.
Luckily there are some things you can do to help. But first let’s answer the question I found…
Didn’t get the job offer you wanted? Got the bad interview blues? Does “I got rejected AGAIN” feel like your new mantra? I know it doesn’t help all that much, but please know that even seemingly “perfect” candidates experience those feelings.
With all my heart, I wish that you would get the offer you want every time you interview. And then YOU can be the one who gets to decide whether to accept the job or not. But sometimes you just don’t get the offer — even if you’re totally qualified.
Hi Ronnie Ann! Please help me. I don’t know how to interview after being fired. I was terminated from my job, nearly a year ago, because I decided to take a stand. There were some very questionable things going on within management.
Since it affected the employees and the company in a very negative way, I started a petition within my department regarding the issues. And more than half of the employees signed it. Then I submitted a letter, along with the petition to the compliance department.
My efforts got remarkable attention — resulting in a visit from the President of the company that included a one-on-one interview with everyone in the department. In the end, half of management was terminated. And that included me.
I imagine they were uncomfortable with me staying there considering what I knew. The much needed change that was due to that particular department was granted because of my actions. So I am very happy that the employees have a better place to work. Some of them had no positive outlet, including no high school diplomas. They had no way out.
After taking some time, I recently began seeking employment as a legal assistant and have gotten several call backs for interviews. How do I explain my termination without scrutinizing the company?
~~ Zandria
***
Hello Ronnie Ann. It’s been nice to read all the advice you have given. Still waiting for job offer to be officially approved seems to be the worst waiting game for many of your readers. And now I am in the same boat.
Here’s my story. I flew in for a the job interview on July 7. And it went very well. My contact there (the hiring manager) tells me that I’m their top candidate. So now we are all waiting for job offer to get the final sign-offs.
About a week later, the hiring manager called and said that he put something together for me that should be a good territory. And it just has to be signed off on. I spoke to him the week after, and he said it is now in financing to be approved. So for now it has been two weeks and still nothing official.
I spoke to my contact again on Monday, and he said that he is still waiting for it to be approved, But once again, he assured me that I am still “their guy”. This has me wondering. Do you think that I have anything to worry about?
It seems like things are going pretty slow. Especially after how quick they flew me in to interview, from when I submitted my resume. That only took 2 weeks.
Another question I had is, how often should you contact the hiring manager to inquire about the progress? One thing I don’t want to be is annoying to them.
~ David
Hi David,
As far as I can tell from what you wrote, all is on track. Internal processes can take weeks — often much longer than the whole initial interview process. Nothing’s for sure of course, but things look good. So relax, have faith, and find something to do in the meantime. Maybe a project or something you want to learn — or anything to keep your brain occupied!
As for how often to contact the hiring manager … there’s no hard and fast rule. In your specific situation, you might send him an e-mail toward the end of next week. Just let him know you’re still interested, and ask if there’s anything more you need to do.
Truth is, at this point they know who you are, so unless you get another offer, give them some time. I once waited about 5 months to find out I was the top candidate. And I only e-mailed them every now and then. 🙂
Good luck! Please let us know what happens.
~ Ronnie Ann
About the author…
Ronnie Ann, founder of Work To the Wise and Work Coach Cafe, bases her real-world advice on her many years as an organizational consultant where she helped interview and hire people, added to a certificate from NYU in Career Planning & Development, as well as her many adventures as a serial job seeker.
[Post updated in 2020]
Job interview nerves. We all get them. Really. So please don’t think you’re alone. Even if you prepared perfectly and have every qualification, it’s easy for doubt to creep in. And for many of us, doubt not only creeps in, it takes up residence in our heads.
But the good news is that you can do some things to help you feel better during the interview — and even beyond. And it starts with the all-important “P” word: PREPARE!
One of the best ways to help tame job interview nerves is to PREPARE. Really take time to follow these steps. They can make a huge difference to the way your mind and body react on the day of the interview. Winging it may sound great, but it can leave you feeling very exposed. [Read more…]
Some “experts” will look you in the eye and tell you there are guaranteed ways to ace your job interview. How? By giving the “right interview answer” to job interview questions. Or so they assure you.
Well, please know this: There are no absolutely guaranteed right answers. The interview selection process is far more complicated than that. Luckily, there are some practical job interview tips that can help.
1. Take time to prepare – Find out all you can about the company. You aren’t expected to know everything, but if it’s a public company there is no excuse for at least not knowing their business line(s) and a little about their products.
2. Read the job description CAREFULLY – It will help you aim your answers toward things they are actually looking for. Not that you should simply give them back what they asked for, but you can use the description to help guide you.
3. Know your resume very well – This may sound obvious, but I’ve interviewed people who can’t quickly remember a job I referred to that was on their own resume. Review the order of your jobs, the tasks at each job, and the reason(s) you left.
Also look through the resume to remind yourself of some stories where you found a problem and solved it, came up with a ways to save the company money, etc. A good story that rings true can make a big difference.