Follow-Up
Your follow-up skills are particularly important when you are job hunting and you anticipate a growing number of contacts, meetings, and telephone numbers requiring follow-up calls. The follow up referred to in job hunting is time sensitive and requires close attention.
Before you begin the process of job hunting, you need to prepare a method of tracking follow-up calls, appointments, referrals, interviews, and networking meetings. I recommend keeping this information together in one place, preferably a spreadsheet or calendar. If you are familiar with Excel, that tool is ideal. If you are not, a manual or electronic calendar is fine.
Follow-Up is an invaluable skill to incorporate throughout your job hunt. This starts with the first caller – the recruiter or administrative person who has found a match between your resume and a specific job opening they are attempting to fill.
My recommendation regarding call backs is clear; I advise you to avoid missing any incoming call in the first place by making sure your mobile phone number is on your resume, and you always carry your phone with you.
A recruiter or administrator calling a potential candidate and reaching voicemail will likely hang up and call the next person from their stack of resumes rather than leaving a message for a call back. If they do leave a message, experience tells us the recruiter is not likely to start a series of call backs, or “telephone tag.” It’s easier and faster to simply move on to a candidate who answers their call.
Always keep your phone with you and be prepared for that initial interest and availability call when you answer.
The conversation you have with that first caller is particularly important. It sets the stage for a face-to-face meeting with the recruiter and/or eventually with the hiring manager.
Besides being the first decision maker in the hiring process, the first caller can be a valuable ally who will give you an advantage during the job interview. They are your first source for gathering information about the company, the job, and the hiring manager.
After your interview, the frequency and tone you use when making a follow-up call is critical. After the interview, when you are waiting to learn if you were selected, the wait time can seem like an eternity. The anticipation is palpable, and the temptation is to call very quickly to learn their decision.
At the conclusion of your job interview, you need to ask questions about the interview process, such as how many candidates are being considered and when a final decision will be made. But also note that the original timeline when it comes to hiring a candidate is seldom under anyone’s control. Candidate interview meetings are postponed or delayed, hiring managers may make changes, and final approval of the selection must be completed, often including several approval levels.
Keeping all these contingencies in mind, your follow-up call should be made at a reasonable time following the date you were given as the hiring decision date. When the initial call was made, remember that you were asked to take part as a highly qualified candidate. Do not apologize for calling to check on the status of the selection process. You are not disturbing or bothering anyone; you were called to participate, you were told when the process would conclude, and you are following up to plan for other contingencies and commitments.
If you receive no definitive answer when you follow up, ask for a new date. Report that you are still interested in the job and continue your job search. Include the new date provided in follow up spreadsheet or your electronic planner. Your plan is to continue networking and schedule additional interviews.
It is always a mistake to appear anxious, to call too soon, or too often. If you are given a new date, give it time to play out.
Look for more on preparing for your conversation with The First Caller and Follow Up segment in my Source Blog and in my upcoming book, Job Hunting – Launching to Landing.