You might be surprised to learn that a small percentage of people follow up after a meeting or interview. Therefore, following up instantly gives you an edge over your job-searching peers because it helps you to stand out from the pack.
As we have previously mentioned, you need to become a salesperson for yourself in your job search. Any salesperson will tell you that initial meetings are only the beginning of making a sale—you must follow up often to prove your desire for the position you are seeking. As the saying goes, “the squeaky wheel gets the oil.”
There are several ways that you can stand out after a meeting in your follow-up tasks. These include:
- Sending a thank-you email. This should be your first step. Send it quickly after your initial meeting or interview. When you send a quick thank-you note over email expressing your gratitude, it demonstrates your appreciation of their time and opportunity to connect.
- Sending a handwritten thank you note. This is another task you can perform shortly after your initial meeting or interview. It will arrive several days after your thank you email, and also shows your sincere desire for their time and/or the position of interest as it takes much more effort to write a note and send it through standard mail.
- Follow up a week later with a phone call. The purpose of your follow-up call will be to check in with the people you met with and determine if they have any other leads or anything that might be helpful in your job search.
- Perform monthly updates. If you have an extended job search, it is a good idea to include key people in your network on monthly email updates that give details on your job search progress. This is a great way to remind the people in your network about your search and to gain additional feedback or leads.
You should not stop following up with your network until you have successfully found a job. While this might seem awkward, it is the only way to let your contacts know that you are still looking for employment. The last thing you want during your job search is to be forgotten.
Remember—regularly following up with your network could be the key to success in your job search. Be the “squeaky wheel” and always stay in the front of the minds of the people in your network.
