So, you’ve had an interview, and you are really excited and nervous about the prospect in front of you. The suspense is killing you, but the phone isn’t ringing, and your inbox doesn’t have any new e-mails from your contact at the hiring institution.How should you follow up?
Here are some simple tips:
E-mail a brief thank-you to the hiring coordinator and/or members of the interview team. Don’t try too hard to be creative or memorable. “Thanks for taking the time to interview me. It was a pleasure learning more about the position and the department. I appreciated the opportunity.” Going further than that may seem like you are attempting to continue the interview and make your argument. If you didn’t make a good argument in the interview, a card isn’t going to change that. And if you “lay it on too thick,” you risk annoying the interviewer and/or coming across as desperate.
If you didn’t get to ask about timeline before or during the interview, inquire about it in an e-mail to your main contact within the organization.
For the first week or two, e-mail contact is best.
After two weeks, if you’ve heard nothing, call the hiring coordinator. Reiterate your interest and ask about the timeline (or if they told you one, if it had changed as the process went on.)
Frequently Asked Questions:
What’s the typical timeframe for a candidate to hear back after an interview?
Bad news, folks. There isn’t one. So many variables go into an institution’s timeline for following up. Some might include:
Getting in touch with references/having them call back.
Following up on concerns
Conducting a background check
Getting approval from Human Resources
If I don’t hear back about the position, will calling or e-mailing improve my chances (by showing I am motivated and interested?)
While possible, it’s not likely. In most cases, the general impression of your viability as a candidate is set well before the end of the interviewer. So, if you are out of the running, calling or e-mailing won’t help. If you are in the running, and you fumble the interactions with an employer during the follow-up stage, you may actually hurt your chances. In short, it’s easier to get cut from a process than it is to get into (or stay in) one. So be judicious in your follow-ups. Don’t call more than once a week, and every time you do call, ask when would be a good time to call back. If at any point, you are told “We’ll call you,” take that as a signal to move on.
If I don’t get the job, what’s the best way to ask for feedback?
First, and foremost, ask for it only if you can take it gracefully.
Second, go in with the understanding that many employers will not give feedback, or that it will be very minimal, because some legal departments and human resources departments advises against it.
Call your primary point of contact and ask if you could get some feedback on your performance in the interview, how your skills and experience stood up to the finalist, or what factors went into the decision.
One final thought on getting feedback: only ask for it if you are going to use it to better yourself and improve your job search strategy, materials or approach to interviewing.
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Being invited to interview on-site for a job you are really interested in is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. If you are like most candidates, you look forward to the campus interview, but dread the conversations leading up to it. Travel costs add up, and you have to watch your bottom line. So how should you broach the subject with a potential employer?
How to Start the Conversation
First, go in knowing that most employers will not be surprised that you are bringing up the subject. Hiring people costs money, and getting the candidate to the interview is pretty essential for most positions. So don’t be afraid to ask. Just be polite and tactful, and things will work usually work out.
Who Should Pay for Interview Travel?
Well, in an ideal world, the employer would always pay (at least that’s my 2 cents on the matter), but the reality is that some schools pay for travel, and some don’t. Some pay, but cap reimbursements per candidate. Some will pay only if you aren’t offered a position, or if you accept an offer if one is made. (i.e., if they offer, but you decline, you do not get reimbursed.)
What’s the Etiquette?
Ask questions upfront about whether the university reimburses for any part of candidate travel, before formally accepting an on-site interview.
If being reimbursed…
Communicate about costs before booking flights
Keep all receipts,
Log any mileage on your personal vehicle
Ask when to submit receipts (usually with a day or two of your return)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is it really okay to ask about reimbursement?
Yes, employers understand that candidates need to watch expenses.
Should I try to negotiate?
Most employers will have general rules. Ask what their policies are.
Tactful Tips
If there is a cap on reimbursement, understand that, and try to work within it.
Always try to find bargains if being reimbursed.
Don’t accept an interview if you can’t afford to cover your out-of-pocket costs.
One of the hardest things to do in any job search process is to be yourself while also being polished, on point, and focused on delivering a targeted message to your potential employer about how you will are the perfect “fit” for an open position.
Clients sometimes ask me how they can convey their sense of purpose and desire for a position without coming across as phony. My answer: quit trying to prove yourself and spend your time being yourself.
The logic behind this is simple enough. If you conveyed your qualifications well enough on your resume, cover letter, and other application materials, then the interview is less about that and more about two things:
1. Whether you presented your qualifications accurately, and
2. Whether you will fit into their organizational culture.
If you have presented your qualifications accurately, you do yourself a disservice by presenting yourself as someone you’re not. So try as much as you can to go into each interview “comfortable in your own skin,” and let the details settle themselves.
The truth you must be most comfortable with is that the most qualified candidate on paper often is not the successful candidate in the process. By the time an interview happens, you have been given a so-called “equal opportunity” to state your case, and the assumption you should take into each interview is that all candidates meet the basic qualifications for the job. This will allow you to meet your potential employer on a more equal footing. A good job match will be dictated as much by your potential fit into an organizational culture, or your ability to navigate the nuances of such a culture, in an emotionally intelligent and productive way, as it will be about your actual skills, experiences, and qualifications.
Understanding organizational culture is tricky. You must be ready to separate your interest in a particular job from your possible fit, and accept that a rejection doesn’t label you as “unqualified” for that type of position, or even for another position at that institution. It just means that wasn’t your day, and that wasn’t the job.
This will allow you to move on toward exploring other opportunities, and clear the path to a position and an organizational culture that will hopefully be a better fit for not only your qualifications but for you.
There’s a simple truth that many job-seekers ignore when it comes to the job search: You can only be so ready.
If you are currently searching for a new job, you’ve likely spent quite a bit of time writing your resume, getting feedback about your interview style, researching jobs, planning your interview wardrobe, and honing your networking skills. These are all practical steps, and should lead to a greater sense of confidence in your career skills, and in the likelihood of being hired for a new position. But for some people, the job search seems extremely nerve-racking, gut-wrenching, depressing, and soul-less.
Putting yourself out there into the job market can certainly produce a great deal of anxiety. Preparing, practicing, and getting feedback can somewhat reduce your anxiety. But let’s get real: many of your job search anxieties may be self-made and self-reinforcing. If you are applying for jobs that you are qualified for, and you have spent an appropriate amount of time researching different positions, and exploring what factors are most important to you in a position or employer, then you are ready.
In some circumstances, it is indeed very much possible to be over-prepared, overconfident and basically “overdone.” So do yourself a favor: get ready, get comfortable, and go with the flow.
One of the best ways to reduce anxiety during a job search is simple, in theory, but difficult and complex in practice, and it’s this: quit wanting a particular outcome, and let yourself enjoy the search. In higher education, we are often called upon to plan our programs and services around anticipated outcomes. In a job search, the obvious outcome seems clear enough: getting a job at the end of the process.
While this is certainly an understandable and completely logical concept, it ignores a simple truth: wanting the wrong things will only cause you pain and suffering. If you approach your job search with an open mind, and an open heart, you are more likely to find satisfaction and a new sense of direction, which are worthy outcomes, in and of themselves.
Some tips:
Start from where you are. Before you go looking for a new position, ask yourself what you want from the search, and how you will define success.
List for yourself all the parts of your current job and your current life that bring you joy, challenge you, and give you peace.
List for yourself those things in your current job and your current life that bringing misery, anxiety indifference, and pain.
Take a few moments to imagine the possibility that there is a position out there that would be an incredible match for your skills and your experiences, while also giving you joy, challenge, and peace.
Take another few moments to decide what your “deal-breakers” are. These are the things that you know you cannot do, for risk of destroying your sense of joy, your need to be challenged, and your peace of mind.
When presented with any opportunity, match it first to those things which bring you joy.
Hold all the major aspects of the position “up into the light” and look for the deal-breakers.
When you see a deal-breaker, walk away. Go with a glad heart, and the optimism and that the right thing will come along, and that by passing by an opportunity that would bring you misery, create anxiety and destroy your peace of mind, you have left yourself open to the great possibility that there is something out there in the universe that you are not only capable of doing, but indeed meant to do.
As you close the door on any opportunity (or have it closed on you), accept for yourself that the opportunity was not meant to be (either now, or possibly ever)
Lather, rinse, repeat.
This approach reinforces one simple thing: it is always okay to just be yourself, and see what follows. In fact, it is all you can do in your life and career, if you are to find happiness, challenge, and genuine peace of mind.
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Go time! March is finally here, and we all know what that means. It’s time for March Madness!
For most Americans, “March Madness” signifies basketball games on television, betting pools with friends and colleagues, and the mind-numbing fun that comes with working through your brackets, watching early contenders fall, and ending with an overhyped contest, resulting in the emergence of one champion.
When you work in higher education, “March Madness” means something different: the great kickoff of hiring season. Candidates practice their pitches, don their uniforms, and put their game faces on. But the reward that comes at the end of this contest is not a trophy, but a job.
If there are any significant tournaments during the hiring season, they are the placement conferences, both regional and national. The largest of these is the Placement Exchange. TPE, as it is often abbreviated, is the “300 pound gorilla” of placement conferences for higher ed administrators. The Placement Exchange is a partnership of NASPA, ACUHO-I, NACA, NODA, ASCA, AFA, and HigherEdJobs. This event is expected to draw over 1200 candidates and has 463 positions already posted.
If you have never been to a placement conference, it can be a bewildering and confusing experience. But with a little preparation, some context, and the right attitude, attending a placement exchange can be a great experience.
This Friday at 11 AM, I will have the pleasure of hosting Nathan Victoria, Assistant Director of Educational Programs and Social Media for NASPA on my BlogTalkRadio show, when he will answer some common questions about the placement experience and offer some practical tips and encouragement for job seekers attending TPE this year.
If you would like the opportunity to hear more about the Placement Exchange experience or ask questions or offer your perspectives and advice for candidates attending a placement conference this year, please join us!
To listen to the show go to http://tobtr.com/s/1610677 or click on the BlogTalkRadio player below. During the show, you may call in your questions to (347) 989-0055 or connect to the show via Skype by clicking on the Skype click to talk “S” logo once the show is on the air. If you cannot join us at 11 AM Eastern time this Friday, you are welcome to submit your questions and comments in advance by e-mailing Sean@higheredcareercoach.com or sending a tweet to Sean at @hiedcareercoach. The show will also be available for download and streaming after the show concludes.
Work with Sean. I help higher ed professionals take control of their careers with tailored services including resume and CV development, LinkedIn profile optimization and networking strategy, interview coaching, and one-on-one career guidance.
