How to Follow Up on All Contacts

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Part of the philosophy of Get That Job Interview is the process of following up on all contacts: resumes sent, informational interviews, job interviews, etc. Follow up is extremely important and I can’t stress it enough.

You can’t just send resumes out and then just sit and wait for results to come pouring in. There are too many ways for your resume to get lost. I recommend following up on a resume sent at least twice. Many times it was this follow up that got me that interview.

Consider two men applying for a prime position at a company. After the interview, the first applicant just sits around waiting to hear from his prospective employer.

On the other hand, the second applicant distributes his contact information to some people that he met in the company. Furthermore, applicant number two does a follow-up on the results of the job interview a few days later.

The first applicant has not been heard from, because he just relies on the basic “We’ll call you” routine. Who do you think will have a greater chance of getting the job?

Even though the first applicant is more qualified, since he did not follow up or even send a thank you note to the interviewer, in the end, he does not get the job.

If you are still waiting for that job offer and you do not follow up on your contacts, your chances of getting hired become slimmer. In business, following up on all of your contacts is a sure-fire way to spread the word about you, your business sense and expanding your horizons.

Here are some tips on how to follow up on your contacts:

	Send a thank you note right after the interview, ideally within 24 hours. This is a way of getting the prospective employer to hear from you again. Should you not get hired for the current position that they offer, someone from that company will likely keep your information on file for future consideration.
	Make sure that you leave your mobile and land line number, e-mail address and home address so that prospective employers will have no excuse of not getting in touch with you.
	Be accurate in getting the contact information of perspective employers. In fact, when you meet someone in person, always ask for their business card. In return, when you place their information on any letter that you send out (i.e. resumes, thank you notes) avoid typographical errors and make sure that you have their names correct, to see to it that everything is in order.
	Some companies do take a look at your character references so alert the people on your list that they might receive a call from your prospective employers.
	Always be positive and optimistic. Should you not get hired for a particular position, you may ask the people from that company for referrals to other companies or at least keep you in mind for future hiring.