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It just means that you have to stand out from the competition. Dress better, smell better, look better, speak better. Ovesell yourself and your abilities. Overpromise, make them feel like they will make the biggest mistake by NOT hiring you. Close the interview. And most important of all follow up. Follow up every 2-3 days, not only a thank you note. Call. Email. Do it again until they respond. Don't be lazy, complacent, or tell yourself that your resume tells the whole story. Ypur resume is a piece of paper and employers do not hire pieces of paper. They hire human beings and as such you have to sell yourself better than the next guy.
Well, if you're going to be successful in interviewing, you really need to look at everything from the perspective of the person doing the interviewing.
Five minutes late in a tightly-scheduled day can be a huge factor. I'm in a biz that works on deadline. Show me someone who can't arrive on time from his apartment ten blocks away (Which was indeed the case of this guy), then I'm dealing with a guy with time management issues.
And, to my point, if your prospective employer has interviewed ten candidates of roughly equal experience and skill level and only one sends a thank-you note, who do you think is most likely to get remembered?
A job 10 blocks away would be a fantasy job for me. Most jobs I interviewed for recently were at least 10 miles from home, usually 15-20 miles. On DFW highways, that takes anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes depending on distance, time of day, location, and traffic flow. I leave a HUGE cushion and usually am left cooling my heels at a Starbucks near the interview for at least half an hour.
Thank you notes must vary from industry to industry, location to location. I don't know anyone in my field in this area who does it, and I've seen my manager personally open one, roll his eyes, and chuck it in the trash. In one instance, cutesy-poo thank-you note stationery cost one candidate a second interview.
In my field, I'm usually being interviewed by old-school IT types (white men in their 40s-50s) or Indian men. The old-school IT types are frequently put off by stuffy formal anything, and Indians don't seem to expect thank-you notes at all. Different cultural norms, I suppose. The old-school IT types can be tricky; for example, I always ask about dress code for in-person interviews because showing up in formal business attire can be a negative thing for them. I wore business casual for my interview for the job I accepted this week, and that was the right move. I think this guy would have laughed his butt off if I'd sent a thank-you note after the interview. It might have even cost me the position if I'd done it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69
Completely disagree with you on that one.
Always send a thank-you note, people. It CANNOT hurt anything it can only help. Only takes a few short minutes too.
I disagree with that. It CAN hurt in some situations. If someone's wondering whether they should do it, check with the recruiter who arranged the interview (if applicable). They usually know the client a lot better than you do and can tell you whether they would appreciate a thank-you note or not.
I don't know everyone's story so I'm not going to presume but I think attitude has alot to do with it. I got hired with this woman at a job I had 2 years back. I had a completely humble attitude and dressed well. The lady that got hired with me was so entitled and dressed pretty homely to say the least. She used to be a manager of a store and willingly quit her job on her own because of stress (according to her). She took this temporary job of baking at Sam's Club. Hadn't had a job in years. You'd think one would be humble just to get back in the market. She wasn't. She kept asking and assuming really strange and rude things. And it was just a mess. I could see why she hadn't had a job. Some people just have the wrong attitude.
I think that my thank you email helped me to get the job I interviewed for. I had a phone interview first and thanked the recruiter for her time and consideration. After the personal interview I sent another thank you email to the lady that conducted that interview as well. I start my new job on Monday! It is not a dream job but could turn into one if I can work hard enough and learn all I can. They have a huge reputation for upward mobility and hiring within. Very excited!!!
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDGeek
I disagree with that. It CAN hurt in some situations. If someone's wondering whether they should do it, check with the recruiter who arranged the interview (if applicable). They usually know the client a lot better than you do and can tell you whether they would appreciate a thank-you note or not.
Describe a situation other than the sender being an idiot and having misspellings/poor grammar?
I actually have an acquaintance who is very similar to the interviewee in the OP. This person constantly complains how he isn't being hired because "he won't conform to the society." To which I reply, "Yep, that's about right."
In other words, either be good and eccentric enough to make money on your own, or learn to live with having to "conform" to companies' dress expectations.
Oh, there's an option #3: Stay un- or under-employed and complain all the time.
Sure. In truth, lots of people are really heedless about the impressions they make. This is more extreme than most but, especially in a tough job market, it's the little things that can derail you -- particularly when you're competing with several other candidates for the same position.
I understand there are people who fail to use their common sense when it comes to applying for jobs.
But it's not usually the applicant with the problem if they did everything they're supposed to do to get a job.
Describe a situation other than the sender being an idiot and having misspellings/poor grammar?
In IT, an old-school handwritten note is a throwback. Plus, most IT shops make their decision before the card ever gets to them. Also, only one person I interviewed with gave me a business card during the interview...and it wasn't a job I wanted, so I wasn't motivated to send a follow-up e-mail. If you don't give me your business card, how the hell do I know what your e-mail address is?
I also mentioned sitting across from my boss who was reading a couple of thank-you notes while rolling his eyes...did you not read my entire post?
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Most jobs I interviewed for recently were at least 10 miles from home, usually 15-20 miles. On DFW highways, that takes anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes depending on distance, time of day, location, and traffic flow. I leave a HUGE cushion and usually am left cooling my heels at a Starbucks near the interview for at least half an hour. 
I think this guy would have laughed his butt off if I'd sent a thank-you note after the interview. It might have even cost me the position if I'd done it.
