Resume Help Blog

Archive for February, 2009

People often get confused at the difference between a follow-up letter and a thank you letter. A follow-up letter would be sent days or weeks have gone by after your interview and they are waiting for the decision. In the candidate’s mind they are wondering when they can expect a decision. The answer is simple – NEVER SEND A FOLLOW-UP LETTER! Here’s the reason.

What value does this add to the employer when you ask them when a decision will be made? The answer is obvious – NONE! You are just pestering them and people hate to be pestered. Odds are one of two things have transpired. Either they have not made a decision or they decided not to hire you. So use this opportunity to impress them and gain a competitive edge.

CALL them so you can have a conversation. This will build rapport and reemphasize your strengths. Begin by saying how excited you are about the opportunity, have given some more thought to the position and have some questions.

Now impress them with your insights and intelligence. It’s always best to ask questions that support your case. For example you might ask:

Is this position for the new plant you announced in your latest press release? You might remember I have been the plant manager at 2 startups and beat production goals in both companies.

See the difference? Instead of being a nuisance, you have reinforced your value proposition to the firm. This may be all it takes. It might make the difference between getting the position or missing out.

What should you do if you need a career tune-up? 
An awful lot of people will wait until their career crashes and burns before they seek the guidance of a career counselor or coach, and even then they want to make sure that they cannott fix it themselves first.

What would happen if you met with a career counselor before your career had a breakdown, before being laid off or before you became so discouraged that you are ready to throw in the towel?  Let me suggest that you would be well on your way to a better, doing something that you love to do, career instead of dreading to go to work every day.

Does this sound too good to be true? It can happen by developing the right career plan.

Career counselors and coaches do not have all the answers for you. They aren’t magical. They can’t answer the question “what should I be when I grow up?” However, they can guide you on a journey to help you discover the answer for yourself.

The most common issue that most job seekers have is resume development. Most people start with a resume, without having a clue what they want to do, what their skills and talents are and where they would like to apply them. They aren’t creative and only list their jobs without any explanation and thus their resumes are boring. 

You must look at your resume as selling a product (you). Then define what you have to offer and what problems you can solve. Only then can you develop and implement a plan. Until you understand your “product”, you cannot define who needs your product or who is willing to buy it. This will take some time and some work. You will be the one who decides where you want to be and what you want to do, instead of waiting for someone else to make those decisions.

What if you have already been laid off or expect a downsizing?  A career counselor or coach can help you here as well. If you need quick results, you will need to work smarter, not harder. Career counselors and coaches can put together a plan to help you to develop job search strategies. They will develop an effective resume first and then use all available resources to unearth job openings.

However, not all career counselors are equally effective. You need to find a career counselor or coach that you can work well with. One who will help you to identify any career gaps, and who is astute enough to generate solutions and suggestions that will help you move forward. 

The difference between a career counselor and career coach is how they approach your needs.  Both career counselors and career coaches will work with you to identify your strengths, goals and of course interests. Of course they expect you to take responsibility for your outcome. In other words if you think this is a magic pill, you are mistaken. Your coach will be direct, will push you, and will probably schedule check-in calls. A career counselor will let you set the pace, encourage you to call when you need help, and expect you to report in at agreed upon times. Which is better? Only you can tell. How motivated are you? Either approach will move you forward.  You decide which approach will work best for you.

Exercise caution when selecting either one. In some states they are licensed, in others not. Therefore it is your responsibility as a consumer to do your research. If licensing is required in your state they should have a have a graduate degree in counseling or a related field, have a solid track record of helping individuals be successful in their career pursuits.

The career counselors we offer on our website are credentialed and are genuine.

Before making your first appointment, you should interview your potential career counselor or coach over the phone. 

1. What are his/her credentials?
2. What time-frame should you expect in order to resolve your issue?
3. What is their level of experience and track record?
4. How much do they charge?
5. How accessible are they?  Can you call anytime or do you need an appointment?
6. How familiar are they with using the Internet?
7. Are they able to help you create a resume that will be read and meets the demands of a rapidly changing marketplace?

Is an interview thank you letter absolutely necessary following a job interview? The short answer to that question is YES. The long answer is what this article is for.

Customs change with every generation but a thank you letter is one of those things that has never changed – it’s that important.

So it follows that the next thing on your agenda after a job interview would be a thank you letter. Out of curiosity I checked the websites of a half-dozen career coaching websites and every one said this is something that you MUST do. 

So what constitutes a good interview thank you letter? Here are some examples. 

If you are typing a letter then as in any formal business letter the first line is the person’s name you are addressing. Be sure to spell it right (I assume you thought to get the person’s business card). If not call and get the correct spelling from the companies switchboard.

Next, their title and department followed by the company name and address.

If you are hand writing a letter (which I usually do) then just their name on the card itself is fine. Then:

Dear (Mr. Or Ms.) So and So

Next, your interview thank you letter should thank them for their time and restate some main point that came out in the interview and how you’re the perfect person for the job.

I enjoyed the opportunity to meet you and the brief tour of _____ Company. The professional image your company has was obvious. And everyone I met was extremely courteous.

In addition to the information I shared with you during our meeting, I thought of another project that I worked on that reflects the kind of contribution that I could make as a member of _____ company’s (whatever department).

OR

After our interview I became even more excited about the _____ position . You stated that you need a person that can motivate themselves and also a team to work on tight projects and meet deadlines. In my last position as _____ manager I oversaw a team of 10 employees. Not only did we meet the deadlines, we routinely finished the projects before the deadlines.

Lastly give them your contact information and invite them to call you.

As soon as you are through with interviewing the other candidates, I would appreciate hearing from you, and of course I’d be very pleased to meet with you again. I can be reached at my home evenings as well as on my cell phone anytime.

Sincerely

(your name)
714-555-1212 (h)
714-555-1456 (cell)

It’s that easy. Don’t make it any harder than it has to be. 3 short paragraphs with no more than 5 sentences each. Really it’s just a polite way of bringing yourself back to the top of their mind.

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