Readers:
Dr. Randall Hansen, a nationally recognized career expert, is the Career Doctor.
Discover more about Dr. Hansen, read about the purpose of this column,
and find previous issues of this column at the home of The Career Doctor.
If you have any college, career, or job-related questions or comments that Dr. Hansen could
provide valuable assistance with, please
feel free to email him at: careerdr@quintcareers.com.
Dr. Hansen writes this column on a biweekly basis.
Thomas writes:
I came across your excellent website (Quintessential Careers) and found it
very informative, I hope you don't mind me emailing your directly. I would like to
ask your advice on a recent situation regarding an internal position for which I
have applied.
I submitted my application and had what I thought was in general a successful
interview. After the interview I followed up with an email outlining my interest,
thanked the panel for the opportunity and restated how I believe I would be the
best candidate for the role.
I have been advised that it will be about two weeks before a final decision is made.
My main question is how I could add value during this time so that my impression
at the interview is still fresh given that over 20 candidates have applied internally for
this one high profile position.
Being an internal position there is also an informal process where managers put in
"a good word” for certain candidates. How appropriate would it be to ask my
manager to speak with the hiring manager? I did have a conversation several months
ago and this was offered should I consider applying for an internal position.
On a final note, should my current position change during the hiring process, or I
receive additional responsibility or accolades, is it appropriate to make the hiring
manager aware of this by email.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
You ask all the right questions here, and since you are asking them
in a certain way, I am sure you already know how I am going to answer them.
First, regardless of whether it is an external or internal position, the job-seeker
is always on a marketing campaign to convince the hiring manager that s/he is
right for the job. For internal positions, it’s a bit different because you already
have a reputation -- a reputation that has ideally been developed through your
excellent work and careful self-marketing.
Second, kudos on writing the thank-you email. I do wonder if you could have
done something more formal, but the most important thing is that you thanked
the panel and restated your position.
Third, I think it’s very wise to think of creative ways your name can come up
so that you are not lost among all the candidates that follow. So, my answer is
yes, do both. Especially if your manager has a good reputation with the hiring
manager, I would take him/her up on the offer. Please note: if the manager
had not offered, I would not suggest going to your manager and asking for the
referral. And yes, of course, should you have a change or status or land a
big account -- or anything else noteworthy -- it is perfectly acceptable to
drop a line to the hiring manager with the update.
Best of luck to you. I think you have a great plan and are executing it well.
Charlie writes:
I have a questions regarding salary history that I hope you can answer.
When negotiating salary for a new job, is the candidate required to reveal what
his salary is at his current position to the potential new employer?
Thank you for your time.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I have heard an alarming number of stories about recruiters getting more
aggressive about salary negotiation, and that disappoints me.
Are you required to disclose your current salary? Of course not. If you don’t,
are you likely to remain a candidate for the position? No.
The problem I have with requesting an applicant’s current salary is that it really
should have no bearing on any part of the job-search process. It should not
affect whether the job-seeker gets an interview nor should it affect whether
the job-seeker gets the offer.
Unfortunately, some employers use previous (or current) salary as an indicator of
whether you are deserving of being considered for the job.
Shayla writes:
I was wondering, today I had my first "big" interview since my graduation. I
guess I wasn't entirely prepared though. I was asked about my college experience
and I don't feel like I really went into enough detail. I know if I was given the
opportunity to have a second interview, I would be able to talk about how
successful I was in college. I had a 3.8 GPA and I organized and participated
in many events. I also participated in the virtual stock market and was respected
a great deal by many of my teachers including the Director of Education.
Should I include my feelings in the follow-up letter or just cross my fingers
and hope for the best?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Let me give a little lecture first -- what else would you expect from a college professor --
and then some advice. Interview preparation, as you have now learned the hard way, is
critical to successful job-hunting. You can’t anticipate every interview question, but there
are many sources for finding the common questions employers ask -- and all job-seekers
should at least have a handle on how to respond to those.
I just heard from one of my alums, who has still not found a job, that the employer did not
have a complete copy of her resume during her recent job interview, so the interview was
awkward. What was her big mistake? Even though she had been told many times to always
bring extra copies of her resume to the interview, she actually did not even bring one!!
So, repeat after me, if you really have any interest in a job, be sure to prepare for the interview.
Okay. So what can you do now? Write a more detailed thank-you letter than one normally
would. We call it, a thank-you letter that mentions afterthoughts. You still write the traditional
appreciation for the interview, but then you add a paragraph that details the one or two key
points (relevant to the job) that you forgot to mention in the interview.
And yes, this approach is much better than waiting and hoping. You also need to be
proactive and (politely) aggressive when job-hunting.
Find a sample thank-you letter that mentions interview afterthoughts, as well as all sorts of
other tank-you notes and post-interview follow-up letters in this section of Quintessential
Careers: Sample Job
Interview and Career Thank-You Letters.
Andrea writes:
I stumbled onto your website, and wow, it has been extremely informative and I
am looking forward to utilizing the information I learned in your tutorials in my
upcoming interviews. I do have a question that I hope you can help me with.
My question is: When being interviewed by a panel of people would it be appropriate
at the beginning of the interview to write down the names of all of the panel
members involved in the interview so proper spelling and inclusion on thank you
notes is assured, or should I ask the receptionist or secretary after the interview
for the proper spelling of all panelists? Thank you for your time.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I think there is no wrong or right answer here. I think the most important part is getting
every member of the panel’s name and title correct so that you can write individual
thank-you notes to each member.
That said, I think the ideal scenario would be to actually get the names of the panel
before the interview -- if possible. Since you know it’s going to be a panel of people, you
must have a contact at the company. I would ask that person for each person’s name
(and spelling of their names) and title. This information would be helpful to you in addition
to the thank-you notes; by having their names, you can kind of practice responding to them.
If the panel composition is not set before the time of your interview, I would use some
sort of memory aid, even jotting down people’s names, but I don’t think I would interrupt
the flow of the interview to ask for the correct spelling of their names. I might ask for
business cards. And yes, I would follow-up with the department assistant or company
receptionist about the correct spelling of names of the panel members.
I’m horrible at remembering names in pressure situations like interviews, but if you can
master that skill, it really adds a very positive dimension to panel interviews when you
can respond to people by using their names.
Finally, remember to look at each person on the panel as you respond to questions
so that each one feels equally important. Smile, make good eye contact, be confident,
project your voice, and try not to be intimidated by the panel. The best panel interviews
are ones that seem more like discussions than a grilling or inquisition.
Brush up on your interviewing skills by going to the
Guide to Job Interviewing
section of Quintessential Careers.
