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During this time, you may decide to clean your whole house, pace back and forth , or undertake a new project in hopes that any of the above will take your mind off of what you're really doing, which is waiting.
If this post-interview reality seems inevitable, take heart—it’s not! You have plenty to keep you occupied after your interview is over… but the time to begin is before the interview even takes place.
Prior to your interview, take the time to make a post-interview action plan. This plan will help you organize your questions for the end of your interview (see this month’s "Ask the Expert" for more on this topic), the information you will need for your thank you notes, and a projected follow-up timeline.
In your action plan document, create a space for:
1. The company name (in case you are juggling more than one interview)
2. The date of your interview (it’s good to keep clear records for your timeline)
3. Your interviewers’ names (first and last)
4. The projected job notification date (this will be one of your questions at the end of the interview, so you know when it’s appropriate to follow-up)
5. What went well during the interview
6. Moments where you missed the mark
7. What you’re most excited about when you think about the job
Thank you notes are an essential part of the hiring process. They are an indication of manners, as well as your desire for the job. Failure to write a thank you note could indicate that you aren’t really interested in the job, that you have poor follow-through, or that you would make a less-than-desirable colleague. When you thank an individual on your interview committee, you are not only thanking them for their time—you're also reminding them of the reasons that they should want you on their team.
While a thank you note is not a place to re-hash your entire interview in detail, it is a place to address the following:
1. Your gratitude for their time and the opportunity
Print out this master list, and take it with you to your interview. When the final handshakes and goodbyes are complete, book it to the nearest location you can find to jot your interview impressions down. These notes are vital for your post-interview follow-up plan—step one of which is crafting the best possible thank you notes you can.
By: Emilie L. Duck
Thinking About Thank You
Before Your Interview
In the flurry of pre-interview preparation, it’s easy to dismiss the idea of making plans for what comes next. While you are mid-interview prep, it may seem like there will never be a “next”—for all you know, you could be preparing forever, like some kind of job market "Groundhog Day." Though it may seem impossible, there will be a time when your interview is over and you are waiting to hear back, wondering why the whole process has to take so long .