Following up after an interview

[VinylxScratches]

I post here because OT is horrible for this kind of stuff. This is a proramming/support position.

I had an interview on Thursday. I think it went quite well. When I was about to leave, the guy that interviewed me asked me to follow up. When would be the time to do that? They told me they would know who they picked in a week or two.

I would like to call today in the afternoon to ask how their decision process is going. Is that too early? I would like to just express to them that I am still interested as well. Should I wait until tomorrow?

Another note was, before I was leaving, the guy gave me his business card, he also gave me the interview of one of the guy that interviewed me. So later that day I wrote 3 thank you emails to the three people that interviewed me.

 

[imported_Dhaval00]

Did you get to talk to anyone from their HR department? If so, I would email/call that person rather than the person(s) who asked you all the technical questions. If they said "a week or two," I'd wait until Thursday or Friday.

 

[Markbnj]

Like Dhaval00 said, if there is an intermediary, such as an HR person or a recruiter, then work through them. If you're going through a recruiter in particular it is not appropriate to contact the company directly. Since it sounds like you aren't, then the path you want to take is to demonstrate eagerness and a desire to work there, without crossing the line into being a creepy pain in the ass. Fortunately it ain't that fine a line . Since they gave you a specific time frame, follow up on that suggested schedule. Don't bug them early. If they hadn't, then I would say one brief contact per week until you have a decision is very reasonable.

 

[VinylxScratches]

Alright thanks guys.

I believe the HR lady is on vacation (she wasn't there on Thursday). The guy last guy that interviewed said to "follow up" and gave me his card. I just don't want to be a push over since this is a small company and they're really busy.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: VinylxScratches
Alright thanks guys.

I believe the HR lady is on vacation (she wasn't there on Thursday). The guy last guy that interviewed said to "follow up" and gave me his card. I just don't want to be a push over since this is a small company and they're really busy.

It will show that you are interested.

If you are equal to another candidate, the one that shows initiative will win out.

 

[VinylxScratches]

The HR lady is on vacation and the guy I interviewed with is not answering. Should I leave a voicemail? I will be going out of town Thursday afternoon. I don't know what to do .

 

[Markbnj]

They said a week or two, right? And tomorrow is one week if I am calculating correctly. I wouldn't panic. Leave a nice voice mail or email to the guy explaining that you are headed out of town and wanted an opportunity to check in with them before you go, but that if it isn't convenient now you will get back to them when you return. If you haven't already said this to them in the last week you can add that you enjoyed the interview, are very interested in the opportunity, and looking forward to their decision.

 

[VinylxScratches]

Ahh, I was kind of afraid to say I was gonna be out of town so I didn't say that. I just left a brief message asking how the process was going and my number. Would it be bad if I email them saying that I'm gonna be out of town? I can still talk to them if I'm gone but I don't like being out of my house and talking to someone about possible employment. Seems like things will go wrong that way.

 

[EagleKeeper]

If you left them a cell number, do not worry about where you may be.

Your voice mail will pick it up.

If you left a home number, ensure that you can access the ansering system remotely in case they call and leave a message.

Nobody is going to expect that you are sitting on the phone 24/7.

They would expect that you be able to return a phone call within 1 business day.

 

[VinylxScratches]

I left my cellphone number. Would it be better to wait now or be persistent and call again? This is very annoying lol.

 

[VinylxScratches]

I got a call back. I didn't get the job

 

[EvilManagedCare]

Originally posted by: VinylxScratches
I got a call back. I didn't get the job

Sorry to hear that. The bright side is at least they thought enough of you as a candidate to let you know. All too often the people doing the hiring don't bother, even after you may have called them back to inquire.

 

[VinylxScratches]

Thanks. I tried analyzing the situation. I think the reason they didn't choose me was the salary. I asked 40,000. I assume the guy that got the job went for a lower amount. I just don't get it. I was the only local person. Everyone else was from the city or 30+ miles away. They wanted someone to be able to come on the weekends sometimes and stuff and I was all for that.... Oh well, I'm sure I will pick something up eventually. It's just a ego buster and I'm frustrated beyond recognition about not being able to get a job.

 

[Markbnj]

I know how it feels. You just have to keep plugging away. The self-analysis part is good but don't overdo it to the point of getting yourself an inferiority complex. There can be all sorts of reasons why someone else got the position: more experience, more experience in a specific technology, hit it off personally with the interviewer, went to the interviewer's school, who knows?

 

[VinylxScratches]

Well one opportunity falls, 3 rise. I had an interview with a recruit this week who will pass on info to the company. I had a call today from another recruit and applied for a job that I hope gets some feedback, and just today I got a questionnaire from another employee that I answered.

 

[thegisguy]

Good to hear you're having luck. Like Markbnj said keep your head up. You could be right about the salary. I didn't get a job I interviewed for a year ago, the HR person told me straight out they hired someone who would work for cheaper. That sort of pissed me off. I made a point of letting them know during the interview that the salary I wanted was 10k below my current salary. I was willing to make less to work for them, but a mans got to eat too...

 

[squatchman]

Hard luck missing out on that first opportunity, but it's good that you have more irons on the fire. I despise it when an interviewer asks about salary...

"How much would you be willing to work for?"

"You know what? A million dollars a year."

"Well... we don't really have that kind of money to pay. We do have to stay within a budget."

"Exactly! So quit wasting my time with the idea that I would be here if you weren't going to offer enough for me to stay!"

That was how it actually went down when I got a job at Walmart to put myself through college. It's the one question that remains constant for me no matter how much the job has payed. From Walmart six years ago to my current job in software development six months ago. I suppose it's better than having stupid hypothetical questions about crossing a river or making triangles out of match sticks...

Raise time is coming up. I wonder if we're gonna have to do that dance again. I suppose 5% of 50 a year is better than 5% of 5.45 an hour, but I should probably be thinking about diplomatic solutions.

 

[VinylxScratches]

Yeah I hate salary questions. I started thinking I could start @ 50k but that has slowly dropped down to 40k. I will not go any less than that.

I still haven't heard much from all 3 really.

Well one job, the guy sent a email that he was out of office. When he came back, I emailed him asking if he got my email answering his questions... no reply yet.. was that a bad idea?

Job 2. They made me take a test? It was dealing with patterns and math problems. They said everyone in the company has to take it. I feel stupid because some of the patterns didn't even make coherent sense to me.

Job 3. I'm still waiting for the recruit to talk to the company.

I just applied to a couple more jobs that I see as matches.. how many jobs should I apply for per day? I try to keep it to one or two a day and keep it flowing but some days I just can't find anything that I feel fits me.

 

[SJP0tato]

Originally posted by: VinylxScratcheshow many jobs should I apply for per day? I try to keep it to one or two a day and keep it flowing but some days I just can't find anything that I feel fits me.

As many as you're able to and still put in the work required to apply, just a few of which are:

Make sure the position is something you would be happy doing
Basic background research on the company and their product
Tailor your resume and cover letter/email specifically to the position and company you're applying to
Networking with anyone who may have a position within the company that could put in a good word for you
etc


Less effective is "shotgun blasting" your resume to anyone/everyone across the board with a generic template and cover letter. This will get you nowhere, and means sometimes you've used up your one unique chance to apply with a company and make a favorable impression.

Good luck with the search!

 

[VinylxScratches]

Thanks!

I really don't know how much I can tailor my resume to a company as I'm a recent graduate. I had two internships with a company as a web developer and had a temporary job with another company as an IT Technician. I want to get into either programming or a desktop support position. It's really hard to get my foot in the door though.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: VinylxScratches
Thanks!

I really don't know how much I can tailor my resume to a company as I'm a recent graduate. I had two internships with a company as a web developer and had a temporary job with another company as an IT Technician. I want to get into either programming or a desktop support position. It's really hard to get my foot in the door though.

IF you can not tailor the resume, tailor the cover letter based on information that you have researched on the company and the position

 

[squatchman]

Other people may say differently, but I come from the school of thought that believes software developers and hardware support members don't share too much overlap in skill sets. Chances are you're going to want a different resume for each type of job.

How useful will it be for someone running hardware support to know a bunch of programming languages and good design practices if they don't know their way around crontab or bash? Likewise, how much use is a developer who is familiar with all kinds of different hardware and operating system configurations, but doesn't know the difference between a process and a thread?

You're going to find plenty of jobs that want you to do both, but I warn you to be wary of those kinds of positions. Those companies aren't looking for professionals, they're looking for peons they can manage into the dirt.

 

[Markbnj]

Originally posted by: squatchman
Other people may say differently, but I come from the school of thought that believes software developers and hardware support members don't share too much overlap in skill sets. Chances are you're going to want a different resume for each type of job.

How useful will it be for someone running hardware support to know a bunch of programming languages and good design practices if they don't know their way around crontab or bash? Likewise, how much use is a developer who is familiar with all kinds of different hardware and operating system configurations, but doesn't know the difference between a process and a thread?

You're going to find plenty of jobs that want you to do both, but I warn you to be wary of those kinds of positions. Those companies aren't looking for professionals, they're looking for peons they can manage into the dirt.

There's nowhere near as much overlap as there used to be, that's for sure, especially in larger IT orgs. In smaller outfits the developers often end up doing both jobs because we can, even if it's not the most efficient use of our time.

 

[JACKDRUID]

Originally posted by: VinylxScratches
Yeah I hate salary questions. I started thinking I could start @ 50k but that has slowly dropped down to 40k. I will not go any less than that.

I would not mention salary until they ask.

but your salary requirement show your ability (as long as it is reasonable). stick with your expected salary requirement and go from there.

 

[VinylxScratches]

Thanks for the tips.

I applied for three VB.NET development positions last night. I got two calls today. I called back to one and I have an interview tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous because my confidence in being a programmer is a bit low now. The other call was from a company that is 80+ miles away. I have friends and family that can cut that trip down a bit though.