Here’s a typical romantic comedy story.
Boy gets crush on gorgeous, high-status girl who’s out of his league.
He sends flowers. He invites her out. She keeps snubbing him. Soon he sees her marriage announcement
in the New York Times and (unless this is a horror movie) gives up.
OR
Girl gets crush on handsome, high-status male who’s not interested in her.
She bakes brownies for him. She manages to run into him when he’s grabbing a coffee at his local Starbucks.
He ignores her. And soon…yes, there’s that big announcement in the Times Wedding section.
I’m willing to bet you don’t know anyone who does this in real life. In fact, we’re more likely to unfriend people who stop responding to emails and cards.
Yet when it comes to job search, a lot of people, at all business levels, chase after employers. Clients sometimes ask, “Should I send a follow-up message after the interview? Should I ask if she’s gotten my resume? Should I call again?”
Generally it’s best to be in a situation when you never need to ask the question.
Create a job-finding plan that includes combination of networking and responding to online postings. Keep active with your network every day.
Here’s how it works:
You’ve landed an interview – congratulations! Naturally you need to research the company thoroughly before accepting the interview.
But that’s not all you do while you’re waiting.
Keep the momentum going. If you can’t line up another job interview, make appointments to interview for information. Take classes in entrepreneurship. If you can afford the cost, take online courses in starting your own business.
At the end of the interview, ask about the timing. In a polite, humble way, let the interviewer know you’ve got several irons in the fire. You’re really interested in this job and you want to plan accordingly.
After the interview, write nice professional thank you notes or emails to the hiring manager. You may also want to send notes to others you met during the interview process. It’s a judgment call.
Now you continue your job search. Mark your calendar to show the decision date that was stated at the interview.
On that date, and not before, send a polite follow-up. And then do nothing.
If you get another offer before that date, definitely reach out to the hiring manager if you are interested. It’s always risky. Sometimes the hiring manager says, “We’ve put everything on hold here. Go ahead and take that other offer with our best wishes!”
That might be code for, “Forget it. We don’t want you anyway.”
Or they might be honest people who don’t want to play games.
Never fear. There are many excellent opportunities out there. Ideally, when you haven’t heard from a company, you’re secretly relieved. As with dating, sometimes your ideal partner will be someone who reciprocates your feelings.
For customized step-by-step plans to carry out your job search, click here. Discover how to cut to the chase, stop chasing and build your own next career.