So your first interview went really well and you decided you really want this job. Does the company know your level of excitement? Are you sure? Here’s a way to make sure – send a Thank You note to the people you interviewed with within 24 – 48 hours after the interview.

Most job candidates don’t take the time to send a Thank You note as a follow up to an interview, and that is a big mistake. This is your chance to reinforce your interest in the company, job, and working for the hiring manager. It also gives you an additional communication with the company so they remember you as they evaluate other possible job candidates.

Whether you choose to mail a hand written letter or send an email isn’t as important as the fact that you DO send one. A hand written letter shows more of a personal touch, but it can take longer to get to the intended person, and by that time a decision may have already been made. An email allows you to ask the interviewer a question either about the interview or any other topic that might not have been completely clear, and helps establish a dialogue with them to keep you foremost in their mind while making a final decision.

The letter doesn’t have to be long and, in fact, it’s better if it’s not. Just a couple of short paragraphs thanking them for their time, re-stating your interest, and relaying to them what you can contribute to the company if hired is really all that is needed.

Here is a template you can use as a guide to create your own letter:

If mailing a letter:

Date
Interviewer’s Name
Title
Company Name
Address

If emailing a letter:

Subject Line of Message: Thank You for Your Time

Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me about the (title of the position you are interviewing for) position. I appreciate the information you shared with me during the interview, and feel very strongly that I could perform very well in this role.

After meeting with you and the rest of the group, I feel my background is a perfect match for this opportunity. I know I would be able to (describe one or two key things you can do from the first day on the job to help them meet their goals. Remember, this position is open because they have a problem they need to address, and they are looking for a solution to that problem. You are the solution). During the interview you seemed most interested in (choose a topic from the interview). Can I provide you with more information about that part of my background?

Please let me state again my interest in being considered for this position. I look forward to hearing from you regarding your decision on my candidacy, and would be happy to provide any further information you need from me.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

If mailing:

Your Signature
Your Printed/Typed Name
Your Address
Your Phone Number
Your email address

If emailing:

Your Name
Your Address
Your Phone Number
Your Email Address

As stated earlier, most job candidates skip this step in the process. In fact, less than 30% of job candidates send a Thank You note after the interview, so you can see how doing so will help you stand out above your competition. Let me know if you have any questions.

It can be difficult in an interview to determine how much information the interviewer is looking for when they ask a question. If you talk too much, that can work against you. If you talk too little, they feel they really have to pry information out of you, and that reflects badly on you as well.

There are two ways to answer interview questions: the short version and the long version. When a question is open-ended, I always suggest to job candidates that they say, “Let me give you the short version. If we need to explore some aspect of the answer more fully, I’d be happy to go into greater depth, and give you the long version.”

The reason you should respond this way is because it’s often difficult to know what type of answer each question will need. A question like, “What was your most difficult assignment?” might take anywhere from thirty seconds to thirty minutes to answer, depending on the detail you choose to give.

Therefore, you must always remember that the interviewer is the one who asked the question. So you should tailor your answer to what he or she needs to know, without a lot of extraneous rambling or superfluous explanation. Why waste time and create a negative impression by giving a sermon when a short prayer would do just fine?

Let’s suppose you were interviewing for a regulatory management position, and the interviewer asked you, “What sort of regulatory experience have you had in the past?”
Well, that’s exactly the sort of question that can get you into trouble if you don’t use the short version/long version method. Most people would just start rattling off everything in their memory that relates to their regulatory experience. Though the information might be useful to the interviewer, your answer could get pretty complicated and long-winded unless it’s neatly packaged.

One way to answer the question might be, “I’ve held regulatory positions with three different medical device companies over a nine-year period. Where would you like me to start?”

Or, you might simply say, “Let me give you the short version first, and you can tell me where you want to go into more depth. I’ve had nine years experience in regulatory affairs with three different companies that had three very different types of medical devices, and held the titles of Specialist, Senior Specialist, and Manager. What aspect of my background would you like to concentrate on?”

By using this method, you convey to the interviewer that your thoughts are well organized, and that you want to understand the intent of the question before you travel too far in a direction neither of you wants to go. After you get the green light, you can spend your interviewing time discussing in detail the things that are important, not whatever happens to pop into your mind.