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Top 5 Things That You Must NOT Do After An Interview

by Jonathan on 6:45 pm

photo by JU

photo by JU

Yesterday, I gave you a step by step plan of what you should do after the interview in order to land the job. If you missed it you can find it here: Top 5 Things To Do After the Interview

Today, I am going to tackle the negative side. There are things that you should NOT do after an interview. In fact, some people think that they are helping their cause by doing these things and in actuality it is to their demise. You see many people feel like they have some leverage becuase after all things seem to go well and be so positive from the interview. What they forget is that a hiring manager is still evaluating you and you don’t want him questioning his good first impression of you. So, without further ado…here is the list:

TOP 5 THINGS THAT YOU MUST NOT DO AFTER AN INTERVIEW

1. Do not come across as desperate – leverage is still king when it comes to not only getting an offer but a fair offer. You have to ride a delicate balance between showing real interest and “holding your cards.” If you are too pushy and come across desperate you will ruin your chance in this stage. I have witnessed a few instances where candidates of mine were extremely interested in an opportunity and the hiring manager was interested in making the offer. However, the candidates eagerness turned them off and an offer was not made. Be careful and don’t be too aggressive.

2. Do not discuss topics that you are not knowledgeable in - This is a big one. I have seen candidates blow the opportunity in the actual thank you letter. They used a follow up email to try to discuss an aspect about the job that they did not have enough experience in and should not have been discussing that particular topic. A thank you note is a great opportunity to bring up some up the “hot talking points” that you had in the interview. However, be careful about discussion topics that you are not very familiar in as this can work against you.

3. Do not send an email or thank you letter to anyone that you are not sure how to spell their name correctly. Do not overlook this one and think that it will not matter. A person’s name is very important to them and if you do not get it right you can be viewed as someone who didn’t do their homework or they are not good at having an attention to detail. If you do not know the spelling, call the receptionist at the company and let them know that you want to be sure of the correct spelling. Many times they have access to the company directory and can quickly give you the correct spelling or correct email address.

4. Do not send gifts, flowers or candy. On the surface this might seem like a great way to stand out among all the candidates that you are competing against. However, there is no neutral ground with this technique. It will either come across really good or really bad. So, I would recommend that you steer away from this idea all together. Again, most people would view this as a desperation attempt.

5. Avoid from applying for other jobs with same company – Many people make this mistake I am afraid. Especially in the bigger companies becuase they see several openings and think well I need to keep applying. However, if you are already in the mix on a position you want the company to know that that particular position is the one you want. Sending you resume in for another position will send mixed signals for sure. Be patient and allow the process to work and if you develop a good relationship with the HR person and they enjoy speaking to you, then you will have leverage to ask them politely to get you in the mix on other opportunities after the door has shut on the first opportunity.

I hope this helps! Now, go nail down that job!

Jonathan is an Executive Recruiter/Career Coach that has successfully placed hundreds of Accounting & Finance Professionals. If you are currently struggling in your career, he is available on a limited basis for personal 1-on-1 career coaching and for resume makeovers.

  • April

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  • Beenthere

    All of your points are good advice, but I would say “conditionally” on #5. In government positions the rules are often tightly structured. If you do not have your application on file for the position by the deadline date, no amount of goodwill with HR will allow you to apply late.
    If you have a good relationship with HR, I would instead put my cards on the table along the lines of , “Listen, I really want position A and think I would be a great fit for the job. However, I could also see myself in position B if that is what is best for the organization… Would you suggest I apply for position B?”

  • admin

    That is a great approach actually. That could work in your favor. The key is having a 2 way communication going and a good relationship. However, most people will mistakenly just apply over and over again to other positions and when you see the same name over and over for different positions it can change your impression of that person. You start to wonder….”Do they want this job because it is a good fit or are they just desperate and looking for ANY job until something better comes along.” It is all a balancing act. Thanks for the tip though…that is helpful!

  • http://www.financeresumewriters.net John Peter

    Jonathon.

    Good points. Funny how we, as recruiters, occasionally forget to tell our candidaets about some of these “Don’ts”.

    Keep up the good work.

  • admin

    Thanks John. I agree. Unfortunately, I find myself also forgetting about telling my candidates about the “dont’s” and then after it happens I remember why I should have taken the time to let them know.

  • Linda Hamel

    Thanks for the great post, Jonathan. I can especially relate to point #5. I heard from a recruiter who said she had received two resumes – one from me and one from a former employee who contacted her on my behalf. She still had to run the resume by the hiring manager, but told me that my level of expertise matched that of the hiring manager (translation: overqualified). Not surprisingly, I didn’t hear back. In the meantime, a more senior position appears to be available. I decided to wait a bit before trying to reach that recruiter and ask about the more senior opportunity. With two resumes in there already, I don’t want to submit another. Beenthere’s advice may work well in this situation.

    Thanks to all for the great feedback!

  • http://www.dpeducation.com/article13603.html Katheryn Haile

    Great article, I am a big fan of your site, keep up the great work, and I will be a regular visitor for a very long time.