In previous posts I’ve covered tips for what to do before and during the interview.  I’d like to focus this post on a few items to do after the interview is finished.

First, you should always send a thank you note to each person that you interview with soon after it ends.  E-mail is very acceptable, so try to get a business card from each person that you meet.  I would suggest that the note be brief, expressing both appreciation for their time and strong interest in the position.  Please make sure you have it proofread and checked for grammar by other people that you trust before sending it out.  Sadly, I’ve seen candidates blow it through the years with a poorly written note which did more harm to their chances than if they hadn’t sent one at all!

Second, I would send a personal LinkedIn invitation to each person that you interviewed with to add them to your network.  Whether you get the job or not, there is tremendous value in each person that you meet, and LinkedIn is a great way to maintain contact going forward throughout your career.

Don’t become complacent after an interview.

Finally, keep moving!  Don’t become complacent after an interview and spend your time waiting on feedback and a decision.It will come, and you should follow up in an appropriate and timely manner if you don’t hear from them first.  However, it is important to keep talking with other companies and networking with other individuals.  I believe that stopping or slowing your search process before you accept an offer is a big mistake.  As many candidates soon learn, companies aren’t always on the same timeline as the job seeker.  Even if you felt your recent interview was successful, things can still change abruptly.  Open positions can unexpectedly close, change, or get postponed for a variety of reasons.  Timing is a difficult variable to predict, so it is important to continue filling your pipeline with additional possibilities.  Having multiple opportunities also allows the candidate to feel more empowered during their interviews since all their eggs aren’t in just one basket.  Remember, companies are usually interviewing many candidates for their openings, so it is just as important that you continue interviewing with other companies too.  You might even end up with multiple job offers to consider which would be a great problem to have!