How do I go the extra mile after a job interview?

Question

I just finished my second and final interview and I thought that there were positive signs about my chances.

Towards the end, the hiring manager did say that there were 5 other candidates that made it to this final round and that the company would be making a selection from these candidates. They said that the candidate with an active interest in the company and role would be picked.

I have directly expressed my interest a few times already but what else can I do to have them pick me over the other 5?

I really want this role.

Answer 1

After my interviews, I would usually send a follow up email which would express my interest in the job position as well as my gratitude for the opportunity to interview with the company. I think this is pretty respectable and no one really minds getting a nice email from a potential employee. In your case, it might be really helpful since they are specifically looking for someone interested in the position. It is a good way to make a final impression before they make their decision.

Good luck on getting hired!

Answer 2

Hand written thank you notes will get you bonus points. Don't go too cutesy. Be professional and mention specifics from the interview. Address it to the person you interviewed with, not HR.

Answer 3

Ask for a business card of the hiring manager during the interview. This will accomplish 2 things:

• bypasses HR
• you get to decide whether to email them or not.

Believe it or not, most normal Hiring managers do enjoy receiving follow up emails from candidates. Although hiring practices vary with each company, enthusiasm counts for more than you think. These are the 2 best cards you can play to try go that extra mile.

If you are interested in the job and the company, then within 24-48 hours of the interview, send a follow-up email to the person on the card. Pick something related to your strengths that you actually discussed during the interview and expand on that in the follow up email. And of course, express your interest and enthusiasm for the job in the email.

After that, you should be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say that you've done all that you possibly could.

Answer 4

You can verbally express your interest in the position at the end of the interview - a quick few words about how you've appreciated the opportunity to interview with them and you feel that you'd be excited to be offered the job, not obsessively screaming "I want this job".

Thank-you notes are important as others have said, and these need to be properly thought out follow-ups to the interview, (briefly) answer any outstanding issues and touch on some part of the interview that is specific and will strike a chord with the interviewer rather than a form letter that you've already got saved in your drafts folder and hit 'send' on your way back to the car park. Alison Green of AskAManager.org has a few articles on follow-up notes and I quite like this one.

Other than that, your options are limited. If I'm planning to interview 5 other people for a post and make my decision afterwards, you can't force me to appoint you without going any further and trying too hard to do so is likely to move you to the bottom of the list even if you were looking like my top candidate beforehand.