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when you are nervous, make sure you are aware of your habit so you

can control it during an interview situation.

If your job interview takes place over lunch or dinner, refrain from

drinking alcohol of any kind.

Follow Up

It is a common belief that by conducting a job interview, the interviewer is

simply doing his or her job, which is to fill the position(s) the employer has

available. As a result of this belief, many job seekers show no gratitude to the

interviewer. This is a mistake. Sending a personal and well-thought out note

immediately after an interview will not only keep your name fresh in the hir￾ing manager’s mind, but will also show that you have good follow up skills,

and that you are genuinely interested in the job opportunity.

Individual and personalized thank-you notes should be sent out within 24

hours of your interview, to everyone you met with when visiting a potential

employer. Send separate notes containing different messages to each person

you met with, addressing each using the recipient’s full name and title. Make

sure you spell names correctly.

Thank-you notes may be typewritten on personal stationery, following a

standard business letter format. A more personal alternative is to write your

thank-you note on a professional looking note card, which can be purchased

at any stationery, greeting card or office supply store. The personal touch

will enhance your positive impression and help to separate you from your

competition.

Keep your message brief and to the point. Thank the interviewer for tak￾ing the time out of his or her busy schedule to meet with you, and for con￾sidering you for the job opening available. Make sure you mention the exact

position you applied for.

In one or two sentences, highlight the important details discussed during

your interview. You want the interviewer to remember you. Don’t mention

issues under negotiation, such as salary and benefits concerns, or work

schedule. Finally, reaffirm your interest in the position and invite further

contact with a closing sentence such as “I look forward to hearing from you

soon.”

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Job Search Skills

Final Thoughts on Interviewing

There are two more important things to keep in mind while going through

interviews. Both will help you to keep not only your interview, but the whole

job search process, in perspective. The first is that even if you apply and

interview for a job, you don’t have to take it. The other is that good inter￾viewers try to sell you on coming to work for them.

Understanding that you aren’t required to take a job just because it is

offered makes the interview seem less like a life-or-death situation and more

like an opportunity to get to know at least one person at the hiring compa￾ny. You will feel a greater sense of confidence and ease when you keep this

in mind. The position you are interviewing for isn’t the only one available,

so if it feels like a bad fit for you, or for them, move on.

Realizing that interviewers should be trying to sell you on coming to

work for them is helpful too. A good interviewer has one goal in mind:

Finding a good person to fill the job opening. They already think you are a

possibility, which is why you were invited to interview. Once you are there,

it is the interviewer’s job to convince you that you would be very happy

working at his or her company. Evaluate the information you are given

about the work environment; does it fit with what you see and have heard

about the firm? Be attuned to the tactics of the interviewer.

EVALUATING A JOB OFFER

You have been offered the job. Congratulations! Now, you have to decide—

or perhaps, choose between a number of offers. How should you go about

it? First, take some time. The hiring company or organization will not

expect you to accept or reject an offer on the spot; you may be given a week￾end or more to make up your mind.

Second, you will need to consider many issues when assessing the offer.

This means developing a set of criteria for judging the job offer or offers,

whether this is your first job, you are reentering the labor force after a long

absence, or you are just planning a change. While determining in advance

whether you will like the work may be difficult, the more you find out about

it before accepting or rejecting the job offer, the more likely you are to make

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