Secret of a Successful Interview: The Closing and Follow-Up

When you're interviewing for information, the closing is where you thank the interviewee for meeting with you, and ask for other contacts. It needn't be awkward if you handle it right. A good closing would be something like, ''Mr. Smith, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your meeting with me today. I've learned a tremendous amount about what sales means in a company like Westside Foods, and it's a very interesting field to me. As I mentioned earlier, another area that I would like to explore further before making a final decision is marketing. Do you know anyone I might talk with in this area?" Again, if the meeting has gone well, Mr. Smith will probably say yes. In that case, you should say, "May I use your name in setting up the appointment?" If you don't appear too pushy and aggressive, he'll probably say yes again. And now you've successfully begun the process of setting up a network of contacts.

The follow-up

This step follows the interview and is a very important part of the en tire process. The follow-up is composed of two different elements: the evaluation, and the thank-you letter.



A thank-you letter is a really nice touch, and everyone likes to be thanked for their time. It can also serve another purpose. It's a way of keeping your contacts interested and involved in your search, so you can contact them again in the future and they won't feel put upon. The important thing to remember when writing a thank-you letter is to try to mention something that you learned in the interview, so the interviewer knows you paid attention. The following sample thank-you letter should provide a good model:

As was mentioned earlier, the second part of the follow-up is the evaluation. This is where you sit down and analyze the interview. You need to ask yourself the following types of questions:

1. Did you learn what you needed to know?
   
   
2. Do you have a better understanding of the occupation and/or industry of the person you interviewed than you had when you walked in?
   
   
3. Is this the kind of occupation or company you would like to pursue?
   
   
4. If yes, what did you like about it?
   
   
5. If no, what about it didn't you like?
   
   
6. What other questions do you need to know answers to before you can begin making some decisions?
   
   
7. What should your next step be? Should you interview somebody else who has the same occupation to get a different perspective?
   
   
8. Should you interview someone who has a different job within the same company or industry?
   
   
9. Should you return to the library and see what other options are available?
   
   
10. Should you make an appointment with a career counselor so you can discuss your findings with someone who is more objective than you are?
    

Decision-making

After you resolve some of these questions, it will be easier to deter mine how you want to proceed. In some cases, you will find that the occupation you initially targeted is the one you like best. For you, the information-gathering interviews will serve as validation. You now have a much better understanding of what the occupation entails. You've learned what kind of people they're recruiting for this field, and you plan to market yourself accordingly. And you've made some excellent contacts.

In other cases, you'll find that your initial projections were way off base. The industry you thought you were interested in holds no appeal for you since you've met with executives from five different companies within that industry. Or the job you thought you wanted is not at all the way you imagined it would be.

So you come up with a new plan, and you begin the process all over again. K you've been working with a career counselor, you go back to this person and discuss what the problems are. Otherwise, you discuss the issues with friends or proceed on your own. The information-gathering phase for you has been illuminating. You've learned things about yourself that you hadn't known before. You've discovered information about the marketplace that is revealing. And although you're slightly depressed because you've seemingly expended a lot of energy in a direction you're not interested in pursuing, you realize that it is far better to learn all this now than it would be to learn it after you start working. So you've actually spared yourself a lot of aggravation down the road, and you're relieved about that.

The third possibility is that, as a result of all this information gathering, you're confused. There are a number of occupations and industries that look promising to you, but you're not sure you have the information you need to make a decision. In this case, a good way to proceed is to consider the variables that may affect your choice of a workplace.

Categories of workplaces

There are basically seven categories of workplaces: business, industry, education and welfare, arts and communications, health, government and public affairs, and science and research. You might start out by deciding which category interests you. Are you interested in working with goods and services, and the data and paper that accompanies it (which is what much of business is all about), or are you more concerned with products, which is the staple of industry? Maybe the glamour of the arts industry strikes your fancy, or perhaps a position in government will provide the security you require. Have you always wanted to teach, lead and motivate others, and are drawn to the field of education, or would you feel more fulfilled helping people solve their health care problems? If you're not sure, read on. The more information you have, the easier it will be to make a decision. As you begin isolating a category of workplace that interests you, you might consider a few factors relating to your choice of industry.