interview thank you letters
Following through with an after interview thank you letter is a popular way of reminding the
interviewer of your enthusiasm, although they may not even acknowledge the
gesture. These interview thank you letters just need to express how much you enjoyed the interview, appreciated
their time and confirm your continued interest. But, be aware that some people
may see it as an unnecessary gesture. Furthermore, the decision whether to
employ you, or call you back for another interview, is often made within 24
hours - before your letter could even reach them.
On the positive side, it shows that you are keen and committed and that if
offered the position you would be very likely to accept it. You may benefit, for
example if their first choice candidate turned them down. If you are seen as a
keen candidate who will accept the job, it can only strengthen your position in
relation to the other applicants.
Dress to Impress
Making the right first impression is vital to the success of your interview, so
it is important that you decide on the image that you want to convey and dress
appropriately. Even before you begin to speak, the interviewer is likely to have
formed opinions about you based on your interview body
language, this includes the way you are dressed, your personal
grooming, posture and body language. For most corporate interviews a low-key
approach to dress is usually best, as this projects a professional image and
does not cause a distraction. For men, this often means a well tailored but
conservative suit in a basic color such as navy, grey or black. Shirts can be
used to add color and individuality but you will need to judge how far to take
this.
For women the choice of appropriate dress can be more complicated but normally
it is advisable to follow the basic rule that your clothing should not draw
attention to itself and the colors should make it easy to focus on your face.
Business casual is an increasingly common trend in the corporate
environment and it can be more challenging to dress appropriately under this
code. Once again the best advice is to make choices that match the norm and if
in doubt always dress slightly more formally than you might otherwise.
It can be a good idea to have a couple of outfits, which you only ever
wear to interviews. That way you can get them dry-cleaned after each interview,
and then put them away for the next time, rather than letting them become
crumpled, creased and generally worn-out and tired-looking through every day
wear.
Harnessing Your Interview Nerves
It is perfectly natural and healthy to be nervous ahead of an interview. This
nervous energy, when properly harnessed, will enable you to present yourself
with energy, passion and conviction. Nerves can give you the edge that you need
to perform well. However, in order to do so you will need to harness and control
your nerves in a positive way. If you are too calm immediately before an
interview, then you may be underestimating the challenge. Alternatively you may
be suppressing your own nervousness. Neither scenario will help you to make an
effective case for selecting you. It takes energy to
stay calm, energy to speak in a lively and interesting way and energy to pay
attention to the needs and requests of the interviewer. Since you only have a
finite amount of energy available, learning to control your nerves is important
as it lets you focus all of your efforts on interacting with the interviewer in
an effective way.
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