Reply to I’m a recruiter AMA

Forum Index » Jobs and Careers

Reply to "I’m a recruiter AMA "

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Do cover letters matter? Is it worth doing?

Do people still send thank you notes after an interview? Or is it annoying?

Does following up with the company ever make a difference? [/quote]

It’s interesting - for very senior level roles - ones that report to the CSuite - I see a cover letter 50% of the time. For other roles I might see it like 10% of the time. I am going to be honest I never read them. Only if I’m reading your resume and something is off - you’ve been in say CPG (Pepsi, Proctor and Gamble) your whole life and now you’re applying into another industry like Bio Med or Consulting which doesn’t track, but I like your progression, you’ve had great tenure, you have the right skills, but just not the industry? - I might go to your cover letter to find the explanation. You have 1 min to convince me then I’m clicking off your resume and moving to someone else.

People do send thank you’s. I think the interview slate (hiring manager and stakeholders) like them because by that time you are one of a handful of interviews. As a recruiter you’re my 20th interview this week. I don’t need one!

Follow up is for your benefit, get the info or update you need. I get it. Know that your follow up will never accelerate our process, remove a role from being on hold, etc. Unless I have specifically told you that I’m keeping you in mind for a role we may open in Q2, your follow up interrupts my day, just being honest![/quote]

Another HR/Recruiter chime-in...

I agree on this...mostly.

I hate cover letters with a fiery passion and I never read them. My hiring managers don't care, either. If there is something important about you that you want us to know, put it in your RESUME.  An executive statement (brief) is a great place to say your thing.

Where I differ from the OP is about thank you notes following interviews. Send them.  Do you want the job?  If so, do everything in your power to stand out among other candidates. I've never had a hiring manager say "all these thank you notes are so annoying". Never. Managers like them and for our company (professional services) it shows good communication and professional polish to follow up in this proactive and positive way.  It won't get you the job if other things in your interview process didn't go well, but when we get to the short-list of 2 - 3 very well qualified finalists, why not have that one extra point working in your favor.

If you want to send a thank you, here are my further suggestions:
1. Send it before your head hits the pillow on the day of your interview. It's okay to send after 5pm, but the next day is less impressive. Hiring decisions can happen quickly so don't miss your window.
2. Say something as a follow up to your conversation. "I've been reflecting on our conversation and appreciated your point on XYZ." Then say something more that YOU think about it, so you aren't just replaying to the manager something THEY said. Try to further the conversation so that if they want to talk to you more... the way to do that is to hire you.
2.5. Say something to confirm you want the job. Think like a closer. What last thing about you do you want them to remember. Say it. Do you want to convey your enthusiasm about this role being a perfect fit for you? Say that, too. Don't leave them guessing. Close!
3. Don't be funny or cute.  Tone is a difficult thing to read in email, and you and the interviewer don't know each other well enough to trust your funny comment will land as intended. They might think you are flip or not taking them or the interview process seriously. Just don't do this....too much risk.
4. No hand-written thank you notes. It's a nice idea, but snail mail is too slow and if it arrives after a hiring decision is made, it's just sad. This fits with Times New Roman and AOL email addresses.  Days gone by. Take a more modern approach.
[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics