The Post-Interview Written Thank-You
No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.
~ James Allen
You’ve reached the end of your interview, or in some cases several interview sessions. Do you feel as though you’ve nailed it and the prize is yours? Or aren't you sure? In any case, now is not the time to drop the ball! You need to implement your follow-up strategy, starting with your written thank-you.
After the Event
There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less
than the long range risks of comfortable inaction. ~ John F. Kennedy.
Your networking event is over, and now your real work begins! It’s time for action on your part. I’ve included a checklist below to help get you going:
"You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you
had to overcome to reach your goals." ~ Booker T. Washington
An important element of your communications strategy is to identify and demonstrate to others your ability to get the job done through stories about your accomplishments. Employers, as well as recruiters and others who can connect you to employers, want to know about your problem-solving, leadership and team building skills and these can aptly be portrayed through stories that may be told at job interviews as well as -- when appropriate -- networking events, casual conversations and correspondence (cover letters, follow up thank-you letters, etc.).
“Today you are You, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
~ Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You!
Now that you have completed your prototype resume that you will customize for each position to which you apply, and have an understanding of the principles of the cover letter (see the previous three guest posts by Lyn Nelson), let’s turn now to your positioning statement. This composition is also referred to as your 30-second elevator pitch because it should be short and concise enough to recite between floors as you are riding up or down in an elevator – because you never know when you will run into someone important and you only have a few seconds to take advantage of the opportunity to make your case.
Nick: You got us a job at Google?
Billy: Well, not a job job. It’s an interview for an internship that could lead to a job. Nick, this might be the last chance that we’ve got.
~The Internship
While internships are not always the last chance (in fact, they really should be the first chance), they are a vital part of a student's college career. So, if you're a high schooler who is preparing for other aspects of college, make sure to keep internships high on the list as well.
But Do We Like Her?
From Diana Christensen (Network, 1976) and Katharine Parker (Working Girl, 1988) to Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada, 2006) and M (James Bond, 1995-2012), the female boss has been portrayed in the movies as immoral, back-stabbing, fire-breathing and unfeeling, to the point of being unflinchingly prepared to send even her most prized employee to his death without a backward glance. (Although in the case of M, we might be prepared to forgive her.)
THE KIND OF SHARING WE
DIDN’T LEARN IN KINDERGARTEN
The Intel Corporation, which manufactures the processors in today’s popular mobile devices, in association with The Emily Post Institute has conducted its first international survey on “Mobile Etiquette." Accordingly, it seems fitting to close (for now) this series on Your Internet Presence with an examination of how people are managing their mobile devices worldwide.
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING…ONLINE
Unlike the character in George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, the Big Brother of 2012 tends to incorporate itself into the fabric of our everyday lives, making us comfortable with wearing it and, like a well-worn pair of shoes that fit us so well, we take its presence for granted and often aren’t consciously aware of it. But, like the omnicient overseer of the science-fiction narrative, our modern-day Big Brother is enigmatic and constantly present in our lives through our presence on the Internet.
Politics Schmolitics
I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.
~Thomas Jefferson
One major pitfall of online social networking occurs when voicing one’s opinion on a hot topic. It’s bad enough when you read many of the viewpoints by strangers who post comments online on The Huffington Post, Yahoo! and Google, especially those that contain profanity, hurl insults and are short on facts.
But what happens when you read differing political beliefs by your friends on your Facebook page?
Email Etiquette
Nothing serves more as an ambassador of your Internet presence than your email. Every email you send is a representation of your image, or brand.
It is estimated that nearly 300 billion email messages are sent each day, with roughly 10% of these being legitimate missives that you and I would send, and the rest comprising spam and viruses.
By contrast, the volume of first-class snail was approximately 72 billion 2010, but I could find no statistics that indicated how many of those mailing were actual letters rather than bills, advertisements and other mailing, but my guess is a small percentage were actually letters or greeting cards.
But, I believe we can agree that the Internet – email and websites – have replaced snail mail as the way most people communicate, socialize and conduct business.
With this in mind, an understanding and mastering of email etiquette is vital to your brand and online presence, so you need to get it right. Developing good habits in composing emails will serve you well!
Following are some guidelines to help ensure that you are email savvy:
Jeanne Nelson 