5 easy ways to make sure you are remembered after an interview


tough job interviewIn this day and age where information is immediate and extensive, building and maintaining relationships with the art of communication is a key business skill. Nowhere is it more important to build a relationship than in an interview. Gaining an interview comes after weeks of writing and rewriting letters and resumes, researching your chosen industry and companies to apply for, then long periods of nervously waiting to see what happens. The interview is a huge stepping stone in the path to a job, but how do you make yourself remembered after the interview?

Put yourself into the shoes of the interviewer. You may be seeing 10 or 11 candidates in the course of a day and at some point they all merge into one. This is a danger for you – a BIG danger. After all that you have done to get to the interview you can’t afford to merge into the crowd during the process. Here are 5 tips that will make sure you stand out in their memories when they come to make a decision who goes on to the next round.

Be Noteworthy

Often you will see interviewers taking notes, usually on your resume, so their memories are jogged and they review the candidates. Make sure you give them lots to note. Use your body language to be assertive. Sitting forward on your chair, plenty of eye contact and leaning into the conversation gives the impression you are very interested in what they have to say and are engaged in the subject. Be attentive, but professional in EVERYTHING. The way you speak, the way you treat others you are introduced to and the impression you give needs to impress, don’t let anything negative be the reason they remember you. Your goal is to be remembered so this is not the time be reserved. Animated, engaging, relevant conversation is a good way to start.

Make (mental) Notes

There is always an element of small talk in a social setting and an interview is no different. Things will be said that may seem inconsequential at the time, but make mental notes of things that are personal to your interviewer. It may be sports, animals or music, but it will pay you to make a note or two before you pull out of the car park – you’ll need it.

If anything is discussed that is particular to the position you are applying for note that down too, especially if they are the names, positions or duties of people you will be working for. Don’t make physical notes, you’re a potential employee not a reporter from the local newspaper doing an expose, just make sure you remember the details.

Don’t Leave Without a Business Card

One of your main goals is to secure a business card before you leave, not just because it’s what business people ‘do’, a business card is a mine of information you need. The whole point of the card is the let people know the contact details of the person they belong to and they won’t mind handing one out at the end of an interview. If your interviewer doesn’t have a card, or didn’t bring one in, ask the receptionist as you leave as they can usually oblige. Most cards have the full name, business address, phone number (including direct line) and email address of the card holder you need them – how else can you follow up?

Say ‘Thank You’

Remember those notes you took right at the beginning before you left the parking lot? When you get home is the time to use them. Send a ‘thank you’. Whether it’s an email or a hand written note, if you want to be remembered you need to demand your interviewer’s attention politely, ingeniously and professionally. An email is a way to say ‘Thank you’ instantaneously, but don’t be too quick – you want all the interviews to be over before you send it. A hand written note is more sincere and if your interview was more personable and relaxed, it is the better way to approach it.

The note should be no more than two or three paragraphs of two or three lines. One paragraph to thank them for their time, another paragraph to make a few more personal remarks such as hoping their favourite team wins the game, or concert band you spoke about comes on tour or that he enjoys his forthcoming vacation. Always end the note with a statement about how much you want the position, what you have to offer it and how grateful you were for the opportunity to apply for it.

Follow Up

Before you leave the interview make sure you know when the decision will be made so if you haven’t heard anything before then, follow up with a short, but professional phone call – the number will be on the business card you got at the time. You only need to ask if the decision has been made yet and if there was anything that you need to discuss before the decision is made. If they say ‘no’, then you can say, ‘So there’s no reason why I shouldn’t get the job?’ If you want the job – nothing is more memorable than those who ask for it.

Though these tips may seem bold and unnecessary you have to make sure you are remembered from the sea of faces the interviewers have seen during the employment process, and these are a great way to make impression whilst maintaining your professional integrity. After all, you need to be remembered one way or the other and as other reasons for being remembered may be one step away from being arrested, play it safe – and you may just get the job!

This was a guest post courtesy of Free Resume Builder