One of the most difficult aspects of an interview is ending well. You may already know some general questions to ask at the end of the interview to show your interest. But what else can you do to follow up with the employer and differentiate your unique skills? There’s one question you should be asking yourself at the end of the interview that will dictate what your last impression will be:
- What else do I have at my disposal that can reinforce my credibility for the job I just interviewed for?
After the formal interview your “candidate marketing” doesn’t end. Identify the best material to make an even stronger case for your candidacy. “Candidate differentiation” is a strategy that can be highly beneficial, as you engage in “intentional branding” to help more positively position yourself for the role.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to identify strong professional marketing material:
- Are there any relevant non-proprietary examples of your work you could share?
- Do you have any letters of recommendation or references, whether they request them or not, that could demonstrate your strengths relative to the current manager’s pain points?
- Are there any past managers or clients who could provide a compelling/powerful reference that you could reach out to and request?
- If you’re a programmer, could you write a small code sample using tech the role requires to show your coding skills AND initiative?
- Have you won any awards, or received any other sort of recognition for initiatives or tasks that would potentially be part of this job that you could share?
The bottom line… as you leave the interview, ask yourself “what else…?” What else do you have that you could provide to reinforce your credibility? What else could you get and provide the hiring manager/s? What else could you do – on top of a well-written post-interview thank you letter – to better position yourself to be at the top of the candidate list?
Your next contact following the interview shouldn’t just be a thank-you or request for the status of the hiring decision – it should be some form of candidate differentiation, whether from you or a trusted reference. Make sure they remember you, not just for the interview, but for the skills you demonstrated in your follow up.
