Re: follow-up call after job interview?

[Doc <dlettvin -at- attbi -dot- com>]

OTOH 
Different people will react differently. 

I suggest:

Send the resume and cover letter. If you are concerned about their
receiving it, send it return receipt. If you are concerned about its
readability you shouldn't have sent it.

* Don't call about interviews. 

* Only call for directions if you REALLY need them. Use Yahoo maps.

* Do send a thank you letter or email.

* A week later send an email requesting status. 

* Continue requesting status checks weekly until it is resolved.

Email is not an interruption, phone calls are. 

Especially if you're dealing directly with the manager of the
department. I know very few managers who just manage. If they have
pried open the company budget to hire another TW it probably means
that they are already submerged in work.

Multiple phone calls may be interpreted by one manager as aggressive,
another as desperate, and a third as harassing. I find this behavior a
negative factor. It may exclude the applicant from consideration. 

My attitude predates the following.

A few years ago I was subjected to some extraordinarily aggressive
behavior. 

An applicant called me twenty minutes after sending his resume via
email to ask:
Did I want a hard copy?
Was it a good resume?  
Did I have the software to read it?
Did I want another copy?
Did I need a photograph?
and on and on.

I told him that I had what I needed and that I would call him in two
weeks to let him know if he was selected to come in for an interview.

He called twice a day for the next week. He sent me pictures of
himself, of his wife and kids, appraisals of his personality by
friends, neighbors and family members. He sent a crayonned plea
purportedly from his daughter to "Pleeze give Dady a job." He sent
tickets to a baseball game (which I returned of course). 

I have to admit that I felt sorry for the guy.

But by Friday he started turning up at the coffee shop across the
street from the office trying to buy me a cup and start a
conversation.

I tried to be nice about it. I told him that he was trying too hard
and that he had to back off.

Saturday, he called me at home. 

I told him that until that moment he still had a chance (I lied), but
that I was no longer interested in his application.

I wish that had been the end of it, but he continued to call. He sent
me revised resumes. He sent me resumes with fictitious names (but the
same email address and phone numbers). Worst of all, he continued to
frequent the coffee shop.

It took 3-4 weeks for him to finally give up.

At least he never actually threatened me.

Ahh well, just another war story from

-Doc
David W Lettvin
VersaText
South Hamilton, MA
978-468-1105
"You cannot grow a beard in a moment of passion." - G.K. Chesterton 

On Tue, 2 Jul 2002 08:41:01 -0700, "Randall Larson-Maynard"
<RMAYNARD -at- INTERACTDEVICES -dot- COM> wrote:


>In the job I have now, I called to make sure my resume was readable after it
>was e-mailed, several days later to see where they were on "scheduling
>interviews," the day before the first interview to confirm the time and
>directions, the day after the first interview . . .


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Save $600: Create great-looking Help files and software demos with
RoboHelp Deluxe. Get RoboHelp and RoboDemo - our new demo software - for one
low price. OR Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in June with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l

  Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
  5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
  Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.