The interview follow up letter can make or break your chances of becoming hired. For that reason it should become an essential part of your job hunting tool box, right in there with the other tools you use: resume, cover letter, thank you note, reference sheet and salary history.

Think of the letter as a second chance. Some people don’t interview in person as well as they can write. Living up to the standards your resume set for you may be difficult. If that is the case, then the interview follow up letter will improve your appearance after the fact. Other people interview well in person, and are able to use this letter to reemphasize key points discussed with the hiring manager, and remind the hiring manager of the good points about the applicant. In either case the interview follow up letter is essential and if prepared properly will help the applicant get the job.

The following sample interview follow up letter gives an idea of what should be included.

The time I spent interviewing with you today gave me a clear picture of your organization’s operation as well as your work environment. I want to thank you for the thorough picture you painted of your organizational needs.

I left our meeting feeling very enthusiastic about the scope of the position as well as its close match to my abilities. I believe the key strengths that I can offer you are:

• Experience in dealing with people of all types and backgrounds through my life experience, education and training.
• Proven ability to operate a business at a profit, supervise and train personnel, facilitate activities to improve morale and cash flow, and interact successfully with both staff and customers.
• Excellent communication skills – particularly the ability to gain feedback and summarize succinctly.

With my energetic work style, strong people skills and attention to detail, I believe that I am an excellent match for this position. I welcome a chance to meet with you further to elaborate on my background and possibilities of future association.

Thank you for your time. I look forward to meeting with you soon.

Sincerely,

John Doe

You’ll notice that it is written in a positive and upbeat style. In sales, many successful salesmen assume the close. This does essentially that. The applicant in writing this letter is controlling the conversation and steering it towards positive attributes that he or she possesses, which would make the applicant appear valuable to the company. In addition, by using an interview follow up letter an applicant is “walking the walk as well as talking the talk” simply because most applicants fail to use an interview follow up letter after an interview. Using a letter like this shows that the applicant is conscientious, thoughtful, intelligent, and just the kind of person the company needs. Using an interview follow up letter will lead to more job offers and more jobs.

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The second step in getting the job is meeting the potential employer for an interview. The first step that an applicant has successfully completed was sending your application and passing the screening process of the company.

The employer got the resume through a variety of sources that can be from an ad that was posted, a referral from a friend or a headhunter, or by a person who simply submitted an application by logging on the company’s website.

Here are a few tips that will help in having a successful interview;

• Before going to an interview, it is best to do some research about the company one is applying to.
• It is also best to practice with a friend or family member mock up questions that the employer will likely ask so you do not choke during the real interview.
• When you go for an interview, it is best to always arrive 10 to 15 minutes ahead of time. This shows employers that the person is punctual and serves as a good attribute in a potential employee.
• When meeting an employer, you should bring an extra copy of the resume and other documents that are needed if asked certain questions. A good example is architects and photographers who are professionals in the respective fields who have a portfolio of the works done which may impress the interviewer.
• It is always best to dress appropriately. This shows the employer sincerity on the part of the applicant applying for the job. One must have finger-nails and hair well groomed for the interview. The outfit worn should be professional. This would mean that shoes must be used to match the outfit. If you typically wear a lot of jewelry, it is advisable to remove and tone it down for the interview.
• When you are in front of the employer, smile and greet the interviewer with a firm (but not bone crushing) handshake which is always a good start to get the interview moving.
• During the course of the interview, listen very well to the questions asked. Each must be answered truthfully and confidently to be able to sell yourself to the potential employer.
• Afterwards, the applicant should thank the recruiter for the time that was given to meet for the interview.

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Without those interviews, you will not be getting any offers. So in order to achieve this goal of getting a job offer, the compressed biography of your achievements must be stellar. Keep in mind that this is a summary of your achievements, not of your life story. Most importantly, write a well organized, concise CV. In working towards this goal, keep in mind the goal of your resume. This goal is to get you an interview. Be sure that your resume stays within those boundaries and is a neat and well organized document. In the same vein, keeping your resume neat and organized will ensure that you know the contents of your resume inside and out.

Too many college grads, especially, fill their resumes to hide any experience lacking, and upon landing an interview, hesitate when being asked specific questions about information included on the resume. Avoid this situation by arriving at the interview fully prepared to elaborate on anything you have included in the resume. A resume that sticks to the aim of getting an interview will be a resume that is carefully thought through and well organized, and which is focused on things relevant to your career past and career future.

Never lose sight of the objective of the resume. The main objective is to secure an interview. An effective resume conveys that the employer needs you. If you manage to secure an interview, you have won half the battle. Approach the interview as a live transmission and expansion of what has been stated in your resume. Do not view the interview as an hour of scrutiny upon your life and experiences. Remember, your resume was good enough to be noticed, and your life achievements created the resume; thus you deserve the job. When composing your resume, review every point you have included, and check to see that it both states something positive about you and is said in an original way. Use words that indicate that because of you, things happen. Your presence was a catalyst in moving the company forward. Don’t be shy; the resume has no place for modesty, but it also has no place for bragging. In other words, your resume should turn heads, but never in doubt as to what have you said about yourself.

While achieving the goal of the resume – the interview, work to make an organized resume. Organization applies to all levels of the resume: the aesthetic format, the ordered placement of the facts, and the previous employments you choose to include. The aesthetics should be friendly to the eye, and help to draw attention to the most important points. Those that are most important should always be located nearer to the top. In other words, activities and employments that are most relevant and current should be listed first. Bullet point formats are popular for their neatness and visual aid in drawing attention where it is due. Within each bullet point, include only the most applicable and important information that your future employer will want to know about your other jobs and activities. Keeping these points concise and to the point is helpful, as not much time is spent on reading a resume, so paragraphs describing a job will be skipped over. Concise points also help achieve the end of an aesthetically organized resume.

Every company wants well-organized employees, so showing off the bat that you are organized will be a benefit for you. No matter how gifted you are, if your resume looks like a crossword puzzle in its organization and format, it will be hard for the potential employer to see your talent. When your resume is well-written, clear, and organized, you are marketing to potential employers your writing skills along with good standards of neatness and organization. Having made this impression on paper will smooth your sailing for an easy interview, as the employer’s opinion of you will already be positive.

Once the interview date has been set, this is a time to calm your nerves instead of working them into a frenzy. Don’t forget that you are going on this interview because you have already impressed the employer. Your job now is to continue the positive impression already made, and to show your character, which can’t be shown on paper. The best way of continuing a positive impression is to be prepared to talk about yourself directly and in focus, just like your resume has. When asked why you want to work in the specific career, don’t recount all the twists and turns in your life that have brought you to the conclusion; be to the point. Remember that you must be able to back up and expand on anything that you have included in your resume. Thankfully, that little piece of paper referred to as the resume has already accomplished quite a bit of work for you. It has informed the employer who you are, and what you want in a job. Now it is your turn to better acquaint yourself with who the employer is and what he wants in an employee. View the interview with such an attitude: the chance for both potential employer and employee to learn more about each other.

The resume is your formal introduction to the career world. It discloses your talents to those who are seeking just such talents. To this aim, it is important not to lose sight of the goal of the resume. The resume lets the employer know who you are, why he needs you, and where he can reach you so that he can secure an interview with you. Write your resume to reflect these goals, in a concise, organized and well-phrased document. Use this organized and well-phrased resume to your advantage at the interview, as the document is, essentially, the first impression that you have made. This is the manner in which you should view the preparation and presentation of your resume. Once at the interview, put a smile on your face and pat your resume on the back for the great job both you and it have already done – your dream career is now very near!

This article was written by Rebecca Hawkes, HR Recruiter at http://www.TheResumeBuilder.com. The Resume Builder provides a wealth of resources for job seekers such as free resume hosting, expert guidance, resume templates, helpful job links and more. Visit TheResumeBuilder to create a quality, professional resume for FREE. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link back to http://www.theresumebuilder.com/.

Job seekers need all the tools they can use in today’s competitive job market and free resume templates are one of those tools. Templates are pre-existing forms or formats that often include preset margins, graphics, fonts, and other information pertaining to the layout of a page. They are a valuable resource to use when creating a resume. Many of them are simple to use, just fill-in-the-blanks and your resume is ready to print.

Free resume templates have received their fair share of negative press with many critics stating they are too common and present a cookie cutter appearance. These critics are in the minority with the bulk of employers stating they are more concerned about content than they are about style and flare.

A person can have the best looking resume and still not be qualified. Content matters!

The use of a template helps to minimize some of the extraneous tasks associated with creating a resume and allows the writer to focus on the content.

A resume template is a valuable resource because:

• it can save a person time
• it presents their information in a standardized, professional manner
• it is easily customized to the individual’s unique skills & qualifications!

Hundreds of free resume templates are available that can be used to create a resume that clearly outlines a person’s skills and qualifications. A search at Google returned over four million listings.

One of the best places to download a free resume template is at Microsoft’s website located at www.Microsoft.com. Click on “Office” located on the left side menu panel under the heading “Product Families“, then click on “Templates,” scroll down and in the main body of the website will be a heading named “Your Career“. There you can download a variety of free resume templates formatted in Microsoft Word.

Save yourself time and the frustration of trying to format your own document and use a template to create an effective resume today!

About The Author

Jeff Melvin graduated with an MBA and is a highly experienced resume writer with over 10 years experience. Jeff created www.Effective-Resume-Writing.com as a free online resume resource center providing information on how to write a free resume, free resume formats, free resume templates, resume cover letters, and a list of job search engines.

“Top 10 Secrets to the World’s Greatest Cover Letter” at

http://www.effective-resume-writing.com/resume-cover-letters.html

Copyright Effective-Resume-Writing.com. This article may be reproduced as long as the resource box and live links remain intact.

In the current climate, many people are looking away from the traditional job market towards working for themselves. The massive redundancies and job-insecurity has caused many people to radically rethink their career plans. With the ever rising cost of living, many would be happy just earning extra money to support their family and to pay the bills.

In this article, you will discover what you really enjoy in life and how to turn it into a money making opportunity, and perhaps even a full-time career. Your only limitations are those you impose upon yourself! At the very least, what you learn will help you to be happier with your current job.

First of all, a little exercise to get you started. Make a list of everything and anything you really enjoy and are passionate about. This can be anything at all, from playing with Lego through to planning projects or programming in Cobol. Write down everything you think of, no matter how silly or pointless you think it may be. They are all important and must be included on your list.

Go through the list and ask yourself whether you truly are passionate about each one. Ask the question, “If someone offered to pay me to do this, would I be happy?”. If you would not, then cross it off your list.

Look at each item on your list and ask yourself what you enjoy about it. You may enjoy the peace and tranquillity of gardening, or the fast paced life style of project management. Write this down too by each item.

The why you enjoy it is very important because it gives you an insight into your inner workings. When you understand what it is that you enjoy about something, you can look at applying that quality specifically to your life and current job to improve your happiness. If you like peace and tranquillity but your job is hectic, you could take time out for a walk in a park or to meditate to bring into your job peace and tranquillity. You could make sure you take a lunch break and switch off your phone.

Once you have identified the things you are passionate about, write down next to each one how much time a month you currently spend doing them. You may love surfboarding but only manage to go once a month or you may be passionate about cooking yet have to live on fast food because of your lifestyle.

From now on, make a commitment to yourself to spend time doing the things you are passionate about every single month. You will find that not only does your level of happiness improves, but your energy increases and life feels so much better because you are doing things that you love.

Carry your list around with you for at least a fortnight, adding to it each time you think of something you are passionate about. Then repeat the process above for each new item, analysing it and understanding what it is you like about it.

Do you have what it takes?

Whatever your current job situation, working for yourself can be a very appealing option. But the question is, “do you have what it takes to work for yourself?”. Not everyone does, but the good news is that the necessary skills can be learnt by anyone.

To successfully work for yourself you need to have all of the following skills to some degree. The better you are at each skill, the more chance you have of being successful on your own.

Motivation: You must be able to motivate yourself and to not rely on others to push you along. When you work for yourself, there is no boss telling you what you need to do, when you need to do it by, and providing you support and guidance when you need it. You are the boss! Working for yourself, it is all your responsibility. If you cannot take the responsibility, then you are best off staying in employment.

Belief: You must believe in yourself and in your business and / or product. It is very difficult to do well at something you do not fully believe in. Your belief and passion about what you do comes across to your customers. This has a positive effect in building their confidence and in turn, your business. Before starting any business or selling any product ask yourself if you believe in the product and business.

Development Time: It is important to spend time developing yourself and increasing your skills. Many technical people forget to develop soft skills, and vice versa. Aim to attend at least two courses or workshops a year. Also regularly read relevant books to develop these skills. You have to stay one step ahead of the competition in order to be a phenomenal success.

Determination: You must be determined to succeed and not to give up. There are times when it will be tough, but you are the boss and the one solely responsible for making it good again. You may get knocked back on occasion, but a true success just keeps on going in the face of set-backs.

Inter-personal skills: Working for yourself does not mean you will be locked in a room alone. You will often have to interact with other people; your customers. Good inter-personal skills will make this experience more rewarding and help you get the best from people. They will help ensure you have a successful business.

Communication skills: Both written and spoken communication skills are important. Often in the market place today, words are the key to the success of your business. Therefore, spend time developing your skills in this area – it will pay you back many fold to do so.

How many of the above skills do you currently have? Do you feel you are weak in any of these areas? If so, then strengthen them by attending courses or reading some relevant books. Being strong in all the above areas is not necessary for personal success, but will help to make it much easier.

Look at the list of things you are passionate about, and think about how the above skills can be applied to and compliment these.

Finding your ideal career

Now, back to the list of things you are passionate about. Take a new sheet of paper and write the first item on your list at the top of this new paper. Underneath it, brainstorm all the jobs you can think of that involve your passion. Let your imagination run riot and be as creative as you can. Each item you have written down offers you many possibilities. Also use the reasons you enjoy the item to help in this exercise.

Using gardening as an example, you could write down: gardener, author, teacher, TV presenter, landscape designer, tree doctor, and farmer, park ranger, and so on, just to mention a few.

Still on the same item from your list, write down all the ways you can think of to make money from it.

With our gardening example this may be growing and selling plants or vegetables, or doing gardening for people in your neighbourhood. There are of course many other opportunities here. Be creative and imaginative and think outside of your normal box.

Look at all these ways of making money and note the ones you can start right now and ones that you would really like to do. Perhaps you could start on one or two of these now, whilst still working in your current job.

Repeat the above exercise for each item that is on your list. Over the next few weeks keep adding to these lists. This exercise stimulates your mind to be creative, which results in creating many more great ideas – often when you least expect it, so make sure you write them all down.

The results of these exercises will be a list of what you enjoy doing, why you enjoy doing and a list of possible careers and money making opportunities that you would gain pleasure from. You do not have to make a massive move and quit your job right now. You can take your time, and slowly begin building your own business, or just earn a bit of extra money to help pay the bills whilst keeping your current job. You can also use this list to determine what career is best for you and begin planning a move to this new career.

Ask yourself the question, “If I could do anything at all, what would it be?”. The answer to this question will help you determine which of the items on your list to pursue first. It is important not to spread yourself too thinly otherwise you may find that nothing ever gets done. Once you have decided which way to go you must do a goal setting exercise and work out your route to your target.

Pursuing your passion means living life to the full. It means waking up each morning and looking forward to working. It means more energy, more fun and feeling more alive. Sadly today many of us are working jobs we would rather not be doing. Perhaps it is time that you took advantage of the shifting economy and lived your passion instead of dreaming it?

Jason E. Johns is a personal success coach specializing in helping you achieve your dreams. Based in Milton Keynes, England, you can discover more about hypnosis and how it can help you at www.StateOfHypnosis.com

Over the years of running my business “Your Night Out Ltd” I have received more resumes, CV’s and general job applications then I can remember. Some of which have impressed me so much that they resulted in employment, some made me laugh in my seat and made me vow never to give this person a job – ever! If you were one of the unlucky ones you may not know what you have been doing wrong and it is unlikely that refusing employers will tell you. The chances are you will just keep making the same mistakes over and over and wonder how your lucky friends keep landing their perfect jobs.

With my industry being the nightlife industry aimed at the student market, I want to give some advice to students seeking employment. What I am going to tell you is not straight from the classroom but from my everyday experience as an employer.

Firstly, as an employer and I can’t speak for everyone, I like it when people email or phone me about jobs. Some people think that they have to wait for a position to be advertised but expressing an interest doesn’t do any damage. Advertising for a job for an employer (especially a student job which may not be that skilled) is usually the last resort so get in there and let them know your name.

When you approach your potential employer be polite and throw in a few compliments. Most business owners have egos the size of mountains so maybe mention that you saw an ad campaign they did or like a promotion you saw. This will get you on the right side, as business owners have a lot of stress to deal with during the day, a compliment or an interest in the business goes a long way.

Secondly, be polite and don’t ask about the pay. That’s a major turn off for me, you’ll be surprised how many emails I get which just say “Hi, I want to work for you please tell me the pay”. No joke these people actually expect a job. Try and write a nice informative, polite letter and let the employer tell you the pay if they are interested. Attaching a CV is not always necessary, but make the email informative and as personal as possible. There is a fine balance between being too slack with your grammar and sounding like a robot. Employers like humans with charisma and ultimately people they can get along with.

Thirdly, if you get the call from them and have to meet for an interview, never ever be late and always try and arrive before the employer if it is a mutual meeting ground. Be confident but don’t be arrogant if the employer feels that he/she will get fed up of you in the first week then you won’t be accepted.

Finally, if you get the job usually it’s the small things that make the difference with the employer. Stay behind 5 minutes at the end to help tidy up or help out with things that aren’t in your job description. These small things will make the employer think you are there for the benefit of the company and will put you in good stead for the long run.

So that’s it, perseverance is also the key; there are many jobs out there and many businesses for you to try. Usually if an employer feels that they like you and could work with you, you are nearly there. Now good luck and go and impress the hell out of them.

Ben Taylor owns the nightlife website www.yournightout.co.uk and has gained tremendous experience in the clubbing industry. To find out more about the online student clubbing community or to contact Ben personnally, please visit – www.yournightout.co.uk