After the interview

Following up after an interview is polite and a good way to show your interest in a position. Send a note—by mail is ideal, although email is fine and increasingly common. When you reconnect afterward, you make it easier for prospective employers to remember you and to choose you over another strong candidate. Include in your note how to best reach you.

At the offer stage

Strangely, many candidates who perform well during an initial interview end up taking missteps at the offer stage. This may be because so much preparation and emphasis went into the first stage, they’re not ready for the next. It may be a fear of commitment: having ‘won’ the contest, they now have to confront whether they really want the job or not.

• Watch for these reactions in yourself. Employers have been known to withdraw their offers when they’ve felt this next step was not proceeding comfortably. Be every bit as gracious, professional and thoughtful as you were during the interview.
• Make sure you get all the details you need to make an informed decision. Ideally, you will already know about the position itself, the hours and potential for overtime, the requirement to travel and other work-related commitments. You should not have to ask about these items at the offer stage.
• During the offer, ask about, and make a list of these items for you to think about:
  • training
  • compensation including salary, bonus, benefits
  • vacation, and vacation policy
  • sick leave or other leave
  • hours
  • performance-review process
  • probation
  • start date
  • termination provisions, if any
  • confidentiality agreement
• Ask for a formal letter of offer to confirm. Don't be pressured into signing on the spot. Take it away for review and consideration. If you are concerned with any part of the offer, ask for clarification.
• Before signing a letter of offer, you may want to consult a lawyer to be sure of your obligations. Do not state that you are consulting a lawyer: simply ask for a few days to consider the offer.
• Give a date and time by which you will give your final answer, and respect your commitment to accept or decline the offer in a timely fashion.