Attract – Convince – Reassure Episode 3: Reassure

Everything has gone according to the plan: you met your future boss and all stakeholders of your targeted company. The meetings went well because you were prepared: you proved you could bring them value, you have noticed during the discussions they were interested in you and you gently nudged them in projecting themselves in a future with you in it.
That’s the past. What can you do afterwards so they finally cross the bridge and offer you the job?

The first thing that classic candidates do after recruitment meetings is: not much.
You want to stand out from the crowd so you will do a lot.
Your goal: stay in the minds of the people who interviewed you. They have to hear about you in a positive way, consistent with what you told them about you. That should increase their trust in you when they realize what you told them during interviews was not just a good show.
This is the reason why companies and recruiters do references checks.

Anticipate this. In both active and passive ways.

– References will speak for you:
Give the names of 3 to 5 people: ex bosses and ex clients (internal or external ones). They will say they were receiving the results of your work and that it was of high quality. These people should be different from the ones giving you recommendations on Linkedin in order to maximize the impact of their testimony. Please call the people you are considering as references to explain and get their approval first.
You also want to have recommendations on Linkedin: former bosses and clients, people you have managed who will say that all they know they learnt from you, peers…

– Besides this, you have to try and organize after the interviews a buzz campaign. Wouldn’t it be good if the people you talked to during the intelligence acquisition phase (episode 2) were the campaigns main actors and would spontaneously talk about you with your targets? They could at least say your approach was innovative, professional, polite, practical, efficient and short? Wouldn’t it be good if everywhere your targets turn they would talk to people who have met you? Keep them posted, send them a thank you mail, saying that you finally met your targets and that they contributed to it and let the magic happen…

This covers the passive way. It is not always easy to implement but should always be a goal of yours.
Now you can be a key player in this post-interview part of the process, through the tangible pieces of evidence you will leave to the people who interviewed you.

• Exhibit 1: Come to the meeting with your long version cv. They can use it to follow what you tell them during the interview, but mostly they will read it in depth, once you have left them. It will give them details corroborating the notes they took during the meeting.
• Exhibit 2: In no more than 2 work days send them a thank you e-mail, which in a short and sharp way says: “thank you, I’m interested because…, you are interested in me because…, what we would do if I would join you is…, and our next step now is…”
• Exhibit 3: Show them (if you had not done it before) that you value them enough to be part of your network by inviting them on Linkedin or -even better- in some real network.
• Exhibit 4: Prove by example. The point of being on Linkedin or being a member of an association is about how you contribute. Whether you chair a work-group, add to a discussion, pass on something you have read/heard or share an experience (twitter is useful for that)… you should be acting accordingly to what they have seen during the interviews (and to what you have done to get the interviews). That will prove you don’t just talk the talk but also walk the walk.

You can’t control everything but you can try to influence things.
And then… do not wait, do not pray, do not call them twice per week to know if they made a decision. Move on to your next targets and focus on re-launching episodes 2 & 3 for other companies.
This is the only way to stay balanced. And level-headed when they call you to initiate salary negotiations!