Tips for Following Up with Student Employment Fair Contacts
Effective follow up serves many purposes:
- it acknowledges the other person's time and consideration;
- it provides you with the opportunity to reiterate information or include new details;
- it keeps your name in front of the recruiter;
- above all, it is expected professional etiquette.
Send a Thank You Letter
Mail a thank you letter to each employer within forty-eight hours of the interview. In your letter, specifically note that you spoke with the employer at the Student Employment Job Fair. In your letter, note the date of the event. Mention one or two positive, job-related, memorable details of the interaction. Close the letter by indicating you look forward to hearing from them and include your telephone number and email for contact purposes.
Know and Follow the Hiring Timeline
In the interview, you inquired about the hiring timeline: how many candidates are being interviewed, when the first round of interviews will be completed, when the interviewer will be contacting candidates with the results of the initial interview process, whether a second round of interviews is anticipated, when a final hiring decision is expected, when the successful candidate is expected to start. The interview timeline guides the timing of your follow up contacts.
Immediately after the interview, send a thank you note. No interviewer wants to be bombarded by repeat phone calls or email after the interview. You do not want to be perceived as desperate, demanding, or pushy. If, however, the contact date passes that the employer established for a hiring decisions and you have not heard from the interviewer, it is appropriate to contact the interviewer and politely inquire about revised dates for the interview timeline.
Respond Appropriately
During your job search, you may encounter one of many outcomes to the interview process. You may be offered a job you want, you may be offered a job you do not want, you may be rejected for a job, or you may find that the hiring party fails to bring the process to a conclusion.
In all cases, it is critical to your ongoing success to respond professionally. Your reputation is at stake. No matter the immediate outcome, your response to it affects your future. Not just with that department. Employment circles are small. Word about an indignant or angry candidate can and does travel. Always approach the interviewer and every department representative in a professional and respectful manner.
If you are offered a job, make sure both you and the employer are in agreement about the proposed work schedule, including hours per week, hourly rate, and day to day work hours. Employers on campus are generally flexible with scheduling, but may have specific student employment hours to fill, defined by their office hours.
Prepare for rejection. It is an inescapable part of any job search. Rejections are not expressions of personal dislike by the interviewer. Rejections may not be an indication that you did something wrong. You may have done everything flawlessy. Rejections simply indicate that another candidate was judged a more complete and appropriate match for the position in question. In the face of rejection, thank your interviewer for the opportunity and encourage them to keep you in mind for future positions.
If you have had interviews, but have not had an offer or found a position that suits you, take a moment to look at how you are marketing yourself. Changes in your résumé, dress, correspondence, or interview skills may be in order. If you would like feedback on any aspect of your student employment job search, please contact a Career Services adviser for assistance. Schedule an appointment in Career Services by calling the front desk, 937.775.2556.
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This page was last updated Monday, 09-Jul-2007 14:15:40 EDT.
Questions or comments?
Email career_services@wright.edu