After an interview, send a thank-you letter to the person who interviewed you. If there was more than one interviewer, write the note to the one who has the power to hire you. Mail the letter that day so the person doesn’t have an opportunity to forget you. Now continue your job search, meeting managers and lining up interviews— keep working at it. Your goal is to have at least two or three offers to choose from.
When you get a job offer, generally by phone, thank the person sincerely. Write down the details; starting date, wage, hours, and so on. Tell the employer that you’d like to accept but you need a day to discuss it with your family. Now talk it over with your parents and some close friends. Compare the job offer to your original goals. Sometimes in the excitement of landing a job you can lose sight of your own best interests.
If you applied elsewhere and prefer that position over the one you’re being offered, you may be able to use the offer as an incentive to get a quicker decision from the other employer. Call or stop by your first-choice employer. Explain that you got another job offer but would rather work for him. If he turns you down, you can accept the first offer. If he offers you the better job, then you’re set. You have a job either way, and you can be confident that you got the best deal available.
Of course, that trick works only if you get an offer. What if no one calls? Unless the employer has specifically told you not to, it’s appropriate to call back in a week to find out if there’s any news. If the position is still open, it gives you one more opportunity to be heard from; if it’s filled, you can move on. If you’ve done this right, you have several other businesses considering you so you can continue to pursue them.
Handling Rejections
Okay, here comes the painful part—rejection. No matter how wonderful you are, you’re going to be rejected many times in your life. It may not happen the first time you look for a job, but sooner or later, you’ll get turned down. There are a hundred reasons why you’ll get rejected for a job, and most are beyond your control. Here are a few:
- The employer got a tax bill and realized she couldn’t afford to hire anyone.
- She once had a terrible worker with the same name as yours, so she subconsciously ruled you out.
- An old employee wanted her job back, which was easier than training someone new.
- The manager was forced to hire the owner’s nephew, Winthrop.
- Your application got thrown out by mistake.
- Something in your manner reminds her of her Uncle Hubert, whom she can’t stand.
- She called your number twice; the first time there was no answer, and the second time it was busy, so she went to the next applicant.
- Your personality rubbed her the wrong way.
- You looked too smart to be satisfied with such a low-paying job for very long.
Lots of times the employer can tell you wouldn’t be right for the job. She understands her business, knows the kind of workers that fit best, and may know that you’d be miserable working there, even if you don’t see it that way. These kinds of rejections aren’t fun, but in the end you’re happier because of them.
Then there’s the bad sale. Sometimes you don’t get the job because you conveyed the wrong message. Here are top reasons employers give for not hiring student workers:
- poor personal appearance
- overbearing, know-it-all
- poor communication skills
- interested only in paycheck
- wants too much too soon
- makes excuses, is evasive
- lack of interest
- lack of tact
- lack of courtesy
- lack of vitality
- little sense of humor
- lazy
If you come off in one or more of these ways during an interview, you’ll need to work on fixing the problem. Every interview is a lesson in selling yourself—something you’ll have to do for the rest of your life. Learn from your mistakes, and do a better job next time.
No one likes rejection. No one is immune to its pain. It cuts some people deeper than others, and lots of folks are experts at smiling on the outside while they’re dying on the inside. When you’ve been rejected, it’s okay to “let it get you down” (despite what everyone is so quick to advise). Just know that the quickest way to stop feeling bad is to go back out there, give a winning interview, and land a exciting job.
Through Thick and Thin
Let’s end all this talk about rejection. The fact is, if you’re smart enough to read, you’ve got what it takes to get hired. Every new fast-food place, shopping mall, and retail store needs part-time workers. They don’t need people with years of experience; they can’t afford to pay the salaries of such people. They need you: part-time, with minimal experience and a desire to work hard and learn as you go.
As I write this, the economy is growing, businesses are expanding, and many of these businesses are desperate for workers. That means you can afford to be choosy. Shop around for the best job you can find.
One of these days, the economy will slow down (what goes up, must come down), and that may be the case as you read these words. It doesn’t matter, because even in a tight market, with few businesses hiring new workers, you’ve got what it takes to find a good job. When the competition for jobs is high, you must excel to land a job that’s right for you.
Through thick and thin, big and small job markets, you can succeed in finding the job that matches your priorities. And when you do, you’ll want to keep that great job.
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