By Marty Nemko
Everyone knows that after a job interview, you’re supposed to write a thank-you letter. But just saying thank you will not put you ahead of the pack.
Here's an ahead-of-the-pack thank-you letter. A more accurate term for it is influencing letter:
Dear [insert name(s),]
Thank you for the professional yet pleasant interview. I especially appreciated your sharing some of the company's challenges.
I've done a little thinking about your dissatisfaction with your customer service operation in India. Of course, you may have already considered and rejected the idea but I'm wondering if this might help: Have your best American customer service rep make a recording of him/herself handling the types of calls the Indians find problematic. Then, send that mp3 to the offshoring company’s manager in charge of training your Indian customer service reps. Just a thought.
I've also had a chance to reflect on your question about sourcing (a question you flubbed in the interview.) Might it make sense to source the raw metals from Africa and, for assembly, ship it to Vietnam or Thailand (often lower cost even than China)?
In any event, I'd welcome the opportunity to meet again with you and/or to draft a brief white paper describing my approach to operations management.
Again, I appreciated the good interview and while I do have other irons in the fire, I hope to continue our discussions.
Sincerely,
Jane Jobseeker
U.S. News & World Report called Marty Nemko, "career coach extraordinaire." The San Francisco Bay Guardian named him "The Bay Area's Best Career Coach." In his 26th year in private practice, he's coached 3,700 people and enjoys a 96% client satisfaction rate. He holds a Ph.D from U.C. Berkeley and subsequently taught in its graduate school. 600+ of his published articles plus an active blog are free on www.martynemko.com.
