After a recent job interview, the employer sent me an e-mail thanking me for my time and asked if I thought the company really got to know me well during the interview. I’ve never heard of that before. How do you handle that?
You didn’t say, so I’m hoping that just because you didn’t know how to respond — and you don’t have me on speed dial — doesn’t mean you actually didn’t respond . . . right? Remember, every interaction with a prospective employer is part of the interview — e-mail exchanges, phone calls, smiling nicely to the receptionist — and follow-up is important, too. Employers are looking for ways to get as many interactions as possible with candidates, to help get past the carefully rehearsed interview veneer. Handle this no differently than what you should do post-interview anyway. Promptly take the opportunity to reiterate your interest in the job, thank them for their time and consideration, and briefly (in no more than two short paragraphs) highlight some of your strengths that are most relevant to support your candidacy for the job.
I’m three months into a new job, and it’s not what I thought it was going to be. I’ve heard one must stay in a new job for at least a year before leaving, otherwise it looks bad on your résumé. But if I’m unhappy and plan to leave, why waste my time and the company’s?
I know people who are three years into a job that isn’t what they thought it was going to be . . . wondering if and when they should make a move. (There are also some couples 30 years into a marriage wondering the same thing, but that’s for a different columnist to tackle!) Fast job exits are tricky, and a pattern of them certainly looks — and is — bad. But this one-year thing is conventional wisdom and doesn’t always make sense when it’s adhered to rigidly. How much time it takes to truly know whether you’ve made a mistake will vary widely, depending on the circumstances. Whether it’s three months, six months or more, whenever you’re certain that the situation is not what you want, and there is little chance it will change, then you should start looking for a new job — otherwise, you risk feeling stuck, getting bitter and yelling at your co-workers.