I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: Success Secrets Every Gutsy Girl Should Know by Kate White Read Free Book Online Page A

on the subject of manners, I want to point out here that you absolutely must follow up with a thank-you note. Snail mail or e-mail? One top career expert I know says that the era of the handwritten thank-you note is dead. “By the time it arrives,” she says, “they’re already onto the next candidate.”
    But some people are funny; they like and expect the old-fashioned kind of note. In fact, when we asked in the Cosmo survey what managers preferred, 50 percent said e-mail and the other half said they’d want a handwritten note. If you’ve interviewed with someone on the older side or it’s a conservative company, you might want to cover yourself both ways. Shoot off an e-mail saying “A handwritten note will follow, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed talking to you. The job sounds terrific.”
    Show Them the Love
    For years I tried to analyze why I loved talking to certain job candidates whereas others, even those with great skills, left me cold. What I finally decided is that some people seem more fully engaged in the process, more excited and delighted to be there. There’s even a little bounce to their step when they walk into the room, and you may sense that bounce even when they’re sitting in the chair talking to you. They want the job, and they’re not afraid to show their passion. It’s another way of going big or going home. And you know all that stuff I just told you about things like the right shoes and a perfect handshake? They might not even matter all that much if you get this right.
    Recently I bumped into Frank Farrell, the executive recruiter who had first called me to interview for the job as editor in chief of Redbook , and it gave me a chance to finally ask him a question. After I’d been offered the Redbook job, Frank had phoned and congratulated me, and before he signed off, he had told me never to change the way I came across during an interview. I was so caught up in the moment, I hadn’t asked him to elaborate, but later I’d wondered what he’d meant exactly. This was finally my opportunity to inquire. He told me I’d just seemed very passionate about my work and the job we were discussing. “You turned beet red when you were talking about it,” he said. I nearly died when he shared that info, and I’d hardly recommend you go into an interview looking as if you’ve strayed too close to a blowtorch. But you get the point: I’d shown the love that day, and it had worked.
    Unfortunately, some job candidates tamp down their passion. Maybe they’re afraid that seeming effusive will make them look goofy and unprofessional. But here’s what you must remember: it’s the hot tamale who wins the day, not the girl who’s as cool as a cucumber. As soon as you meet the interviewer, try to be fully present. Take in the space, the ambience, the person, and if something about the situation moves you, go ahead and say so—like “I really like the open floor plan here. It must be a great environment to work in.”
    When you answer questions about your educational or work history, let your enthusiasm about different projects and situations come through (e.g., “It was so much more than I could have hoped for in an internship. I had the chance to actually write up the newsletter and work with a designer to put it together. I loved every minute of it.”). You don’t want to sound like a phony, though. Be authentic, sharing the positive feelings you experienced. And under no circumstances should you say anything negative about a previous school, company, or boss, even if the interviewer opens the door to it.
    It’s important, too, that your answers be intelligent, so anticipate in advance what questions you are likely to be asked (researching the job and the company will give you direction about what questions might arise) and prepare responses. When I asked one college grad in an interview a few years ago what her favorite magazine was—a question she could easily have