The #1 Way To Instantly Stand Out After A Job Interview

And, it’s just good manners. You know the ones your mom drilled into your head as a kid? Yeah, we’re going there for a minute. GRIN.

You know all of those manners your mom tried to drill into you?

Keep your elbows off the table.

Don’t chew with your mouth open.

Look a person in the eye when you shake their hand.

Stand up straight.

Say please and thank you.

Speak when you enter a room.

The list goes on — you get the idea.

Mom-Betty always reminded me as a kid to sit and be quiet (and be good) when we were out visiting. Oh, and sit up straight too. Mom and I giggled when I refreshed her memory of a story. (Mom-Betty is pictured above.)

I recall being about 5 years old. We were out visiting one of my parent’s friends. This friend had the hippest house I’d ever seen. White shag carpet, white leather furniture — it looked like it fell out of a magazine. So there I sat quietly beside my mom as I listened to the adults chat.

Imagine how freaked out I was when I was presented with a giant glass of GRAPE juice!

OMG, was she kidding???? I was 5. I spilled stuff. All-the-time.

(Sidebar: I couldn’t find the right grape juice image. So, I took this picture. Shhhhhhh, it’s not grape juice. It’s a giant glass of merlot that will be transferred to a proper wine glass and enjoyed by the author after this article is finished. I’m a problem solver. GRIN.)

Back to the story.

Chances are, if I put my little sandwich grabbers on that glass of purple juice, it would likely just explode all over the beautiful white shag carpet. To this day, it still makes me laugh. It could have been a disaster! So, a good choice. (Even though I really wanted the grape juice!)

Whether you are 5 or 55 — manners count.

Proper follow-up is NICE, and it shows you’re a class act.

Following up after an interview is simply nice etiquette. And good manners are always in style.

My top pick for standing out is to send an old-school handwritten card.

Old school? Sure.

But, it works.

It’s an easy way to be memorable.

In my first book, “Hired! How To Get The Zippy Gig. Insider Secrets From A Top Recruiter.”, I interviewed 14 Canadian executives on a variety of questions such: favorite interview question, best end of interview question, and what they’d like to see more from candidates.

Over and over, I heard the same response, and they’d like to see more candidates follow up after the interview. And the top one?

You guessed it — a handwritten follow-up card.

It’s rare.

It’s so easy to do.

It makes you memorable.

And, almost no one does it!

It tells me you’re trying to be a stand-out. I like stand-outs.

A follow-up email is also a good choice to follow up. It doesn’t have the same standout factor as a card, but it works too. (I mean, really, when was the last time you got a hand-written card in the mail?)

The card or email should be written and sent the same day as the interview (or the latest the next day).

MOST candidates don’t follow up AT ALL after the first interview.

Be the candidate that is remembered. After all, it’s just good manners. And, your mom would be proud.

OK, what should you say in a thank you card?

Here’s an example:

Sheila,

Thank you so much for your time on Tuesday afternoon. I really enjoyed learning more about TAG Recruitment and our discussion about the Branch Manager role with your firm. I’m excited to hear from you on the next steps in the selection process.

Best,

John

Good luck with your job search! Thank you for reading.

I write about resumes, job searching & interviewing, all with a dose of humor. I’ve written two books, best-seller, “Hired! How To Get The Zippy Gig. Insider Secrets From A Top Recruiter.” & “Unexpected Mentors. Weird & Creative Ideas To Boost Your Career.”, available on Amazon. www.sheilamusgrove.com