How do you follow up and stand out after a career change job interview?

In my experience, display a sense of urgency and send your email within 2 hours. Be sure to reference points from your discussion. Want to go old school and send a vellum card written by fountain pen? Ok - then take a picture and send. Better yet, send a video! You'll stand out, and be memorable. None of your competitors will do so. We are hard-wired to process visual information - the human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text! If you haven't mastered the art of selfie video, go with the email, and add "video competency" to your urgent upskilling list.

I recommend writing a personalized thank you to each person present in the interview. If you don't have it already, you can ask the person who coordinated the interview for the contact information. Say something personal in your thank you. For example, tell the hiring manager how helpful you found their perspective when they answered your questions. Or mention how you admire the director's professional development within the company and hope to build a career with the company too. Adding a personal slant on each follow-up note requires a little more finessing from you during the interview to get everyone involved in the conversation. But people always remember how you make them feel!

A thank-you note is a perfect opportunity to show the interviewers that you enjoyed the conversation, you appreciated their time and are keen to add value in the role. To stand out from other candidates, share one thing the interviewers shared with you that was of value to you, or memorable or insightful in some way. It will show you were listening closely, and interviewers will remember this.

Don't forget to thank anyone in your network who was instrumental in helping you get the interview. People love to help, and especially love to know how they have helped.

I've seen a many instances where the sending of a thank you note was a highly weighted factor in moving on to the next step in an interview process.

A "career change" job interview implies you're interviewing for a role you haven't done before. Therefore, you need to play the long-game. Most of your interviews will not result in offers, but they're nonetheless important because they're the foundation for your network in this new industry or market. As such, be grateful for every person who speaks with you or gives you their time. You get to follow them and to invest in helping them - even if it means connecting them to someone else in your network, appreciating their time and advice and checking in down the line. Don't forget to congratulate them on their own or the company's milestones when you see those posted on LinkedIn. Don't ever forget that you're playing the long-game here

One way to stay in touch is to add value to their day. Share an article which might be of interest to them, or which enhances the conversation you had in the interview. It's a way to share knowledge, and add in your request to follow on the status of the recruitment process. You can combine touching base with contributing in a meaningful way - a graceful follow-up move.

Give the team some time to digest and discuss the interview, and to interview other people. Focus on other applications. An interview doesn't guarantee anything and doesn't have to go in your favour. Send a follow up email 2-3 days later to ask for an update. There's no need to add more info or sell yourself again if information hasn't been requested or nothing significant has changed on your side. Bear in mind, you can often tell a lot about company culture by how you're treated as a candidate. Let the company lead and demonstrate who they are. They should be proactive in keeping you in the loop and not keep you waiting for too long. That's on them, not you.

I'd use caution with this. In my experience, a short polite thank you is more welcomed by recruiters than someone sending extra information unless it was specifically discussed or requested. Also, if it's after a first interview, then you're most likely emailing the recruiter who doesn't necessarily know the technical details or have the expertise involved in the role, so the information may be lost on him/her/they. What I have seen work for some is to have the follow-up thank you to be in the form of a video that reinforces your enthusiasm for the job/company. My good friend David Andriate offers this service plus a DIY course that has had great success. You can view one of his videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RZ4m8EjzqQ

The best way to showcase your skills is by asking questions. The interview selected you for a reason. It's not so obvious as to why when you're doing a career chance since you're coming from a more untraditional path into the role. So flip the script. Start asking good, smart questions about the role, project, and company. From there, focus on your *transferrable* skills and frame yourself as the missing piece to their puzzle.

Again, careful with this. It feels like you're bombing the company. It's better to focus on other applications to increase your opportunities. Don't try to strong arm a company into hiring you, it doesn't work, is extremely off-putting and may mean you're not considered for more suitable positions in the future.

If you are not the successful candidate, it doesn't mean this is the end of the line with the contacts you have made. Asking your interview contacts "now that you know more about me and what I'm looking for, who in your circle would you recommend I speak with", is completely acceptable. It's a great way to expand your network and explore job opportunities you would not have been aware of before.

I completely agree with this suggestion. I have advised some career clients to ask if an internal contact or someone that knows the hiring manager would be willing to offer an informal recommendation. The timing is especially helpful between interviews 1 and 2, definitely after a Final interview. If they are vacillating between you and a couple other candidates, this can move things in your favor!

Think about the five people who would say the best things about you as a professional or person. Take them out for a coffee. Send them a nice text message. The more specific the ask, the better. "Hey so-and-so, I saw you're connecting with Jane at Google. Can you please introduce us via email? I'd love to ask some questions about the company." Or it can be more broad. "Hey so-and-so, I'm starting to dip my toe in the job market. If there's ever anyone you know who's looking for a (your profession) I'd really appreciate it if you could introduce us." The five people you start with will rarely get you the job. It's the secondary and tertiary level of your network often bears the most fruit.

Just a reminder to always ask your references if they are willing to be references. Don't just assume they are willing. Some companies have policies that prevent people from acting as references.

After every interview make time for a period of reflection. If you can get feedback then ask for it. Look at what went well and focus on that. Don’t get hung up on what didn’t work. Going forward you should concentrate on what you do well and do more of what you do well.

Getting a new job is like dating. You can't come on too hard, but you also need to demonstrate enough interest to show you care about the role. Here's the thing to remember. People rarely remember things you said during an interview, but they will remember how you made them feel. If you can mention something in your thank you note that harkens back to a positive feeling during the interview, like an achievement the hiring manager was impressed with or some common ground you found with each other, you'll have a better shot of keeping your name in that person's head. Ideally, that leads to you getting the call you've been waiting for.

Remember - if you are not the successful candidate, you can always ask for feedback after, which can help you for your next interview. You can ask "what would you recommend I develop or strengthen in my profile that would help me compete for a similar job in the future?". Just because you ask it doesn't mean the company will respond - but if they do respond, you may learn some important information which informs your job search.

The best time to ask for feedback is BEFORE leaving the interview because you're less likely to get it if you ask after. Here are 2 approaches. 1. During the interview. It's hard to know if you omitted an important detail or said something that unintentionally left the wrong impression. After answering a question, ask "Did that fully address your question?" or "Is there anything more you'd like me to say about that?" 2. As the interview is wrapping up. It's your last chance to influence the interviewer's assessment. For example, “Is there anything I haven’t fully addressed or can expand on?” These tactics will help make sure you haven't left anything out or clear up misunderstandings. Theyll also show self-confidence & help you stand out.