Two critical tasks job seekers should do - yet don't

I've been going back and forth on whether to write this post for a while. Part of me thinks these tips are too obvious to cover. If you read this and say "of course," then good for you. But over the past year of interviewing many job candidates, I've noticed how many people don't bother to cover these basic but essential steps in the process of landing a job. So I feel compelled to share these critical tasks:

1. Before the interview, do your homework on the company. It seems to me that many job candidates prepare by rehearsing how they'll talk about themselves - rather than how they'll substantively show what they can do for the company. It's hard to do the latter well without some good old fashioned research. But many people skip this step. I have interviewed several candidates who obviously hadn't learned much about my company or the products they were applying to manage. For example, more than once over the years I've asked people what they think are the strongest and weakest points of the company's products and got blank looks. Not good. It's also worth doing homework on the person who is conducting the interview - in the age of Google and LinkedIn, it's easy. You can learn a lot about a person and better understand how to connect with him or her in the interview process. If your research on the company and interviewer yield little, then come armed with good questions that will enable you to gain understanding - and better position yourself - during the interview.

2. Afterward, promptly thank the person who interviewed you in writing. I recommend an email the same day. This basic courtesy is important - and it's a way to further make your case. Don't just send a generic, form letter type of note. Be sure to express gratitude for the person's time, cite some specific topics from the discussion to help the interviewer remember you and underline your qualifications and interest in the job. Surprisingly few people send strong thank-you notes.

So there you have it - do your homework and say thanks. It's obvious but perhaps not so obvious. Many people don't bother to do either - or go through the motions in a half-hearted, cursory way. That means you can stand out by handling these well. It will show you take care and can deliver.

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