One of the biggest steps every job seeker waits for in the process is the invitation to interview. While those chosen to interview is a significantly smaller number of the pool that applied, earning an interview is certainly not a shoe-in for the job no matter how strong your qualifications. Rather, it’s a nod in the right direction with more work to be done.

Larry Slesinger, author of “Why Qualified Candidates Don’t Always Get the Best Jobs,” acknowledges a number of factors come into play as to why a qualified applicant doesn’t land a particular job including having too much or too little experience or that his or her experience is good but not quite the right fit in that organization. Those are aspects over which an applicant has little or no control. However, there are other areas a job seeker can completely control and to which specific attention should be given to make a strong, positive mark during the interview process:

Be knowledgeable about the organization. Indeed, research continues to be key. If you already did it to prepare your cover letter and resume, review what you learned. If you haven’t already done it, you must. Your interviewer wants to know you have a level of understanding and investment in the organization.

Ask questions. While you feel at the mercy of the hiring manager, the interview is something of a two-way street. Don’t just let yourself be interviewed; participate in a conversation. Questions from your perspective help both sides assess if the fit is a good one both professionally and personally.

Follow up with a thank you. Any form of a post-interview thank you, whether that be letter, phone call or email, seems optional to many. But, it shouldn’t be. Slesinger notes the initiative of a thank you as inspiring “confidence that this person has the leadership skills, initiative, and drive that senior management positions require.” The extra minutes you put into a thank you might just translate into years in a satisfying position.

The job search process is difficult enough without overlooking a detail that results in eliminating yourself. Use the combination of last week’s application advice and this week’s interview guidance to make you a stand-out candidate.

Slesinger, Larry. “Why Qualified Candidates Don’t Always Get the Best Jobs.” ExecSearches.com. 1999. Web. (18 April 2016)

Nancy Stoker is a Senior Client Services Representative and Research Associate with ExecSearches.com.

For more information about our career coaching and resume review writing services, email review@execsearches.com.

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