Post-Interview Snafus

After an interview you may want to do something clever to set yourself apart from the competition. I once read an article that compiled a list of cheesy bizarre things that people had done after interviewing with various companies. The strange actions ranged from mailing a bowling pin to the company with a note that said "I'll bowl you over" to creating a pop-up book resume to leaving a shoe to "get a foot in the door." These are all terrible ideas! You'll stand out to the company all right, but not in a good way. No company is going to hire the crazy man/woman that brought an extra shoe to the interview to leave behind. While I tend to think very few people would engage in these "extreme" activities I also caution people that are doing "normal" things like following up with an email or phone call or hand-written letter. Be careful! Before you send anything make sure you've checked it and check it again!!

This is a true story: One time at work a candidate came in to interview and several days after he had come in, our female HR director got a nice hand-written card that read "I can't wait to work you" inside. I don't know if he would have gotten the job or not, but he certainly didn't get it after she read that card. What I'm assuming was a simple mistake displayed that candidate's lack of attention to detail and ineffective communication skills. (Either that, or he thought our married HR director was hot and decided that a hookup with her was worth not getting the job.) Either way, not a good fit for the company.

Here is something awesome to get your creative juices flowing: Unique business cards

If you've done anything interesting in the past to make a name for yourself with a company where you're interviewing, let us know!