Once considered standard practice, the post interview thank you note has quickly gone the way of pagers and paper applications. This makes it the perfect avenue for you to differentiate yourself from the other interviewees!

Sending a handwritten thank you note benefits you in multiple ways:

1)       It helps companies remember you after the interview

2)      It demonstrates you have good people skills

3)      Send within 24 hours and it shows you have prompt follow up

4)      It shows you are serious about your career search

5)      You can reiterate your enthusiasm for the position you interviewed for

6)      A display of gratitude is refreshing and might be just the nudge to put you on the top of the callback stack

I could go on and on about this practice. I’m advocating the handwritten note as email is too easily lost in a barrage of work related emails and too impersonal as a standalone practice.

If you forgot to grab the hiring manager’s business card, the Internet or a quick call to the office will yield the information you need. Your note doesn’t have to be fancy.  Just a few lines to express your appreciation for the interviewer’s time and consideration are fine. You can use it to affirm your interest after learning more about the position. Feel free to add a sentence or two about why you think you’d be a great fit for the job. The act itself will trump content. Drop it in the mail within 24 hours (same day is best).

When I get a handwritten thank you note after an interview, I also share it with my colleagues. I often display it for a week or so. As a staffing industry recruiter, if I get an urgent job to fill, who do you think will come to mind first? You guessed it:  the candidate who took the extra two minutes and a stamp to imprint themselves in my memory as a class act.

Sheri Conner, Celebrity Staff Account Manager

About the Author Sheri Connor
Sheri joined Celebrity Staff’s Lincoln office as an account manager in 2007. She brings a wealth of experience from the banking and mortgage industries, as well as experience in small business ownership, e-commerce, and in the entertainment field. Sheri is an Ambassador for the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Lofte Community Theatre where she appeared on stage in October 2009 in a comedic role. Sheri also consults in the music industry for independent record labels and musicians both locally and in NYC in her free time.

Yes, as a senior account manager, part of my role is to draw in new clientele. This often means making cold calls into businesses and human resource departments that view my calls the same as those received during dinner time at home. The frustration is often palpable. On both ends, as many times the purpose of my call is to not always to find an open position and sell staffing services. A good conversation with a fellow professional can be mutually beneficial when given the opportunity.

Ask any one of our clients with which we are currently doing business. An experienced recruiter in the staffing industry can be so much more than a staffing partner bringing highly qualified candidates that are pre-screened to their specifications. Often taking on the role of a trusted advisor in the industry, your account manager can also bring to light changing staffing trends beyond the standard HR updates. Think about it. In the course of one day I am connecting with other professionals across a broad span of industry niches that experience different levels of change as the economy shifts. For example, while discussing employment needs, Company A informs me of layoffs occurring due to lack of work. Not only can I partner with Company A to find candidates new to the job market a new opportunity, I also take the opportunity to chat about who else will be affected and foresee other organizations that are going to be in need of a game plan. 

Thankfully, the opposite has been true lately. More and more contacts are reporting an increase in business flow and therefore evaluating the best approach to manage the growth. How beneficial would it be to take the time to listen to a recruiter’s story on where they are seeing that growth? As a human resource professional in your company, what can you gain by having an outside perspective? 

Networking with an account manager in the staffing industry also provides an opportunity to better serve the candidates coming to fill your own positions. By knowing the niche of your connections in the staffing world, you can provide the candidates an alternative avenue to pursue a career in the instance they are not a fit for your company.

Customer service 101: “If I cannot help you, let me tell you who can.” Talent acquisition representatives, corporate recruiters, human resource generalists, office managers, etc. are typically the only individuals in the company a candidate interacts with through the hiring process. In my experience, candidates maintain a higher opinion of hiring managers, and therefore the company that provides resources to redirect their job search holds a higher value to them. Ultimately the result is either a great candidate working for you or a great candidate that becomes gainfully employed that will still rave about how you were able to help even if you couldn’t help directly. And by pairing with a recruiter you have another comrade in your area that can attest to your professional decorum!

So the next time a recruiter calls, instead of wondering what they are wanting from you, think about what you can gain from the call as well. Business partnerships do not need to start with the expectation of a “sale” or closed deal. The strongest relationships start with a mutual understanding of each other’s capability to benefit each other.

Tressa Hyndman, Senior Account Manager

About the Author, Tressa Hyndman
Tressa has been in the staffing industry for two years. Her professional background includes more than nine years of retail and banking management where recruiting for her own team played a large role in building successful teams. Since joining Celebrity Staff, Tressa has used her versatile experience to partner with clients and candidates alike to find the right match for career opportunities. 

Tressa has her Master’s degree in human resource management from Webster University. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family, listening to music, and reading.

I walked out the door feeling confused. How is this meeting going to inspire me to write a blog? Buts, as I was driving to the appointment, I started thinking about what she said. I began to realize that while planning a wedding and finding a job are two totally different things, they do have many similarities. In some ways, recruiters are like wedding planners. We don’t help people with food selection, choosing of the dress, or even selecting of a photographer, but we do help them in other important ways. We provide job seekers with resume critiques, interview prep sessions, and multiple job opportunities. Plus, there’s no charge for candidates to use our services! Wouldn’t it be nice to find a free wedding planner? 

Getting married and finding a new job are both hard work and usually take quite a bit of time. You can’t expect to get either done without putting in a lot of work. In most cases, you are not going to get the very first job you apply for. Even if you think you found the perfect job right away, would you really want to accept it without first considering other opportunities? Maybe it’s not right for you. Maybe it will make you happy for a little while, but can you really see yourself there long term? Don’t accept the first job you’re offered just because it seems like an easy way out. Just think, would you really want to marry the first guy, or girl, you ever dated? Probably not. So, don’t accept a job just because it will mean you can finally stop looking for others. Go on interviews; experience the “dating scene.” Make sure the decision you are making is right for you. 

With that being said, don’t wait forever though! That perfect guy, or girl, isn’t always going to be around when you finally make a decision. Just like your dream job may, or may not be available once you have decided it’s the right opportunity for you. You don’t have to date every guy or girl out there to know when you’ve found the one. Just like you don’t have to apply for every single job you see just because you are afraid of missing out on a great opportunity. Find a happy medium. Apply for the positions that interest you the most, the roles where you can see yourself being happy long-term. As they always says, “When you know, you know!”

Finding a job, just like planning a wedding, is a process. Sometimes it is not only your answers to questions that employers are paying attention to; they may be focusing on many different things. A major deciding factor can be your references. I have seen a lot of things when it comes to references. I have called individuals who do not remember ever working with the job seeker in question. I have called people who do not feel comfortable answering any questions. I have even been directed to incorrect or disconnected phone numbers. These situations certainly do not leave a good impression with potential employers.

Choosing your references is just like choosing your bridesmaids. I realize that the people you choose to be bridesmaids, or your groomsmen, will mostly likely not be listed as your professional references. However, there are certainly similarities between the two. You often choose your closest friends to be in your wedding, the ones who have known you the longest and the ones who know you the best. It takes a lot of thought in deciding who you want to have in your wedding party because it is an important decision. You want to be proud to have them stand beside you, and if they give a speech, you hope they have something nice to say about you. Choosing managers or co-workers to list as your references is also a very important task. These individuals can be the “make or break” of you getting a new job. They need to be people who know you the best and can truly attest to the type of employee that you are. 

I was tempted to ask my oldest friend from grade school be in my wedding because we had known each other for so long.  But, we haven’t talked in 10 years, so wouldn’t that be awkward? We don’t really know each other anymore, so I decided against it. The same thing applies to your references. Why would you list past managers or co-workers who you haven’t talked to in more than a decade? You cannot expect them to be able to give an accurate appraisal of you to a potential employer. They do not know the type of employee you are today. 

References should be people who have worked closely with you, people who truly know you. I wouldn’t have some girl I hung out with for a few months in college in my wedding. So why would I list someone I barely worked with as a reference? Really think about your references before you list them on an application. Do not list people without asking them first. You would not choose your maid of honor, or your best man, the day of your wedding and say, “Oh, by the way, I need you to give a speech about me today.” Do not put your references in an awkward situation and have them caught off guard with a phone call from a random person wanting to know all about you. Make sure they know they will be contacted and feel comfortable being a reference for you.

So, take some time and really think about the types of jobs you are applying for. Make sure they will be right for you in the long run and will really make you happy. But remember, don’t wait forever! You cannot expect the perfect job to come find you, you have to find it, but it will not be around forever. Once you’ve found it, you have to act. If you love it so much, marry it, right? Apply for the job, follow-up throughout the process, interview to the best of your ability and make sure you are listing references who can truly speak to your abilities. All these things will help you land the best career match! Finding the perfect job may not always be easy, but hopefully it will be worth it in the end, and you can finally have your “happily ever after.”

Kiley Feigenbutz, Celebrity Staff Recruiter

About the Author, Kiley Feigenbutz
Kiley grew up in small town, Oakland, IA. She attended college at the University of Iowa where she graduated in May 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. After college, Kiley lived in Des Moines for a year and worked as a home mortgage consultant at Wells Fargo. She moved to Omaha in June 2011 and joined the Celebrity Staff team as a staffing assistant and was promoted to recruiter in December 2011. Kiley is currently spending most of her time planning her wedding and is getting married on June 30, 2012!

“I forgot to send out that email.”

“My kids are sick…again.”

Regardless of the industry or where the company may be, we’ve all heard these excuses once or twice. But are they really excuses? When is it enough? Is it something we should move past?  Sometimes employees do make excuses; however, employers also understand that things happen in everyday life and look more for patterns and dedication to the job than anything.

As you can only imagine, working in the staffing industry I’m provided plenty of opportunities to hear every single excuse or reason imaginable when it comes to attendance, performance, and dedication. When I say “everything,” the word has a whole new meaning. If you sat down and made a list of 100 reasons why someone is going to miss work, or be late, or can’t make it to an interview – - you wouldn’t even come close to hearing some of the things that I have! Some reason can come as a shock, while some are extremely informational, and then there are those that are just so detailed I walk away scarred for life.

Tell the truth, but don’t say too much
The phone rings, “Good morning, this is Leslie.” I hear a worried voice. “I’m not going to make it to work today. My little girl woke up this morning and said she wasn’t feeling good, but I really didn’t think much of it. When we sat down to eat breakfast she got sick and threw up all over the kitchen table. Then, before I could get a towel she went to the restroom right there in her chair and it’s all over the carpet and…” Now, believe it or not, this story continued for about five more minutes. I’ve edited it there for those out there that have weak stomachs! 

Is this too much information? When it comes to me it sure is! I appreciate the phone call, but please just tell me your child is ill and when you plan to be back into work. That is all that I need to know. I’ll start getting concerned if this is happening repeatedly.

Keep it short 
The phone rings. “Good morning, this is Leslie.” The voice on the other end is frustrated, I can tell. “Leslie, my boy was outside last night lighting off fireworks and I guess one flew by my car and now I have a flat tire. He didn’t want to tell me, because he was afraid he would get in trouble so I just now saw it as I was leaving for work.”

If you’re going to be late to work that’s great to let your employer know. However, I don’t recommend that you tell a 15 minute story as to why you’ll be late. First thing in the morning, everybody is busy. We have meetings, follow up calls to make, messages to listen to, and so much more. Wouldn’t it just be better to say, “I was just leaving for work when I realized I have a flat tire. I will be in ASAP and if it’s more than an hour I will call with an update for you.”  Essentially, that is all I need to know! 

Admit to your mistakes.
So your boss came up to you to confirm that you sent out an email to a huge customer. You tell them that you did it, knowing deep inside that you completely forgot to send it. What are you afraid of? Are you going to get fired for one error? Is trying to hide it the best thing? The answer is no! If you’ve made a mistake, admit to your mistake and complete the conversation with an apology and a plan of how you are going to fix the issue at hand. What people don’t realize is that admitting to your mistakes shows that you take credibility for your actions whether they are good or bad, and not that you just want the attention on things you do right.  This can go a long way with some people. 

Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Essentially, employers (for the most part) are going to watch several things in their employees.  They look for patterns of bad attendance, errors at work, or illness. It’s rare that one is going to judge for a one-time occurrence. You can’t sweat the small stuff! If something comes up, employers understand this! Organizations rarely frown upon an issue that comes up if it’s something that hasn’t happened in the past and there isn’t a consistent pattern. Focus on your performance, your effectiveness in the position, and your attitude at work. As long as you’re succeeding in these areas, you don’t always have to sweat the small stuff that comes up here and there.

Leslie Root, Celebrity Staff Account Manager

About the Author, Leslie Root
Leslie has worked with Celebrity Staff for the last year as an account manager. She supervises several employees and works hard at building and maintaining strong client relationships.  Leslie comes to Celebrity Staff from the mortgage industry where she worked with home loan applicants as well as realtors and brokers. Outside of the office Leslie loves to spend her free time with friends and family, but most of all with her fiance, Matt and their golden retriever, Bailey.

“Just a second, bud.” What my 5-year-old Eli fails to understand is that I’m deeply entrenched in the current Lakers game. What I fail to understand is that Eli will not give up until he has my full attention. As Kobe Bryant cross-overs and drives through the lane for an explosive dunk, my son climbs on the couch to sit directly beside me.

“Daddy? Dad? Hey, Dad. Daddy, guess what? Daddy, I have something to tell you! Daddy, you wanna know a secret? Daddy?” His persistence knows no bounds. He climbs on my back and wraps both arms around my head and eyes. “DAAAAAAAAAADDY!” Fine. He wins. I pull him off my back and onto my lap. He looks me in the eyes and lets out a huge grin. “Daddy, guess wha-uht?”

“What, Eli?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Eli hops off my lap, says “Thanks”, gives me his customary high five and runs out of the living room to begin another wild adventure.

My son is not alone. As we grow up, while some of us may lessen our persistence or aggressiveness, deep down we all still crave immediate conclusions. In the recruiting industry, I bridge the communication gap between candidates and our clients. I debrief with both after their first or fifteenth interview. After a great meeting, where everything seemed to click and fire on all cylinders, our candidates want the client to know they “are interested” and “can’t wait to hear back”. At the offer stage, after lengthy reflection, our clients want the candidates to know they “want” them and “look forward” to having them start. Both have thrown themselves out there and are eager for resolution. In short, when someone tells you they love you, they can handle “I love you, too” or even “I don’t love you”. What they can’t take is “Just a second,” “Let me get back to you,” or “Can I think about it?”

Let’s examine some of the most common reasons either party delays a decision.

They don’t want to be the bad guy.
When I was in high school, one member of my circle of friends, Tim, was known for being quite the ladies man. He dated frequently and was very charismatic. However, the moment he became disinterested in a girl, he failed to let them know. He simply went dark and stopped communicating with them. When I asked him why he never just told them he wasn’t interested in moving on he replied, “This is easier. I don’t want them to think I’m a jerk. They’ll get the hint eventually.”

The longer a decision is left ambiguous, the more it seems to hurt when the answer is no. By not biting the bullet and showing enough compassion to tell individuals, “I’m just not into you”, Tim became known as a jerk, even though that’s what he wanted to avoid. He cared more about what others thought of him than about what’s best for the other people involved. You may feel you’re disappointing someone by not offering them your job or accepting their position, but they will appreciate you for being up front and will eventually be able to move on.

They are afraid they will make the wrong decision.
What happens if I hate it? What if they aren’t a fit for our culture? Is there enough room for advancement? What if they simply can’t do the job? There are hundreds of hypothetical scenarios that run in the heads of candidates and hiring managers. While some of these may be valid concerns, most never come to fruition. In the mean time the fear builds up and paralyzes them. They are so afraid of making a wrong decision that they fail to make any decision at all.

My biggest frustration occurs when one party excitedly wants to move forward thinking it’s a match. The other party feels similar, but is too scared to pull the trigger. They let “what-ifs” cloud their judgement. Then, when the first party gets tired of waiting and moves on, the person holding everything up becomes disappointed. Early 20^th century journalist, Helen Rowland said it best: “The follies which a man regrets in his life are those to which he didn’t commit when he had the opportunity.”

There may be something better out there.
Classic. The grass always looks greener on the other side. The difference here is there might not even be grass on that side. You’re sitting next to Monty Hall with $1200 of 1970s cold hard cash in your hand. He asks you if you’re willing to trade it all in for what’s behind Door #3. Suddenly, all the things you could purchase with that cash mean nothing. Door #3 could be a dining room set, furniture, or a brand new car! It could also be a shirtless old man with a cow.

It’s amazing how much someone’s confidence rises when they feel wanted. The candidate who’s been searching for months for “the right fit” now has an offer with the company of their dreams, but wonders, “If they want me, who else does?”. The client who’s spent several sleepless nights over a crucial vacancy met with an ideal candidate, their only interview conducted, but still “needs” to see other people. When faced with a tough decision, ask yourself, “If I miss out on this opportunity, will I be disappointed?” If yes, take it. If no, pass. Either way, you are in control of your decision and not at the mercy of time. Time kills deals.

Admit it. After reading these pointers, your life has changed. There’s no way you’ll go back to delaying decisions or hesitate to be up front with anyone ever again, right? Yeah, I didn’t think so. That’s not human nature. A week after the Laker game, I saw Eli run from his room to the kitchen and called him over. “Hey, Eli. Guess what?”

“What, Daddy?”

“I love you.”

For a brief second his head turns to the floor and a bashful grin starts to emerge. He gathers his thoughts, pops his head up, stares into my eyes and with conviction says “Yeah, Dad. I kno-oh. You already told me before.”

Go figure. 

Brad Lewis, Celebrity Staff Kansas City Branch Manager

About the Author, Brad Lewis
Brad joined Celebrity Staff in 2005 and currently serves as Branch Manager for Celebrity’s Kansas City branch office. Prior to joining Celebrity Staff, Brad was a business consultant in the communications industry for five years working specifically in the Kansas and Missouri districts. As branch manager, Brad concentrates on ensuring excellence in the overall operations of theKansas City branch for both clients and employees. Outside the office, Brad enjoys spending quality time with his wife and their family.