> From: Gary L. Nunn [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > 1. After an interview (phone or in person) is it appropriate to send a > thank you - either a hand written card or an email. Since I am looking > for jobs in the IT field, I tend to favor email. Some sources say the > "thank you" is virtually mandatory and some sources say that > it is more > of an annoyance because they don't want to waste the time to > read them.
Definitely. An email is OK, but a handwritten note is better. Heck, do both! Sometimes a handwritten note can take a few days to work its way through the post office *and* the company mailroom. So an email can be an immediate response and a snail mail note can bit later reminder. I spent 7 years as a manager in an IT shop and I'll tell you a dirty little secret: Once someone reaches the interview phase, I'm pretty interested in them. And I'm probably wondering as much if they are interested in my company and the position as I am if I am interested in them. So receiving a an honest thank you is a confirmation that the candidate *is* interested in the position. > 2. Recently I have been contacting companies to find the name of the > person that will be actually receiving my resume and > addressing this to > them directly. The source that gave me this idea says that this shows > initiative. Any thoughts? Sure. Nothing wrong with that. As others have said, don't try to contact them directly via phone or email though. That would make me feel uncomfortable, especially if I haven't even seen the resume yet. > 3. This question is one that I am personally on the fence with - My > supervisor at the DoD is really great about supporting people when they > have opportunities to move up and advance in position, job or salary. He > consistently has given glowing references for all of us. So, I put in my > cover letters that my supervisor is aware that I am seeking other > employment and is listed as one of my professional > references. I had a > recruiter tell me that this gives a negative impression - kind of like > we are mutually agreeing that I should leave. I have always > thought this > would be a positive since they could always contact my > current employer > for a reference. Any thoughts on this specific issue would be > appreciated. I'm not sure on this one. I can't recall it ever happening so I'm not sure what my response would be. Honestly, I guess I always was a bit wary of the people who said they could contact their current employer. Not enough to trash their resume or application but something I would always make a point of asking about if it reached an interview. > 4. Any other thoughts or advice on questions not covered here > would also be appreciated. Remember that a person initially going through a stack of resumes is looking for reasons to put resumes in the "no" pile rather than reasons to keep them in the "yes" pile. So want something that makes you stand out from the crowd. I always liked it when I saw interests and hobbies listed on the resume. Sometimes that would make the person click with me. (This can backfire though.) But don't go too wacky. I always hated the resumes that were in fancy fonts on parchment paper, etc. I wasn't looking for a marketing person, I was looking for programmers and wanted a resume that showed they could do their stuff. Hope that helps! - jmh _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
