Thank you notes are tricky things. They are professionally required for most interviews, but lately I’ve been seeing people use them for a specific purpose that I don’t think they do particularly well: to address some perceived shortcoming during the interview. I’m here to say: Don’t do it – there’s a better way to handle the situation.
I’ve been chatting recently with a number of professional friends who have landed in, or narrowly avoided, taking positions where they were well qualified for the tasks, but the environment would have been toxic. One friend asked me how to assess if a work environment is toxic during a day long interview. It comes down to three things.
I was recently reading that the, “What’s your Weakness?” question was the most useless interview question, because everyone tries to dodge it. Rather than useless, I describe it as the most misunderstood interview question, by candidates and interviewers alike. Candidates feel it’s a trick question, and some employers aren’t clear on what exactly they’re looking for when they ask.
This week, I talk about how to handle this specific negotiation situation: the “Have Offer A, but Waiting to Hear From Offer B” scenario. As usual, what’s most interesting to me is the etiquette and the appropriate language to use with both organizations. I give examples of how to delay Offer A, as well as how to find out about your status from potential Offer B.
In my line of work, helping candidates prepare for interviews is an everyday task. In my experience, the first step for candidates who have interviews is to look online for field-specific interview questions to practice. This is a mistake. Here’s what to do instead.
