You have to follow through

How to follow up is the topic of today's post  Your Career Service.

Why ideas fail

 When it comes to succeeding at anything, you have to follow through. You might have the best idea in the world. But unless you follow up on all of the steps, it’s a failed idea. A lack of following up is the reason why ideas fail.

How to follow up

A project is made up of doable steps. To follow up on each step is how to keep your project moving forward. And you keep pressing on with follow-ups until your project is finished. 

Take your job hunt for example. You have to follow through with everyone you meet. To follow up after job interviews means to maintain contact with prospective employers who have interviewed you, with associates and friends you’ve contacted as a part of networking, and recruiters at agencies with whom you’ve either seen or corresponded with.

Always follow up after an interview

• Write interview follow up thank you letters or e-mails. When you interview a bunch of people at the same organization – either individually or in group interviews – write personalized e-mails or letters to everyone. 

• When I sold radio time, one of my bosses advised his salespeople “to make presentations only to the person with the money in his pocket.” That would be the person who makes the decisions to buy. Write the important follow up letter or e-mail to the person who has the power to hire you. At the end of each interview, ask who makes the hiring decision. That’s the person with the money in yer pocket; the person with whom you should maintain contact. 

• While waiting to hear if you got the nod, write some more letters or e-mails abut your interest in the job and organization. Whenever your told, “We’re not hiring yet,” find out when you should get back. You have to follow through.

You can also make interview follow up phone calls to your prospect. And when you call, instead of asking if someone has made a hiring decision, ask some more questions about the job or company. This shows how interested you are in the job. 

A follow up thank you note or interview follow up call is how to be remembered….and hired. 

Following up is also giving great service. Read "Give exceptional service and be a smashing success," a previous post on Your career Service.