High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 3 Things Great Leaders Say

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 3 Things Great Leaders Say: "Great leaders put their ego aside because admitting to being human and making mistakes actually increases trust."

• How to Craft a Perfect Thank-You Email After a Job Interview: "the following email template is an ideal way to follow up because it possesses six important traits"

• Why Traveling the World is a Great Investment in Yourself: "Unfamiliar moments help us grow. That’s how we acquire new habits, new tastes in food, and new interests we might take back home and share with those around us. Learning to be curious about and gain knowledge from people will aid you in every aspect of your life."

• More Sleep, Not Less, is the Secret of Success: "there is still a long way to go before it will be generally accepted that effective leaders sleep more rather than less than regular mortals."
• 3 Things to Do to Stop Staying Late at Work: "The more you plan, the more choices you’ll be able to make over the course of your workday that can improve your chances of leaving whenever you want."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Controlling Bad Habits for a Successful Career

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• Controlling Bad Habits for a Successful Career: "Create small wins. The most efficient way to make a permanent change is to focus on daily, incremental improvements."


• The Right Way to Say Thanks After an Interview: "Instead of simply expressing gratitude, a successful note builds on the interview by illustrating what the candidate can offer in addition to what was discussed."


• 3 Ways to Engage Your People in Your Company Brand: "Create a brand event or brand day and invite employees from around the company to participate. Solicit their feedback on the brand. Implement regular brand contests that support branding objectives."


• Building Confidence as a First-Time Job Hunter: "The first step is to believe you have the skills to get the job. This will boost your confidence, and it will definitely show in the interview--which is where you really have to nail it."


• Social Media Snafus to Avoid: "63 percent of recruiters have negatively reconsidered candidates based on finding profanity in their profiles. Illegal drug references top the list of content to avoid, with 83 percent of recruiters reconsidering candidates because of them."

Common Considerations When Sending Your Interview Follow-up Letter

One of the most commonly cited causes of stress in the interviewing process is the feeling of a lack of control. Once you have finished your interview - no matter how well it went - the next few days (or weeks in some cases) are the hardest of all. While you can't control the candidate pool and you can't control the hiring manager's decision making process, you can exercise some control over how you are perceived.

The statistics vary regarding how many job seekers send these letters, the numbers range from 1 in 50 to 1 in 300. No matter the numbers, the post-interview follow-up letter is an often-overlooked tool that can be used to stand out from the crowd. Sending a follow-up thank you note goes beyond common courtesy and manners. This letter conveys your interest, further establishes a very important communication link, and allows you to address any unspoken information.

Should You Always Send a Letter?
The short answer is yes, after every interview. However, there will be interviews in which you decide you are not really interested in the job for a number of reasons - job duties, environment, company culture, or the boss just to name a few. However, you should still send a note thanking the interviewer for their time. Build bridges and expand your network - even when you are no longer seeking the position.

When Should You Send the Letter?
Ideally, the letter should be on its way within 24 hours. The bottom line is that you do not know how or when they are officially making their decision. You want your thank you letter to be in the decision makers hands as soon as possible.

How Should You Send the Letter?
If you are an effective written communicator and you have legible handwriting, consider keeping thank you cards in the car. Write your thank you right after the interview, walk it back in, and leave it with the receptionist. However, sending your letter by email is perfectly acceptable. Remember to avoid all CAPS, check for spelling and grammatical errors, and look at your email signature and account name before sending your letter via email.

What Should be Included in the Letter?
The letter should be concise and straightforward, though there are some content requirements.

• Sincerely thank the interviewer for their time. 
• Demonstrate that you researched the company and have really thought about how you can help them fill their need or resolve their problem. 
• Remind the interviewer of what you feel was your key selling point in the interview. 
• Connect the letter with your interview by adding something personal (love of cats, sports teams, etc.) that helped you establish rapport with the interviewer.
• Clearly state your interest in the position and provide your value statement of what makes you cost-effective. 
• Offer a timeline of when you will follow up with them the next time.

Five Thank You Note Mistakes to Avoid

The thank you note is a mainstay in professional culture. Thanking the interviewer for her time shows graciousness and politeness, a reflection of the worker that you will be. However, there are mistakes to avoid when preparing thank you notes. Follow these tips to make sure what you send has impact:

1. Sending the note too early: this might seem counter-intuitive, but makes sense when you think about it. Thank you notes have become relegated to the "box interviewees check" category, to the point where the tone of the note can appear to be "I'm doing this because I have to." The timing of the note is a perfect example of this idea: sending a note minutes after your interview (or, worse, writing the note before the interview) puts you into this perfunctory category. Send a thank you note within 48 hours after your interview, but give it at lease two to three hours to show that you are not simply acting on an obligation and being disingenuous.

2. Failing to advocate for your candidacy: do not simply thank the interviewer for her time in your note: use it as an opportunity to readdress specific points brought up in the interview and how your knowledge, skills, abilities, and other personal qualities can help the organization reach its goals. Perhaps you thought of a better example that more clearly demonstrates how you can help solve an organizational problem, or there was a skill that you want to emphasize. Addressing these points shows how the thank you note is not a mere professional obligation, but an extension of the interview and positions you as the strongest possible candidate.

3. Spelling & grammar errors: it goes without saying, but candidates can hurt their chances by not proofreading their work. Do yourself and your career a favor by double-checking for spelling and grammar errors.

4. Believing you have to send a physical note: there are arguments abound whether sending a physical note or an email makes you stand out as a candidate. In our current business environment, either one is acceptable. When you get down to it, it is the content of the note that will make you stand out. Focus on your content...not on the delivery method.

5. Not sending notes in other professional contexts: thank you notes do not have to be (and should not be) exclusively for interviews. Strong leaders see the contributions of their supervisors, colleagues, and supervisees, and send pointed and specific thank you notes to show them appreciation for their efforts. Incorporate this into your professional life and see the difference that it makes.

Do you have any thank you note tips that have been successful for you? If so, leave them in the comments.