should I follow up again?

briangl

I had an interview on Monday, he said I should hear from him by Thursday. Monday night I sent him a thank you email for the interview and let him know that I was very interested in the job. I didn't hear from him by Thursday, so I sent an email Thursday night asking him where I stood in the process. It's now Saturday and I still haven't heard from him.

I don't want to be bothering him, but at the same time I want him to know that I can be persistent and motivated and that I am very interested in this job.

Should I contact him again? If so how long should I wait?

TechJunky

I would hold off... He is more than likely busy with other tasks and sending him another email or calling him could cause more hurt than harm.

Give it until atleast next friday IMO.

Olajuwon

First of all, Who is HE?
Second, he will call you back if he wants to make an offer. You've done your part, now it's time to play the waiting part.

briangl

First of all, Who is HE?

I don't remember. What were we talking about?

You've done your part, now it's time to play the waiting part.

I know, it's just that this would be a great job for me. The money is better than I have ever made in my life, it is closer than any job I have ever had, it is a nice environment, the people all seemed very nice. I know that I would do a great job... Interviews have been very few and far between. I want to do everything in my power to get it.

Give it until at least next friday IMO.

I will. He said he wanted to find someone ASAP though.

Thanks.

steve-o87

I start my new job tomorrow but I had to wait for over a week to hear anything back. I also thought about following up but I decided that I should wait and try not look too desperate - I advise you to do the same.

If they want you, they'll call you soon enough. Unfortunately in the corporate world you have to wait on other's time. I hope you get it and good luck.

blargoe

The answer to "follow up again" is almost always NO.

Olajuwon

briangl wrote:

First of all, Who is HE?

I don't remember. What were we talking about?

It's funny when you start a thread asking for help on job interviews and you start referring to HE without saying the position HE holds first. HE could be a recruiter, a techie, a manager or an hr person. The way you follow up would be different for each of these people. I was just trying to help, don't be a smartass.

briangl

...don't be a smartass.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be, I thought you were. You didn't clarify what you meant by "HE". I was just being light hearted about it. I am finding that I need to maintain a sense of humor about all of this. I tend to feel very let down after interviews, because I have invested a lot time wise and emotionally and people either ignore me or if I can get them to reply they tell me I don't have enough experience. I don't understand why they even have me in for an interview, I list what experience I have on my resume. I am starting to think that it is the way I present myself at interviews. I am introverted and not a natural talker, but I can be a very good listener and good communicator on the job. I also get along great with people at work. I enjoy helping people with things, I find it rewarding. I used to find interviews downright traumatic, I have gotten much more comfortable with them but still feel like I may not be "performing" well enough. Maybe I should take acting lessons.

In this last interview I really wasn't asked much about technical things so I figured it was more to assess my personality.

"HE" was the head of the dept., the one I would be working for.

Thanks again.

sprkymrk

briangl wrote:

I am introverted and not a natural talker, but I can be a very good listener and good communicator on the job. I also get along great with people at work. I enjoy helping people with things, I find it rewarding.

This is a good thing to bring up in an interview. For instance when they ask the dreaded question "What would you say is your weak point?" Or even when they ask you about your strengths:
"Well despite being a bit introverted, I am a great listener.... etc".

If you would have stated that to me in an interview it would have made me sit up and take notice. Also, if I had mistaken your lack of conversational skills as either disinterest on your part or a lack of intelligence (admit it, sometimes we think quiet people are "slow") it would have changed my opinion quickly. I think you stated that in a very positive way. I hope you do that on your interviews.

Good luck!

briangl

...if I had mistaken your lack of conversational skills as either disinterest on your part or a lack of intelligence (admit it, sometimes we think quiet people are "slow")

Lack of intelligence? Quite the contrary. I have been doing some reading about the introverted personality type; It is genetic, extroverts outnumber introverts 3 to1, it is the predominant personality type of people with "gifted" intellects.

Please don't mistake quietness for lack of interest or intelligence. Introverts have a lot to offer.

Here is one article about it if anyone is interested.
http://cfge.wm.edu/documents/Introversion.html

I hope you do that on your interviews.

Thank you.

remyforbes777

Own the interview. Go into the interview thinking the job is yours. I am always very confident in interviews. I don't know why, I just view people as people. Interviewers aren't godly. They joke and act just like you and I. I don't over step the comfortability level at all , I just go into interview and lay it all out there. They called you in the interview because you "seem" to have the qualifications. Unless you have doctored your qualifications, all you have to do is demonstrate your resume and give them the visual to the description.

briangl

Here is a post from an Introvert Discussion Forum that I wholeheartedly agree with, I hope they don't mind me borrowing it, but I think they point out some very important things;

More than anything, I hate job interviews because they disadvantage introverts. We are slow to warm up and our best assets are not apparent until you get to know us a little and then we can shine. The whole process is ridiculous - you can't accurately judge someone in a brief face-to-face interview. Personally, I would rather eat glass than go to an interview but I will have to face these demons again in the near future (I've been a stay-at-home mum for a while). We perform well on the job and people love to work with us as we are dependable, reliable and get on well with others and do not make waves which is a huge benefit for the employer. Why then do they have those ads that ask for "bubbly personality" etc. etc. which I hate. I'm sure some of the best candidates get passed over because they are reserved in interviews and are not used to bignoting themselves.

remyforbes777

It's called first impressions, and sometimes they go a long way. Here is the thing. This is the corporate world. People in the corporate world don't have time to wait for people to "warm up". They need people with the personalities as well as the skills. What if you are given the task of presenting some type of new dept implementation to some top notch C's? They don't have time for you to warm up. They need something now. They might want to introduce a person to the CIO, and they can't have that person not representing themselves in a professional manner just because they are introverted.

sprkymrk

briangl wrote:

...if I had mistaken your lack of conversational skills as either disinterest on your part or a lack of intelligence (admit it, sometimes we think quiet people are "slow")

Lack of intelligence? Quite the contrary. I have been doing some reading about the introverted personality type; It is genetic, extroverts outnumber introverts 3 to1, it is the predominant personality type of people with "gifted" intellects.

Please don't mistake quietness for lack of interest or intelligence. Introverts have a lot to offer.

Here is one article about it if anyone is interested.
http://cfge.wm.edu/documents/Introversion.html

I hope you do that on your interviews.

Thank you.

Don't misunderstand me, I wasn't calling you "slow". I was just stating a stereotype; and since in your post you sound VERY intelligent, I was just trying to give you some insight into how others may percieve someone who doesn't seem to show a lot of "gung-ho" in an interview. I wanted to emphasize how well you were able to shine a positive light on what others may see as a disadvantage.

I don't think you took offense, but if you did please accept my apology.

briangl

Don't misunderstand me, I wasn't calling you "slow".

I didn't take it that way at all. I just meant in general. I didn't realize that someone on the quiet side is perceived that way though. I don't think that I have ever been. I have always seen and thought that others see people like that as being more thoughtful, as they are.

People in the corporate world don't have time to wait for people to "warm up".

I hope not everyone thinks that way.

they can't have that person not representing themselves in a professional manner just because they are introverted.

Actually, I do present myself in a professional manner. That isn't what introverted means. It doesn't mean incapable of communicating either.

Thanks for all the replies on this thread. It's nice to have a supportive environment and a sense of community. I did digress from my original line of questioning though and I need to move on to other things, like studying and job hunting.

garv221

briangl wrote:

Here is a post from an Introvert Discussion Forum that I wholeheartedly agree with, I hope they don't mind me borrowing it, but I think they point out some very important things;

More than anything, I hate job interviews because they disadvantage introverts. We are slow to warm up and our best assets are not apparent until you get to know us a little and then we can shine. The whole process is ridiculous - you can't accurately judge someone in a brief face-to-face interview. Personally, I would rather eat glass than go to an interview but I will have to face these demons again in the near future (I've been a stay-at-home mum for a while). We perform well on the job and people love to work with us as we are dependable, reliable and get on well with others and do not make waves which is a huge benefit for the employer. Why then do they have those ads that ask for "bubbly personality" etc. etc. which I hate. I'm sure some of the best candidates get passed over because they are reserved in interviews and are not used to bignoting themselves.

The truth is the best candidate is a combination of things with personality being close if not at the top of the list and the best candidate always gets the job. Every interviewee is created equal as they all made it past the first round. People who are good interviewers, confident and likable get jobs. For example this quote does no one any justice as interviews are part of life just as breathing is. For someone who is introverted and sees interview scenarios as unfair is only being unfair to themselves. People who do not open up and have a good interview will end up being disappointed and this will never change. I think sprkymrk's advice is great, in an interview just say " I am introverted" and go from there. It shows confidence in yourself, your work and what your capable of as an employee.

Humper

Brian,

You will find a job, just keep looking, it will come. I have spoken to you before (as you are aware) and you were a gentlemen, very professional.


On a side note, I prefer to work with people that are quiet! Being quiet shows intelligence in my mind alot of the time, unless you are very slow and uneducated in your responses.

briangl

I wasn't going to revisit this thread, but I have been doing some reading and found something interesting I thought I would share. An excerpt from a web page.

http://quintcareers.4jobs.com/MKT/Content/JS/Channels/InformationTechnology.asp (middle column, about half way down the page)

Many employers look for specific personality types to fit certain roles... The top three personality types in the IT field are INTJ, INFJ, and ISFJ.

INTJ (Introvert, Intuitive, Thinker, Judger)
People of this type tend to be: autonomous, aloof, and intellectual; imaginative, innovative, and unique; critical, analytical, and logical; intellectually curious, driven to learn and increase their competence and knowledge; socially cautious and reserved; organized and definitive. The most important thing to INTJs is their independence and being able to live according to their own standards.

So, apparently the personality types looked for are all introverts, if the interviewer knows what they are doing. I may actually have the ideal personality for this field. That may also be why I am attracted to it.

You will find a job, just keep looking, it will come. I have spoken to you before (as you are aware) and you were a gentlemen, very professional.

Thank you, I have probably blown the interview thing a little out of proportion. Because they have been so few and far between I tend to place a lot of emphasis on them and get let down. I probably just need more practice. I am quite capable of communicating on the job.

MrD

Interview practice is a great thing to have! I feel almost entirely comfortable in the "hot seat" now as opposed to just 6 months ago feeling completely nervous and sweating my ass off! It's all about experience and knowing how to make the interview flow the way you want it to flow. Keep at it.

JDMurray

briangl wrote:

So, apparently the personality types looked for are all introverts, if the interviewer knows what they are doing. I may actually have the ideal personality for this field. That may also be why I am attracted to it.

The term "introvert" doesn't necessarily mean what you think. As a psychologist-certified INTJ myself, I can say that the term "introvert" as defined by Meyers and Briggs indicates a person who is primarily inwardly, reflective as opposed to "extraverts" who are primarily focused on external objects. To quote the Wikipedia entry for the MBTI:

The terms Introvert and Extravert [...] are referred to as attitudes and show how a person orients and receives their energy. In the extraverted attitude the energy flow is outward, and the preferred focus is on other people and things, whereas in the introverted attitude the energy flow is inward, and the preferred focus is on one's own thoughts, ideas and impressions.

One of the worse things to have is a group filled only with introverts. There will be little in the way of leadership, action planning, and group-directed motivation. While it is nice to have a few obsessive introverts around to hyper-focus on specific problems, you certainly don't want everybody on your IT team to be that way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator

sprkymrk

briangl wrote:

So, apparently the personality types looked for are all introverts, if the interviewer knows what they are doing.

Hmmm, I guess I've just been told I don't know what I am doing.

I usually look for a wide range of qualities in people I interview. I never specifically looked for an introvert to fill a position.

Bad habits that show up in first impressions don't usually get called back. Of course, I have had a few regrets on people I have hired and on people I have passed up. That's the nature of the game though I guess.

garv221

jdmurray wrote:

One of the worse things to have is a group filled only with introverts.

LOL, now that would be a boring lunch meeting! There is a medical term for everything now days. Doesn't this just boil down to self confidence?

RATTLERMAN

You guys bring up some various and interesting points.
From what I see out here its a combination of things that get you hired and promoted. Its not enough to have the certs,degree,experience you HAVE to have the right personlaity for the job.

The key is personality

JDMurray

RATTLERMAN wrote:

Its not enough to have the certs,degree,experience you HAVE to have the right personlaity for the job.

True, but 99% of all interviewers that I have encountered have not had the training to properly assess the character/personality of an interviewee, or an understanding of what personality-types would fit best in their current group. It's basically left to first impressions, gut feelings, and luck.

sprkymrk

jdmurray wrote:

It's basically left to first impressions, gut feelings, and luck.

You hit the nail on the head there jd.

emmajoyce

sprkymrk,
just noticed you live in my part of the world. I will be graduating soon. Any suggestions you can give for this area to start with. thought about TWC, or HTC. Though small, they are the biggest thing in Horry county. If i have no luck here i guess will try Atlanta. I sorta have fallen in love with the beach. But would go back to Atlanta if I can get a job. Any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks.

sprkymrk

emmajoyce wrote:

sprkymrk,
just noticed you live in my part of the world. I will be graduating soon. Any suggestions you can give for this area to start with. thought about TWC, or HTC. Though small, they are the biggest thing in Horry county. If i have no luck here i guess will try Atlanta. I sorta have fallen in love with the beach. But would go back to Atlanta if I can get a job. Any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks.

Where exactly do you live? You can PM me if you want, though I can't say I know of anyone hiring right now. I might suggest the NWS in Goose Creek.