The Dos and Don'ts of Post-Interview "Thank You" Notes

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It's a no-brainer to send "thank you" notes after a job interview – or at least it should be. This simple act of post-interview gratitude can propel your candidacy forward. Here are some guidelines you should follow when sending "thank you" notes:

•Be prompt. Send your notes no later than the morning after the interview. This will reinforce that the position for which you interviewed is front of mind and demonstrate your orientation toward action.

•Be brief. Short and sweet. Indicate your appreciation and interest, and perhaps reference a memorable aspect of the conversation, which will demonstrate that you were listening and engaged.

•Send it by email. It's true that a handwritten note on personal stationery demonstrates charm and care you'll never find in any email, but letters sent by post also take a long time to arrive and can easily get lost or ignored in the company mail room (I've witnessed this firsthand). If you'd like to send a note via traditional mail, do so in addition to an email; instead consider dropping the note off at the company's front desk without fanfare.

•Proofread the heck out of it. Typos and grammatical errors introduce or reinforce negative perceptions an interviewer might have about your communications skills.

•Don't forget anyone. Sending "thank you" notes to some interviewers and forgetting to send to others can get you knocked out of consideration, even after an outstanding interview. Here's why – the interview team will meet after the interview to discuss your candidacy and come to consensus about your qualifications, fit, and presentation; if it becomes clear that you sent notes only to certain individuals, others interviewers might feel marginalized. Send notes to everyone you meet or speak with – from the CEO, to the Corporate Recruiter, to the Administrative Assistant who scheduled your agenda. If you don't have someone's email address, ask the person who arranged your interview to provide it to you.

•Don't go overboard. A simple note will suffice. Resist the urge to drop off gifts such as cupcakes or candies. Such gestures, while potentially heartfelt, tend to be viewed by employers with skepticism, as an attempt to curry favor.

•Most importantly – remember to send it! Shockingly few job seekers even bother to send "thank you" notes. It's an easy way to make a positive impression. Why waste the opportunity?

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

6 Essential Facts About Job Hunting For Senior-Level Executives

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Life as a senior-level executive certainly has its perks. CEOs, COOs, and Senior Vice Presidents hold an important role in the strategic day-to-day functioning of a major organization, the status of such a position carries a great deal of social capital, and the salary and benefits are pretty darn good.

But most jobs have a life span. A decline in revenues, an uninspired presentation to the Board of Directors, or a difference of opinion on the strategic direction of the organization can result in a highly successful C-suite leader being unexpectedly – and inexplicably – unemployed and having to mount a job search. Here are six essential facts about job hunting senior-level executives need to be aware of as they pursue new career opportunities.

1. Prepare for the job search to take a while. One human capital and search firm's recent data indicated the median length of their executive job searches over the past six years averaged 6.3 months. There are several reasons for this – there are fewer C-suite jobs available, companies tend to take their time filling these critical roles, and they often seek the buy-in of numerous individuals – including the Board of Directors, members of the executive leadership team, customers, strategic partners, and other key stakeholders.
    

2. Most executive opportunities won't be posted on job boards. True, you'll find a few listed, but most companies tend to shy away from posting senior-level executive opportunities on boards such as Monster, Indeed, and LinkedIn.
    

3. Employers generally prefer to engage executive search firms to take on the burden of vetting tens of thousands of applications. Executive search firms typically work on a retainer, receiving from the employer a fee in the neighborhood of 33% of the candidate's first year total compensation plus expenses, and managing the search on behalf of the company from beginning to end. Although search firms are pricey, companies utilize them because they have an extensive database of existing contacts, and a major firm's prestige alone will usually merit a return phone call by a busy C-level candidate. Such firms are often tapped to quietly handle confidential searches (i.e., the company is looking to replace their existing SVP of Marketing).
    

4. Networking will be your most important job search tool. You'll receive the highest ROI by building and working your network. Proactively reach out to peers, mentors, and others who may be positioned to provide you intelligence on the job market and refer you to opportunities. Likewise, use LinkedIn to identify and reach out to executive search firms' Practice Leaders; these are the individuals who specialize in identifying talent and managing searches within specific verticals and disciplines.
    

5. Your resume needs to read like an executive resume. Balance high-level, strategic language with tangible, high-impact accomplishments. Consider how you established or delivered against a vision, and the ways in which the organization realized gains and created shareholder value as a result of your efforts; and context around these accomplishments matters. It's also important to address how you influenced the culture and created a pipeline of leadership talent.
    

6. It's important to be mindful of your tone during all interactions. Anyone with whom you come in contact during the job hunt will be in a position to help your candidacy – provide them with good reasons to do so. Demonstrate an abundance of assertiveness, positive attitude, and gratitude.

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Do I Really Need An MBA?

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You're interested in giving your career a boost and accelerating your climb up the corporate ladder. Is it time to go back to school and get an MBA?

An advanced degree is a very expensive proposition. Annual tuition at a major program can easily top $50,000 per year. And if you decide to go back to school full time, this means that you'll also need to factor in substantial additional expenses for housing and living expenses.

Factor all this together, and you're looking at easily spending more than $200,000 over two years (take a look at the estimated costs for one year of tuition, housing, and living expenses for business school Harvard University; these are the university's own unvarnished projections); you could buy a house for that money. And don't forget about the income you lose by putting your career on hiatus.

It's quite true that if you complete an MBA from a top-tier school it's quite possible you'll see a substantial bump in pay from what you were earning before. And you don't necessarily need to quit your job to go full-time (depending upon the program). But that doesn't make the degree any less expensive or time consuming.

GETTING AN MBA MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA IF YOU...

• Didn't get a bachelor's degree in a business discipline. Many career disciplines require a strong foundation in business education. A non-business bachelor's degree (in disciplines such as liberal arts, science, or communications) won't necessarily offer the classes in marketing, accounting, finance, and operations which provide a helpful business orientation and skill set.
   
• Want to change career path. A degree in a new discipline can be a fantastic way to reinvent yourself, since you'll be armed with a new knowledge set. And it's a great pivot point since you have demonstrated an interest in taking your career in a new direction through your studies. I've seen nurses, journalists, technologists, and other non-business professionals reinvent themselves as marketers, investment bankers, and financial analysts.
   
• Need a career boost. Maybe you hit a ceiling in your career. The act of getting (or even pursuing) an MBA may convince your employer that you take your career progression seriously, which could potentially open new doors. Also, the knowledge you gain through your education may increase your value and skills in your current role, pushing you onto more of a promotion track. And some companies use the MBA as a minimum requirement for entry to the executive suite.
   
• The jobs you want require it. Many employers equate MBA graduates from highly ranked program to high potential hires. If you want to get into a leadership rotation program with a brand-name employer, for example, the MBA might be a fundamental requirement. Likewise, I used to recruit for a consumer products company, and for their Brand Manager roles, and they considered the MBA in Marketing as essential, unless the candidate had more than five years' success in a prior brand management role with another leading consumer products company.
   
• Have an employer who offers to pay for your degree. Tuition reimbursement is a fantastic employment benefit. An employer who is willing to invest in your continuing education is making a commitment to your ongoing development with the hope that you will continue to add value. You should note, however, that before paying for your tuition, the employer will likely make you sign an agreement allowing them to claw back a portion or entire amount in case you leave before a certain time (usually 1 or 2 years), to discourage you from quitting immediately after getting your diploma.
   
• Want the knowledge an MBA provides. Academic study can be intellectually rewarding, opening up new ways of thinking as well as providing you with additional skills and knowledge. You may find classroom discussions and group projects incredibly stimulating and fulfilling.

PURSUING AN MBA MIGHT NOT BE IMPORTANT IF YOU...

• Have a bachelor's degree in a similar business discipline. Make no mistake, the bachelor's and MBA are not identical – the emphasis in the MBA tends to be more of a survey format, with a focus on strategic thinking and real-world application since the majority of MBA students have prior professional work experience – but there is similarity throughout quite a bit of the curriculum. And you may already have the academic foundation you need in your career.
   
• Are on a strong career trajectory. If you've been rapidly promoted several times, and have been told that you'll soon be in the executive ranks, it's quite clear that you're moving in the right direction. Which would move your career further, more quickly? Quitting your job to pursue two years of study, or continuing your high performance at your current company.
   
• Can't justify the return on investment. As mentioned above, an MBA is expensive. Maybe it's realistic to anticipate a $50,000 jump in annual salary after finishing the degree. Maybe not. Don't just look at the "Average Graduate Salary" data the school provides as your benchmark, since the student population spans a variety of fields and levels of experience. Do your homework. $200K is a lot of money.
   
• Don't need it. In many cases, there's no substitute for real-world experience and elbow grease. In a 2014 study of CEOs, out of the top-performing 100, only 29 of them had MBA degrees. To look at this another way, 71% of these 100 CEOs did not have an MBA – in other words, there's no direct correlation between having the MBA and getting the corner office. And consider whether the MBA is relevant to advancement in your line of work; in some fields, a technical degree might provide more value.

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.