Who to Follow-Up With

I started to respond to a very good comment on the 2/21/09 posting about following-up after applying for a job, but my comment became so long that I've decided to post it separately. Part of the comment from RNelson noted that some job posting require that your resume be sent to HR or posted in the system and state "no calls."

Yes, many require posting through the organization's online system and some may state "no calls." I wouldn't call the HR department anyway, or at least not ONLY them. The HR manager isn't the person who will make the decision on who gets hired or not. As part of your research (which is actually my upcoming post) you should try to find out who the hiring manager is. You send your resume and cover letter directly to that person (in addition to whatever the posting requirements state). That's who you want to call. If that person blows you off, so be it, but you don't want the opposite. Here again is where your network comes into play. You need to use your network to find out who the hiring manager is or at lease someone in that company. If you can arrange time to talk to anyone in the company about the department or generally about the company, that's always beneficial. I personally don't care if the job is posted through a site like teamworkonline.com, I send my information directly to the organization and follow-up directly with the organization. Also, don't take it for granted that a third party job posting site has exclusive rights to post that job. Often, organizations will also list the job on their site. Sometimes it may point to the third party site, but not always. On the organization's site it may list a person's name or you can find the department manager's name on the About Us or Staff Directory page.

The HR manager isn't going to be the person who will decide who gets the job--it's the hiring manager. The HR manager may decide who gets contacted for interviews, but hopefully not. (I'm not a fan of HR at all when it comes to hiring. There's a great Fast Company cover story that I love from a few years ago called "Why We Hate HR.") Since I'm not a fan of most HR folks, I don't want them trying to select who I want to interview. I want them to post the job information online, collect the resumes for me to review (from the people who don't send theirs directly to me), and then contact the prospective candidates to schedule the interview times. No more than that. I had one HR manager who was screening candidates because of geography. A couple of candidates got through the gate keepers via phone and followed-up with me to ask if I'd received their information. I hadn't. When I asked the HR manager about these candidates, he informed me that he hadn't passed on their resumes because they weren't already living in the city where we were located. I had not put any geographic restrictions on my requirements. If someone is a good candidate and wants to move to take the job, why wouldn't I want them? The fact that this company didn't pay moving costs (the cheap-o's) would come up in the interview or could even be stated when scheduling the interview. The candidates could decide from there whether they wanted to move forward with the interview. The point of this long paragraph is to show that if you go only to HR and talk only with HR, you're more likely to get lost in the shuffle. This is a link to another Fast Company article from around 1997 that I still love. It's called "Interview with a Head Hunter" and I think it's actually been updated. It gives a lot of really good advice and a lot of the things I've been doing for the last twelve years came from this article.

Follow-up on Internships and Jobs after You Apply

When you start sending out your resume and references to apply for internships or jobs, follow-up on the information you send. One of the things that people too often put in their cover letter is a statement such as "I look forward to hearing from you" or "I hope to hear from you soon." Hope is an important thing to have, but not when you're looking for a job, especially in this economic market. You need to be proactive and take control of your job search. Instead of one of those statements, write something more along the lines of "I will call you to follow-up next week." After you do that, though, you have to actually follow-up. Don't be shy about putting this statement. It's awkward at first when you start making those follow-up phone calls. It can seem like you're bugging someone, but the hiring manager is looking for good people who are proactive. When you call, you can simply state that you're calling to make sure they got your resume, let them know that you're very interested in the position, and ask if they've set dates for their interview schedule. It's important to become comfortable with this and do it. Here's a true story of an example of why it's important.

I was meeting with one of the managers at a local minor league baseball team this week and we were talking about his subject. He had an interesting story to relate. He was coaching basketball at a mid-major university a couple of years ago and one of the assistant coaches left. They received 65 resume packets from coaches wanting to fill the empty position. Some of them, he said, were really intricately created packets with video, details of their accomplishments, etc. Of those 65, only 3 of them followed-up with the head coach after they sent their resume. The only people the coach interviewed were the three who followed-up with him because they expressed a true interest and desire in the job.

Follow-up and Initiative

Within the last couple of weeks, I've had what seem to me to be a few odd experiences with students and follow-up, or lack thereof.  I've had students ask for my assistance in reviewing resumes, helping them find a job, wanting to talk to me about going to grad school at Ohio University, and "interviewing" me as part of a portfolio to turn in for an assignment.  After initial contact, none of them have followed-up.  I have absolutely no problem helping students with all of those things.  As a matter of fact, it's what I enjoy and one of the biggest reasons I got into teaching.  Most people I know in sports are the same.  They have absolutely no problem talking with students and helping them.  One of the main things, though, that we won't do is babysit or handhold.  There has to be some desire for the students to help themselves, so to speak.   Some semblance of initiative needs to be taken.  

In my situation, one student made an initial appointment, we reviewed her resume, and I directed her to some websites to look at job descriptions/postings based on what she said she wanted to do.  We agreed that she would make some edits to her resume and then come back to see me the following week.  Nothing.  One made an appointment to see me and discuss the OU Sports Ad program because she "wants to go to OU for grad school more than anything!"  She made an appointment, but never showed up and hasn't sent any type of communication to explain why she didn't keep the appointment, not even communication to reschedule.  Another wanted to talk to me about going to OU for grad school.  I told him that the director of the program was coming to speak in my sponsorship class.  The student asked if he could sit in on the class.  I told him that he absolutely could and that, in fact, I encouraged it.  Nothing.  He didn't come to the class and I haven't heard from him since.  The student requesting an interview told me she would be back later during my office hours that same day.  Didn't show and hasn't followed-up with me, yet.

On the opposite side of the fence, I've met with three phenomenal students.  Two of them want to go to grad school and one is trying to find out more about different areas to help him figure out if we wants to work in sales/marketing or event management.  They've each been in my office multiple times, with and without appointments.  They ask questions, they want to know what websites, books, etc. they should read that might help them, etc.  

Basically, the second group is taking initiative.  They're asking for help, not asking for me or others to do the work for them.  These are the types of behaviors that employers look for in employees.  Sports is a competitive industry.  If you can't take initiative about your own future and career, what kind of initiative will you have on the job?  If you won't help yourself, why would anyone else want to go out of his/her way to help you?  I will gladly still talk to the first group and help them out, but I now wonder how serious their pursuits are.  Show some initiative and follow-up with people whose assistance you seek.

Handwritten or Email?

When I receive a handwritten note or thank you card from someone I've helped or even talked to, it ratchets them up a notch in my eyes and keeps them in my memory. If it's a personalized note card that has their name embossed (and the person isn't an executive who gets personalized cards as part of his/her job), it ratchets that person up several notches in my eyes.

Email may be the means of communication today, but it's still too casual in my opinion. Take the time and make the effort to write out a personal note to people you meet, speak with, work/volunteer for, etc. I may glance over an email from someone just because I'm rushing through my day, but if I receive a handwritten note, I ALWAYS read it, usually a couple of times. A handwritten note conveys a message to me that the person sat down and took the time to try to make a personal connection. They weren't just blasting off another email in a 200 email day.

I know there are other stationery stores out there, but an easy one, and one I've used for years, is www.americanstationery.com. It's easy and relatively inexpensive. If you can't afford professionally made cards, there are alternatives. With today's easy to use graphic design add-ons and programs, many people can even make their own professional looking cards with supplies from Staples.

Handwritten notes are a small thing, but they're a big deal to me and others that I know in the industry. In talking with colleagues, it's amazing how few (almost none) of the people interviewing for entry level and next level jobs don't send handwritten thank you notes after an interview. In an email generation, handwritten notes are another way to distinguish yourself from others, especially if you're just starting in the sports industry.