Follow-Up
Expense Reimbursement
There are a myriad of details that go into arranging and attending a call-back interview. One area of concern for both students and employers is cost and reimbursement. Please follow these suggestions:
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All employers have different policies regarding call-back expenses; do not make any assumptions about their expense policies. The first rule in dealing with expenses is to ask.
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Refer reimbursement questions to the recruitment coordinators; they are a wonderful resource within the organization and are charged with managing such issues. For a sample reimbursement form, please refer to the one that the NALP has available on its Web site.
Thank You Letters
A thank you letter is a must following a call-back interview, and you should not wait a few days to send it. Send it within 24 hours after you have been interviewed. Letters sent via regular mail or e-mail are both acceptable. In large structured recruitment offices, files are kept on each applicant and anyone having contact with you is requested to put copies of correspondence in your file. Under the circumstances, the same letter addressed to each interviewer does not make sense. It is recommended that you send a thank you letter to each person that participated in the interview.
You should address your thank you letter to:
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The person who had responsibility for your interview schedule. Some firms involve young associates in the process by assigning them to a recruit for that day.
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The initial interviewer, if he or she is responsible for the call-back invitation.
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The recruitment coordinator.
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Each person with whom you met during the call-back interview.
When writing your thank you letters, be sure to follow the basic guidelines outlined earlier, as well as the following:
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Make sure you do not have any typographical mistakes in your thank you letters.
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You should make sure that you have the proper spelling and title of each person who interviewed you.
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Include specific information that was discussed during the interview. You might want to refer to a particular discussion you had during the interview. For example, if you went to the same school or come from the same state as the interviewer, letter this in your thank you letter. Try to connect on whatever level you connected during the interview. This will also remind the interviewer of who you are. He or she is undoubtedly interviewing many candidates for the position.
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The letter should clearly acknowledge that you visited the firm.
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The letter should not be so general that it could be used for all call-back interviews. In fact, this could do more harm than good. For example, allude to details such as the firm's plans for a new building you were shown, or the department's weekly seminars, etc.
Be sure to send your thank you letter as soon as possible after the call-back interview. If you need help in writing a thank you letter, please read the section of the LL.M. Career and Professional Development Manual on Drafting Effective Cover Letters and Post Interview Correspondence.
Graduate Career and Professional Development is also an excellent resource in crafting such a letter, and would be happy to review drafts of your correspondence with potential employers.
