Following up after an internal interview

- You just finished your internal interview. Go you. You went into the room where it happens, and you, I believe, knocked it out of the park. You prepared. You told yourself that you are awesome. You polished your answer to tell me about yourself. You even attempted to get over your impostor syndrome. And to top it all off, your palms only got a wee bit sweaty. I'd say that's a win-win all around. So what happens next? Here are three things you need to do post-interview to ensure you stay top of mind and at the top of the candidate list. Number one, be kind to yourself. Now, before we get into tactics, can we just pause and say well done? I know what it's like to leave an interview. You second guess everything you said, and you wish you could go back and rephrase half of your answers. Not to mention, this is an internal interview, and you're worried that you potentially bombed and everyone is going to find out. Instead, I want you to give yourself some affirmation for putting the work in. Treat yourself to a healthy snack, or walk around the block and let go of any negative feelings you may be having. They are just not going to serve you. Number two, drop off that thank you note. Because this is an internal interview, you have the distinct privilege of knowing where your interviewer lives during the workday. If you're in the same building, I would recommend delivering and dropping off a handwritten thank you note. It shows effort, that you're taking this seriously, and respect their position and time. If you're not in the same office, shoot them a well-thought-out email. Not a slack message, or a text message, or an instant message. It's way too impersonal. If you want to be taken seriously for the job, you have to take gratitude seriously as well. Number three, don't be a pest. I know, I know. You just want to know if you got the job. But the worst thing you can do is repeatedly bother your manager, or the hiring manager, or the HR personnel about how you did. I'm all for pleasant persistence, but sometimes we can take it a little bit too far. Feel free to follow up via email with the person in charge of the hiring after about a week. Ask if you can provide anything else to help them with their decision, and then let it go. Don't worry. They won't forget about you. Overall, staying professional in the followup will allow you to continue to prove that you are just the right person for the job.