Post interview etiquette

I had a 1st interview last Friday to transition from a Financial Advisor role at a major BD to a more analytical/consultative position with a boutique Investment Management firm. I was not looking but was contacted by a recruiter and as I researched the company and the position I recognized it as a great opportunity. The recruiter said I was one of four individuals selected to meet with the company. The actual interview went very well and at the end the interviewer said he wanted me back to meet a few other people, we even got into some compensation discussion. Now I debriefed the recruiter and they were going to get back to me with times to setup the 2nd meeting. I had assumed they were getting back to me Monday but I haven’t heard back anything yet. What is the etiquette on contacting the recruiter for an update? Is it much to soon to inquire? Or does it show interest in the position? And should I take the delay as a bad sign or just a sign of a slow process? Admittedly, I have only been at 2 companies in 9 years and both times the interview process moved quickly and we’re sourced through my network contacts.

EMail who you interviewed with at the hiring company a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position. Thats all the following up you should do at this point. They probably haven’t even spoken to all the candidates yet.

Hand written notes go a long way, just sayin’.

^ 1+ Completely agree with the thank you notes. Typically, you ask for business cards from each interviewer and send them e-mails after the interviews have concluded. Is the recruiter the company’s HR recruiter or a staffing/headhunting firm? If it’s not an HR recruiter, I think it’s okay to follow up and ask for feedback. If it’s an HR recruiter, you should chill. You shod hear back by the end of the week.

Its an outside headhunting firm and since Im not used to dealing with the middle man I completely forgot to send that thank you email (facepalm). I sent an email to my interviewer last night after getting some of this feedback, probably a couple of days too late but better late than never. I was told that the last candidate was interviewing Monday morning so thats why Im acting a little antsy.

Ive had a 6 year journey of a career transistion (that I will not bore you with right now) and bascially Im on the doorstep of a position that I didnt even think was attainable based on my early career choices. Very exciting but by letting myself get excited for the possibilities Ive set myself up for a huge letdown. I’ll reach out the the recruiter this afternoon if I dont hear anything. Thanks for the advice.

what is the position exactly? sounds a lot different than FA

Its essentially a relationship manager for accounts between $1MM-$25MM. You work with the client to write their IPS and manage the accounts accordingly but it does not require additional sales as there is a dedicated business development area that sources all clients. The sales force is really impressive, almost all of them have CFAs and advanced degrees. For all the reasons cited ad nauseam on the Financial Advisor thread I am tired of this environment. 2 years ago my boss even told me that “I better not” try to get my CFA because it will distract me from selling. So my acheivements have gone totally under the radar here. I’d rather be somewhere that values professional development than discourages it.

^ Good luck with your interview process. Its tough waiting to hear back.

sounds like you’re long overdue for a move.

good luck

2nd interview locked down. We’ll see what happens from here.

^ Break a leg.

Recently had my 2nd round of interviews. 1st round was with a business sytems manager in charge of new hires, kind of a gatekeeper. This time I ended up interviewing with the senior PMs for three different teams that are each looking to fill a spot. All are similar job functionality but distinctly different opportunities due to the team dynamics. My feeling is that all three went very well. I would probably take any one of the three positions becuase of their short/long term potential but I personally have an internal ranking. One of the teams I really would love to work on, another I would like almost as much but is slightly lower due to the number of seasoned people on the team that would be in front of me, and the third is a solid opportunity as well but the other two are clearly better for me.

I wrote everyone I spoke with a thank you email the next morning. I followed that up with a personal letter to two of the senior PMs who I would really like to work for. Does anyone think that could hurt me if the 3rd PM finds out he didnt get a letter? FYI, he is located in a separate building from the other two.

You’re fine, but don’t over do or over think the hand written note thing. I think your interest is clear to them at this point and its a waiting game.

The first job inteview I didn’t send a thank you note for…I got hired.