Playing Leapfrog from Level to Level in the Interview Process

Any suggestions on reliable, quick-to-respond employers?

Following up after an interview can be a delicate balance between demonstrating enthusiasm and maintaining professionalism. Done correctly, it keeps you top of mind and positions you as a proactive candidate. Here are a few tips on navigating the post-interview process with confidence. 1. Always Send a Thank You Note A simple thank-you email can leave a lasting impression. Aim to send it within 24-48 hours of your interview to express appreciation and reinforce your interest in the role. 2. Connect on LinkedIn—But With Timing in Mind After sending your thank-you note, take the opportunity to connect with interviewers on LinkedIn. This is best done before final hiring decisions are made. If you wait until a decision has been made, especially if it's not in your favor, your connection request might be ignored or feel awkward. 3. Clarify Next Steps Before Leaving the Interview One of the easiest ways to manage follow-ups is to ask about the timeline for next steps before leaving your interview. This helps set expectations and eliminates uncertainty. A simple question like, “What’s the expected timeline to have someone join the team and hit the ground running?”. This can save you a lot of second-guessing. 4. Follow Up Based on Timeline Shared Once you have an estimated timeline from the company, base your follow-up on that information. If they don’t provide a clear timeframe, a safe rule of thumb is to follow up one week after your interview. Here’s how it plays out: Scenario: “We will get back to you by the end of the week.” → Follow up on the first day of the following week. Scenario: “We will be interviewing candidates over the next two weeks.” → Follow up on the first day of week three. Scenario: “We will be reviewing candidates with the team and get back to you shortly.” Give it a try…what would be the follow up for this scenario? → Follow up on this…This is a trick question as this requires a follow-up question rather than assuming a timeline. Try responding with: “Great, thanks so much. Is there a specific timeline when the team is looking to fill the role and have someone onboard?” By following these structured steps, you ensure that your follow-ups are timely, professional, and effective. Thoughtful communication can make all the difference in turning an interview into an offer.

I was grateful for my job and was content to a time until I started noticing that some of the things I felt in the beginning along with my gratitude were not necessarily wrong or ungrateful, just noticing the world around me. There has been 3 or so layoffs since I joined and one might be ongoing, you'd think it stopped, but then you hear about it again. As my role in administration, I feel like people come to give the bottom ugly or whatever tasks to me to help them out. I was recently approached to assist in a task that used to be done by someone who just left the company and while I was trying to figure out if I have the bandwidth or not and see how to approach it, I met with one of my other bosses who asked them to come to me and she mentioned how it was a great opportunity for me to learn a new skill with the program blah blah blah and along with that I was given another big task that'll be ongoing as well as the other things I currently do. One, I felt used/manipulated at that moment and felt that statement of me learning a new skill was bullshit. There were no raises this year and understanding that I'm most likely getting lower than I "should" or could be, but over worked with no additional pay....?! Come on! Now it's starting to upset me because I'm seeing things and people for what they truly are and I don't like it. With that and other things I've been noticing within the company lately, I've noticed my mood change and unwillingness to want to help or do any additional work. I have made the mistake at the beginning to ask for more work and I feel like it's biting me in the butt because she doesn't seem to get that there's a limit to what I can take... 1. How would I go about to inform her that I am unable to take any more tasks and should I do this now or wait till she throws another one at me, which I do not doubt she would. I plan on going over my current tasks so ik what is in front of me to present in case my other boss asks me because she has previously when I hesitated on taking on a tasks for someone else. Some of these tasks are not even for them directly, but helping put on things either their direct reports help out with or someone somewhere in their organization does. 2. How would I ask for a raise or negotiate a salary? This is clearly for the future/next job as it seem it'll be impossible to ask for a raise here...they have no money and laying people off, but people are taken on more than they can and need to. *additionally, a part of me feels like am I wrong for feeling this because it is said that there'd be some miscellaneous tasks here and there, but I feel like this is more than that. Could it be some unnecessary, corporate guilt making me feel that? To say this, I hardly take a break and work myyself like a computer and now, I'm planning to incorporate breaks into my time and I'm sure all those tasks will be more than I can and should be handling* Please help. Thank you.

My current company is pushing for “globalization”. They’re expanding into different countries and as a result are trying to find ways to offload departments to other countries for cheaper labor. I’ve been job hunting for a few months and recently had an interview for a position with a company for a payroll analyst position. I didn’t get that position but the recruiter asked if they could do an interview process for a different position with their company. This position is customer facing (which I’m not excited about) and it pays less but it’s basically been insinuated that the job is mine, I’m just going through the normal motions. Ive done research on the company and position and while people love the company the position has terrible reviews. People have stated being severely overworked and underpaid being the common theme to all the reviews. My current company has me scared of lay offs and the other position scares me because it sounds like I’ll be stepping from a pan into the fire. Do I stick with the devil I know? Or go for the damn near guaranteed new position? The recruiter stated that the pay could jump in six months if I do well but that doesn’t really bring me any confidence.

The truth is, the job market isn’t always built for those of us with nontraditional paths, career gaps, neurodivergence, or lived experiences that don’t fit neatly into a LinkedIn headline. But what if what makes you different... is your advantage? Let's dive into 6 ways to embrace what makes you different — and how to use it to stand out in your job search (not shrink back). ? Now I’d love to hear from you: What’s one part of your story you’re learning to own — instead of hide — in your job search? Drop it in the comments ? or DM me if you want to keep it private. Your journey matters. Let’s talk about it. #JobSearchSupport #CareerChange #OwnYourStory #LinkedInTips https://www.linkedin.com/posts/melaniemitchellwexler_jobsearchsupport-careerchange-ownyourstory-activity-7338920513932546052-Lh8D?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAE7zOABz83nZb53qdeC66Dyj4MTQ6HhhqwEver

Has anyone else experienced this? My officemate constantly complains about our boss and their management style. It’s starting to affect the team’s morale. I understand everyone has their opinions, but I’d love to hear how others handle similar situations. Any advice?