There is one aspect of the interview process that is most commonly overlooked by candidates, the thank you note. While it may seem in today’s society that this is passé, a thank you note is not only appropriate but it is a tool that you don’t want to overlook. A thank you note has several purposes:

Offers contingent on something such as background or reference check are not offers but mere suggestions of what an employer would offer you if their area of concern about your candidacy is put to rest.  Therefore never submit a resignation to your current employer without an offer letter in hand free of contingencies. 

Vincent Scaramuzzo, President, Ed-Exec, Inc.

Sometimes the simple things that seem obvious are the details we over look. This can be even more magnified in stressful situations like a job interview. Usually the first interview with a client company is by phone. While it can seem like a casual, brief conversation, it is the first opportunity for a candidate to form an impression. You know what they say, “first impressions are everything.”

Here are two simple tips to help things go well:

Candidates always ask, what is the best thing I can do to improve my marketability with prospective employers? Of course there is not one magic secret, but here are some key ingredients in the recipe for advancement in the career college industry:

As the business of career education expands into online and degree granting programs, the competition for solid leaders grows. This is furthered by the addition of new companies, new campuses and branches and new areas of study that are coming into the market place each year. As you well know, the career college sector is a fast-paced, hard-hitting environment and requires a certain stamina and talent that not everyone has. This means that good managers are hard to come by and the first-rate professionals are like a needle in a haystack.

The rules and boundaries of executive search are not always black and white. As a recruiter I am often faced with a dilemma:
- Do I tell a friend in the sector about an opportunity that would be perfect for them even though it is not with a client company or do I keep my mouth shut because it won't gain me a fee?

I am sure members of your campus are faced with the same challenges everyday.  Does an admissions representative try to enroll a student into a program they initially did not inquire about or do they send them down the street for the exact education they want knowing it's one less student towards their start?

How many times throughout your career have you invented or initiated a process, form, or new idea that quickly became the standard for your organization, school, or maybe even our sector?  More importantly how did you feel when that great idea was quickly adopted by others with no recognition for your ingenuity or hard work?

If you have encountered this scenario during your career then you might relate to the character in "Flash of Genius."  The movie is based on the true story of a college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns' long battle with the U.S. automobile industry.  Granted you or I may not have come up with something as universal as the windshield wiper but it is still our work and we take pride in it.

The Counter-Offer: Do you have integrity after you give your word to a client you will accept their offer, and then take a counter-offer?

This afternoon I participated in a training seminar via the Internet.  The session was hosted by Danny Cahill who I think is one of the best trainers in Executive Recruitment.  During the session he talked about a poll taken over the decades asking candidates who switched jobs why they made a move.  The most common answer/corresponding year are listed below:

1979    For an increase in pay.

1989    Positional Advancement.

1999    Boredom.

Every year since 1999 the most common answer was still “boredom”.