Following Up After a Hedge Fund Job Interview

Not every hedge fund job interview goes according to plan. And you may be hesitant to follow up after making a less-than-stellar impression on a prospective employer, right? Not a good idea, says Susan Adams in a recent Forbes article online.

She quotes Sarah Stamboulie, a New York career consultant, who tells the story of a Japanese client who made weak impressions in interviews, a heavy accent, and had poor writing skills (in English). Stamboulie encouraged him to follow up with an interviewer at a firm that had already turned him down for a job. The hiring manager respected his persistence and recommended him to another fund that had a job opening.

It’s advice worth following. You put so much work into landing the interview and preparing for it, don’t drop the ball afterward, says Adams. Hopefully, your interviews will go well. After each one, take the time to craft an effective and personalized thank you note to the interviewer. It’s important not only to express your gratitude, but also to demonstrate that you listened closely to the interviewer’s comments during the meeting.

The follow-up letter is almost like a proposal. You need to reiterate what the hiring person is looking for, and how you can address those needs. Take some time to remind the interviewer of what you’ve accomplished in the past and how you can help their firm.

And don’t procrastinate, either. Or else some other candidate can outshine you by responding quicker. If you don’t have time to write a long thank-you note, at least fire off a quick note that promises you’ll send an in-depth message soon.

And when we say “note” we mean “email”. Use electronic versus handwritten notes, says Roy Cohen, author of The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide. Otherwise you’ll look “like a dinosaur.”

Another piece of advice: if you’ve met more than one person in your interview process, try to personalize your notes for each. For instances, you’d write a very different note to someone who’s going to report to you, if you get the job, versus what you would write to a senior executive.  Striking the right tone will create the right impression.

What advice would you give about following up after a hedge fund job interview? Add your comments below.