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Module 30 - Follow-Up Letters and Calls and Job Offers
Module 30
Follow-Up Letters and Calls and Job Offers
LO 30-1 Apply strategies for follow-up phone calls and letters.
LO 30-2 Solve dilemmas with job offers outside of your first choice.
LO 30-3 Apply strategies for enthusiasm on the job.
LO 30-4 Develop behaviors for future job application success.
Module Overview
As Module 30 shows, what happens after the job interview can affect whether the applicant gets
the job. In most situations, it’s simple courtesy to send a thank-you letter or to make a quick
thank-you phone call. However, more creative responses can also benefit the applicant,
particularly in situations where competition for a job is intense or the job requires creativity.
Teaching Tip: Whether from entertainment or simple inexperience, students
sometimes have wildly inappropriate concepts of what qualifies as a “creative
response.” Share with students that ethically showing initiative or responsibility or
solving a business problem—such as in the example at the beginning of this module
—is appropriate. However, no interviewee should be expected to do anything that
might be considered inappropriate or illegal, regardless of how important the job
might be.
Teaching Tip: Remind students to stay positive and upbeat during and after the
interview, even if they don’t think it went very well. More than a few successful
businesspeople have left a job interview thinking they’ve failed only to find
themselves later offered the job. Consider asking your employed students to share
experiences where this may have happened.
While interviewees should send the appropriate correspondence or make the appropriate phone
calls, they should also be patient. The hiring process can take time. Once the interview is over
and the follow-up is complete, applicants should turn their energies to other pursuits while they
wait. Not only will this help them to avoid stress, but they can also respond to job offers with
more objectivity; building anticipation for the job offer may cause them to respond emotionally
to it, rather than think things through.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
30-1
Module 30 - Follow-Up Letters and Calls and Job Offers
What’s in This Supplement
This supplement is organized around the major questions posed in Module 30. It covers
Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises Page 507
Part 2: Answers to Textbook Assignments Page 513
Part 3: Appendixes of Handouts/Transparency Masters Page 515
PowerPoint presentations can be found at our Web page at www.mhhe.com/bcs6e.
Questions (with answers) suitable for quizzes are in the Instructor’s Test Bank. For student
practice quizzes with answers, see our Web page.
Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises
What should I say in a follow-up phone call or letter? LO 30-1
Reinforce positives and overcome any negatives.
As PP 30-3 and PP 30-4 show, follow-up phone calls should address
these questions:
“Is there more information I can give you?”
“I’ve been giving a lot of thought to your project and have some
new ideas. Can we meet to go over them?”
“Where do I stand? How does my work compare with the work
others presented?” and follow-up letters should
Remind the reader of what he or she liked about you.
Counter any negative impressions.
Use the jargon of the company and refer to specific things from
the interview.
Be enthusiastic.
Refer to the next move.
A well-written follow-up letter can be the deciding factor that
gets you the job (PP 30-6).
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
30-2
Module 30 - Follow-Up Letters and Calls and Job Offers
In-Class Exercise: Have students critique the follow-up letter example in Figure 30.1 (p.
509). What are the letter’s strengths? Weaknesses? How might they improve these
weaknesses? If students identify significant weaknesses, consider having them rewrite
the letter as homework, to be turned in the next class period.
In-Class Exercise: Give students 10-15 minutes to complete Exercise 30.8 (p. 513).
Afterward, have them partner up and critique each other’s solutions for another 10
minutes. Then have them revise their answers accordingly, turning the final version
in to you.
What should I do if my first offer isn’t the one I most want? LO 30-2
Phone your first-choice employer to find out where you are on that list.
While some interviewers may offer a job at the end of the interview, many instead contact the
applicant later. In either case, the applicant should respond immediately. However, responding
does not necessarily mean accepting the offer. Many employers allow an employee time to think
things over. A two-week period is not uncommon. Taking time to think things over is especially
important in situations where the job offer comes from an employer that is not the applicant’s
first choice. During that period of time, applicants can carefully consider where they stand, as
well as contact other employers to learn the status of their applications.
As illustrated on PP 30-5, students can use specific strategies in responding to job offers:
If your first offer is not from your first choice, express your
pleasure at being offered the job, but do not accept it
immediately.
Ask for two weeks to consider the offer.
Then call the other companies you’re interested in.
Explain, “I’ve just got a job offer, but I’d rather work for you.
Can you tell me what the status of my application is?”
If you still need time, ask for an extension beyond two weeks to consider the offer.
Make your acceptance contingent upon a written job offer confirming the terms.
When you’ve accepted one job, let the other places you visited know that you're no
longer interested.
Teaching Tip: Remind students that a reasonable amount of flexibility from the
employers can be expected. However, cooperation is a two-way street. Employers
may frown upon applicants who seem to be needlessly stalling or taking advantage
of them. Applicants should carefully analyze their audiences to understand what
may be appropriate to request.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
30-3
Module 30 - Follow-Up Letters and Calls and Job Offers
Teaching Tip: Students might also consider using a forced choice chart, as indicated
on Appendix 30-A and Appendix 30-B. Students develop criteria that they want
and compare those criteria one against one another until all items are compared.
Then, they tally the results, seeing which of the items got chosen the most to
determine what is more or less important to them.
If the applicant hasn’t heard from an employer but is still interested in the job, he or she can send
a letter. An example is shown in Figure 30.2 (p. 512).
Being enthusiastic LO 30-3
Emphasize to students that every employer wants employees who are
enthusiastic about their work. Enthusiastic people seem more energetic
than others; they’re more fun to be around. The
more enthusiasm you show, the better you’ll do in job interviews and
on the job itself (PP 30-7).
As PP 30-8 suggests, for employees to be enthusiastic, they should
follow these strategies:
Seek your ideal job
Match the job to your skills, kind of co-workers you
want, and level of responsibility you want, for instance.
To show enthusiasm
Smile.
Lean forward as you talk.
Use energy in body movements.
Let your comments show your interest.
Participate fully in games and activities.
Is there anything else I should do? LO 30-4
Reflect on your successes, keep good records, and be excited about your future!
In the rush to get a job, job seekers sometimes overlook the fact that the work doesn’t end there!
Others realize correctly that getting the job they want is the start of their career or its next
important phase. They should celebrate their accomplishment—they deserve it. But later, they
should take a few moments to reflect on things they might improve next time. Could they make
their résumé or cover letter stronger? How might they even better prepare for future job
interviews?
As PP 30-10 through PP 30-12 point out, key success behaviors are to
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
30-4
Module 30 - Follow-Up Letters and Calls and Job Offers
Celebrate your accomplishment!
Reflect on what you could improve for future job searches.
Could you make your résumé or cover letter stronger?
How might you even better prepare for future job
interviews?
Start a file with the answers, and include copies of job application
materials.
To navigate your career course better, answer these questions
periodically:
How have your habits, expectations, and goals changed?
What do you want from your job or career in the next year?
Five years? Ten years?
How has your job field changed, and what should you do to
stay current in it?
How committed are you to staying in your career? If you
want to change careers, why?
Last Word: The final part of the job application process,
following up, is no less important than any other part. Like
the last hurdle in a race, though, tripping over it can spell disaster. Encourage
students to treat following up with as much energy and enthusiasm as writing job
application letters or creating résumés. Doing so can mean the difference between
getting and not getting the job.
Special Note: If this is the last module students complete for your course, congratulate them and
wish them success! Many are about to enter an exciting period of their lives—the search for that
ideal job. If it’s the first search, what they do now can significantly shape their attitudes toward
future job searches.
Congratulate yourself, too! Rest assured that whatever they take from your course will serve
them well in the days ahead.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
30-5
