Why should you send a follow-up "Thank You" letter?

Follow-up by phone & email. I am of the mind that a Thank You letter should be hand-delivered whenever possible. If not hand delivered, perhaps couriered over the next day, no later.

Delivering the letter in person, dressed appropriately of course, shows a keen and sincere interest, as well as giving the opportunity to 'be seen' once more, & provides one with a chance to observe the work environment 'in action'.

Also, a 'hand written' thank you has a very powerful and memorable impact vs. an email. Personally I always hand write a Thank you for a in-person interview, and email one for a telephone interview.
Take a control position once you nail the interview and keep in mind that 'inter-viewing' is always a 'two-way street'.

A thank you letter is like breathing to me, it is a common professional courtesy, and another marketing tool for you to shine with your writing abilities, and keen interest in the position.

When you do receive the dreaded 'merge reject letter', I would suggest, (depending on the level of the position and what transpired during the course of the interview in terms of 'rapport' building),

* ask the interviewer direct questions as to why you were not chosen, and

* 'ask for a referral' to any firm or professional they know that may need someone with your particular skill sets & personality profile. At the very least, 'keep me in mind'.....

Remember, THEY contacted YOU for an interview - obviously you did something right to make that happen - they were impressed enough with you on paper - why wouldn't another firm be.....

Experience or Education on top of your resume?

When reading resumes, I scan the resume. Do the dates line up perfectly? Is an applicant skipping anything? Make it neat, succinct, use concrete examples. A well written cover letter will do much more for you than a resume in my book. I am also much more likely to read someone's resume if they have an objective. It tells me a lot when they know what they are looking for. If you have to write an objective for each resume you submit to each company, you would be doing yourself a huge favor. Every company wants to hire people that want to work for them. If you can structure your objective as to why you want to work for their organization, it will make a difference.

I recommend putting whichever you have more of on top. If you're a recent graduate with not so much experience then education should go on top. But if you've had many years of experience, that should go on top.

The Telephone Interview... Easy?

I think one has to have a certain skill set to successfully sell themselves in a phone interview setting. Because you're unable to pick up on body language or visual aids, you must rely on the confidence and clarity in your voice. Being prepared should be obvious because you would hopefully do the same in a face-to-face interview. It's just the absence of visuals that sometimes make phone interviews uncomfortable for some people.

My Advice: Market your education, skills, and knowledge with the position in which your applying for and Be YOURSELF..