No use mincing words. It's essential that you follow up completely and quickly after the interview. It projects your organization as fast-moving and decisive and demonstrates that you are serious about filling the position. After you finish assessing candidates, either call a sub-set in for a second interview, or get on the phone quickly to the candidate you've decided to hire, or to their staffing representative, to move the process along. In today's market, waiting a week, or sometimes even a day, may mean the difference between your ideal candidate coming to work for you or going to work for your competitor.

Post Interview Dos and Don't's

• Do make a decision ASAP on who you want to hire, and contact the candidate's staffing representative immediately.
• Do bring back a sub-set of candidates if you aren't sure which candidate could best fill the position, but don't delay.
• Do contact all candidates you interviewed, or your staffing representative if involved, once the process is complete to let them know whether or not there will be follow-up discussions, or if another candidate was selected. If you work with a staffing firm, they will likely handle this step and properly inform the candidates for you.
• Do have realistic expectations about salaries in this competitive market.
• Do thank all of those within the organization who participated in the process with you.
• Do save and file all of your interview notes.
• Don't call candidates yourself to discuss an offer if you are working with a staffing firm. Contact the staffing firm and let them take care of that step.
• Don't jump to hire the first person you've met with (unless they're great), but don't delay!! We can't emphasize enough how quickly candidates disappear in today's IT market.