I have developed a very diverse skill set and work experience by working half of my engineering career with short-term, full time employers who contract my services to a client firm. My experience is in multiple industries as well. I have an ability to quickly adapt to a new project or office setting as well as the diverse skills obtained through job shopping.

My first employer of 11 years had me involved with multiple projects, often moving me to a project in need of a good audit prior to release of drawings and specifications. I also worked in their cost estimating, as well as engineering and design.

Unfortunately too many HR persons perceive the mutiple places I have worked as a job hopper instead of a person who can quickly adapt to changing environment. I also have the gray hair or no hair syndrome, which some will not admit they do not hire.

One expression of gratitude will do.

While it is nice to receive a thank
you, this practice seems now rare.

Candidates know if they impressed or flopped in an interview and typically ask when they might hear something.

We tell candiates if interested we call within X amount of time (don't call us, we'll call you). This is crucial in our
small business as there is no HR manager and we are too busy doing our jobs to sort through duplicate follow-up letters.

If they did in fact impress, a follow-up may seal the deal if someone who did equally well in their interview does not follow-up. However, more than one seems
desparate, more than two, harrassment.

Besides, we typically have our minds made up after the interview process and follow-up will not sway us one way or the other.

Unfortunately, if an interview went poorly, even one follow up, no matter how well written and thoughtful, may be pointless in actually landing the job, but is courteous none the less.

No more than one, please.

Like the article states, there really is a fine line between doing due diligence and severely annoying the recruiter. The most important part of the interview process is understanding the company's time frame for when the position should be filled. It doesn't hurt to ask at the end of the interview about the interviewing process, how many interviews it takes to secure a position, or when are they looking to have someone start. You could be interview number one, or you could be interview fifty. It is good to ask these questions to gain perspective.

In my opinion, there should be a two-email follow-up system. The first, should be a short email thanking the recruiter for their time. (It's nice to add a short sentence in the email about why you would be a good fit for the position.) If you don't hear back from the recruiter, I think it is kosher to send an email one week after the interview inquiring about the status of your application.

Truthfully,if you have a great interview, the recruiter is not going to forget about you if you don't send a follow-up email. But if a really great candidate sends a quick follow-up, it shows eagerness and determination, which we recruiters love. So essentially, a follow-up just makes good candidates shine brighter.

In my experience, a follow-up has never been a deal breaker, and I can't see that ever happening. Usually after the initial interview, the recruiter has already made their mind up about the candidate, and follow-up emails are just icing on the cake, or in some cases, Inbox fodder.

I have had several cases, where candidates constantly call asking about the status of their application. I personally do not like phone calls as a follow-up. I find it annoying and sometimes awkward when a person continuously calls. Oh, and it is 2010, and most recruiters do have caller ID. So, when you call ten times in a row, but don't leave a voice mail, we still know that it is you.

I have developed a very diverse skill set and work experience by working half of my engineering career with short-term, full time employers who contract my services to a client firm. My experience is in multiple industries as well. I have an ability to quickly adapt to a new project or office setting as well as the diverse skills obtained through job shopping.

My first employer of 11 years had me involved with multiple projects, often moving me to a project in need of a good audit prior to release of drawings and specifications. I also worked in their cost estimating, as well as engineering and design.

Unfortunately too many HR persons perceive the mutiple places I have worked as a job hopper instead of a person who can quickly adapt to changing environment. I also have the gray hair or no hair syndrome, which some will not admit they do not hire.

One expression of gratitude will do.

While it is nice to receive a thank
you, this practice seems now rare.

Candidates know if they impressed or flopped in an interview and typically ask when they might hear something.

We tell candiates if interested we call within X amount of time (don't call us, we'll call you). This is crucial in our
small business as there is no HR manager and we are too busy doing our jobs to sort through duplicate follow-up letters.

If they did in fact impress, a follow-up may seal the deal if someone who did equally well in their interview does not follow-up. However, more than one seems
desparate, more than two, harrassment.

Besides, we typically have our minds made up after the interview process and follow-up will not sway us one way or the other.

Unfortunately, if an interview went poorly, even one follow up, no matter how well written and thoughtful, may be pointless in actually landing the job, but is courteous none the less.

No more than one, please.

Like the article states, there really is a fine line between doing due diligence and severely annoying the recruiter. The most important part of the interview process is understanding the company's time frame for when the position should be filled. It doesn't hurt to ask at the end of the interview about the interviewing process, how many interviews it takes to secure a position, or when are they looking to have someone start. You could be interview number one, or you could be interview fifty. It is good to ask these questions to gain perspective.

In my opinion, there should be a two-email follow-up system. The first, should be a short email thanking the recruiter for their time. (It's nice to add a short sentence in the email about why you would be a good fit for the position.) If you don't hear back from the recruiter, I think it is kosher to send an email one week after the interview inquiring about the status of your application.

Truthfully,if you have a great interview, the recruiter is not going to forget about you if you don't send a follow-up email. But if a really great candidate sends a quick follow-up, it shows eagerness and determination, which we recruiters love. So essentially, a follow-up just makes good candidates shine brighter.

In my experience, a follow-up has never been a deal breaker, and I can't see that ever happening. Usually after the initial interview, the recruiter has already made their mind up about the candidate, and follow-up emails are just icing on the cake, or in some cases, Inbox fodder.

I have had several cases, where candidates constantly call asking about the status of their application. I personally do not like phone calls as a follow-up. I find it annoying and sometimes awkward when a person continuously calls. Oh, and it is 2010, and most recruiters do have caller ID. So, when you call ten times in a row, but don't leave a voice mail, we still know that it is you.