The 405 Club

(Ed.Note) Welcome to our journey into the world of recession blogs! The 405 Club wants to get personal via a handful of questions with our favorite fellow bloggers who are documenting the recession and unemployment firsthand.

Today we have the honor of enjoying a lovely brunch with our friends from Smart Unemployment.

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Before we chat about the blog, what will you be having for brunch?

* 7 egg omelet please!

1. When were you laid off and what did you do? Or are you employed/self-employed? If so, what do you do now?

* I am a Human Resources consultant.

2. When and why did you start your site?

* I started Smart Unemployment after seeing a number of friends lose their jobs during the recession. Many were frustrated with the process of applying for unemployment benefits.

Two friends of mine were laid off from the same company and immediately planned to start a business. As such, the unemployment office in their state (NY) deemed them to be “self-employed” and therefore ineligible to receive benefits.

In addition, friends and acquaintances were frequently asking me about how to go about getting health insurance on their own. Having spent many hours researching individual health insurance for myself and my family a couple of years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to share this information with others.

3. What is your motivation to continue blogging and/or running the site?

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(Ed. Note) One of the most important features on The405Club.com, our “Ask HR” feature gives full access to a Fortune 500 Director of Recruiting for all members of The 405 Club.  We hope this feature opens up the lines of communication, solving some of the job hunting mysteries and questions we all have.  Ask your own questions here.  Enjoy.

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Dear HR,

I never know if emailing that day is too soon, or if I should wait a few days which perhaps puts me in the front of their mind once again? Is one more effective than another? And if I don’t get an email back, should I follow up with a phone call a few days later or are they not writing back because they weren’t interested?

Thank you, Apprehensive Applicant

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Dear Apprehensive Applicant,

I don’t really have a preference as to whether a candidate sends me a thank you letter or not. However, almost all of my HR colleagues expect to receive one from a candidate and believe it reflects poorly on a candidate if they do not send one .Given that, I think you should send one but I would recommend you use the following guidelines:

Send a hand written note, a personal touch is often better and shows you went out of your way.

Do not send an email thank you note on the same day of the interview (it seems insincere) and you couldn’t have really reflected on the conversation that quickly.

Do not be disappointed or read into anything if you do not get a response, according to etiquette standards a thank you note does not require a reply.

It is appropriate to make a follow up call a week or so after the interview, but I would recommend that during your interview, you inquire about next steps/timeframes and use that answer as a guideline as to when you  should make a follow up call.

Lots of luck in your search!

-Kelley Anglin, Director of Talent/Human Resources

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Have a burning question you would like to ask the Human Resources Department? Submit your inquiry here.