There is a very fine line between being enthusiastic and being intrusive. You want to call an employer after an interview to show how interested you really are, but you definitely dont want to become a pest.

Unless the interviewer was very specific about when the hiring decision was to be made, send your immediate Thank you letter and then allow a few days. When you do call, you will find that either someone else has been selected or the decision is still pending.

If someone else did get the job, remind the employer that you are still interested in the company and that you would welcome a call if a new opening should occur. Like plane crashes, staff turnover seems to occur in clusters. If you are cordial and unceasingly enthusiastic even in your disappointment, you may get called about a new opening to save the employer the time and expense of another round of interviews.

If the decision has not yet been made, ask if you can call back in a couple of weeks. Frequently you will be told that it shouldnt take that long, so you are asked to call back in a week and can schedule yourself accordingly. When you do call back, you can use the magic phrase "Mr. Smith asked that I call back today about this position."

Virginia Bola, PsyD

Dr. Virginia Bola is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, a vocational expert, a social commentator and a self-admitted diet fanatic. After 20 years of owning a vocational rehabilitation company, she is now Manager of Clinical Operations for a major MBHO.

She has authored numerous articles on the psychology of weight control, the emotional correlates of unemployment and job search, social issues, politics, and the graying of America.

Her latest book, completed in June, 2005,is Diet With An Attitude: A Weight Loss Workbook, an interactive manual providing the reader with personal guidance and encouragement in the battle to lose weight. It takes an irreverent approach to dieting while providing innovative and therapeutic exercises for self-exploration, confidence-building and emotional self-support.

Her earlier book, The Wolf At The Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, provides unemployed workers with therapeutic exercises, self-exploration, and confidence-building worksheets combined with specific, step-by-step techniques for finding work.