After a great interview, you want to cement the positive impact you just made. And, no, a thank-you letteris not sufficient to make you stand out from the crowd anymore. You still need to send it, but what else can you send to prompt the next step, whether that might be a follow-up interview or an actual job offer?

Testimonial statements are very powerful, because they reinforce the positive impression you made in person. Testimonials also have a useful psychological effect: they reassure the interviewer(s) that liking you is not a mistake or a risk, and that you have a solid track record of accomplishment that is recognized and endorsed by a long line of other executives and decision makers. Testimonials also employ a powerful selling technique, called third-party validation. (Interviewers will always put more weighton what others say about you than what you say about you).

Testimonials are very easy to compile. Simply take the letters of recommendation you already have, and choose the best, most positive excerpts from each one and combine them into a single page of rave reviews. With testimonials, it's the words that count — not the dates the testimonials were given, not the context of the statements, and not the particular company or industry they came from. Testimonial comments are truly evergreen. The main point is that the testimonials are about you — your personality, skill, capability, track record, and reputation for getting the j ob done to the betterment of the organizations you've served.

Salespeople, business owners, and consultants use testimonials all the time — and savvy career self-marketers use them, too. Take a look at the examples on the following pages, and then start to compile your own one-pager of testimonial clips to send after an interview — or anytime you need an extra shot of credibility.