How to Follow Up After a Job Interview
You’ve completed your interview, and nailed it! Now, you wait… But, there are some things you can do to ensure that you stay top-of-mind as a serious candidate. Whether you interviewed by phone or in-person, the interview follow up is a critical part of the job search process.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a possible new job and forget to follow up. Perhaps you don’t even know the proper way to follow up after an interview. Here are three ways you should follow up after an interview, especially if you want to make a great impression on the interviewer.
1. Write a thank you note immediately
It’s important to send a thank you note right away to every person who interviewed you. This can be a simple, send a personal email thanking the interviewer for their time. An interview follow-up email is a great way to show the interviewer or recruiter how enthusiastic you are about the job. -This also reiterates some of the important skills and experience you discussed. It’s also a good opportunity to correct any mistakes you made and bring up anything you forgot to mention that might help you land the job.
Remember that the interviewer took time out of their day in order to speak or meet with you. If you’re in the first round of interviews, you likely haven’t been into the office yet but you can still make a strong impression. The follow up email after a phone interview is equally effective to you (and your voice) top of mind for the recruiter.
Just make sure you send your note within 24 hours or sooner. Make sure you proofread your message and please, please, please spell names correctly. A mistake here can knock you out of the running for the job.
2. Check in after some time has passed
When you left the interview, you were feeling great about your chances of getting the job. But after a few days have passed, doubt can start to creep in. Don’t start to worry if you don’t hear back about the job immediately. The interviewer most likely gave you a timeline for making a decision about the position. Whether it is a week or a month, you should reach out if you haven’t heard anything.
As the candidate, you’re expected to check in to ask for a status update on hiring. This will let the interviewer know that you are still interested in working for the company. Moreover, it brings you front-of-mind again. Send this communication via email, and keep it short. Express your continued interest and ask if there is any additional information you can provide as they finalize the decision.
3. Stay in touch even if you don’t get the job
Maybe you don’t get the job even though you thought you rocked the interview. It can be difficult to put your personal feelings aside but if you can overcome the frustration, you have a great opportunity to form a new professional connection with your interviewer.
You can continue to build a relationship by sending notes of congratulations when you see something positive about the interviewer or company in the news. You can also send information or articles that might be relevant as well as quick thank you notes for their continued responses. Once it’s appropriate, you can also connect with your interviewer on LinkedIn. Continuing to reach out and work at building the relationship is unusual and will show you as a true professional. It could even lead to another opportunity down the road.
Your follow up after an interview is a very important part of the interview process. Staying at the top of a busy interviewer’s mind as they meet with other candidates and go about their daily job is essential to getting hired. You want to be genuine throughout your communication, and make sure you don’t overdo it. You don’t want to become a nuisance. The most important thing is to remain proactive and professional in all communication.
If you’re looking for a new career, taking a six-week job search training course will prepare you for everything the job hunt throws at you, especially the interview follow up!
Learn More: 12 Steps to a Successful Job Search
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