How to Follow-Up With an Employer Post a Job Interview

No doubt, it is always tempting to dash back an e-mail to the employer you haven’t heard from since your interview. You might be having a zillion apprehensions, but still, you go on to drop a mail chain, asking about the result. Have they shortlisted you? Are you going to get the offer letter? Of course, you’re waiting for a positive response and you are entitled to get one, especially after your great performance in the interview. While we understand all these concerns, but is it right to bug the hiring manager to this extent correct? If yes, how should you go about it then?

The ball is pretty much in the recruiter’s court post a job interview. However, you shouldn’t forget that you’ve passed the initial screening process of getting shortlisted for the job. So, follow up stands as the next most crucial step, which will distinguish you as a candidate taking action steps, even after exiting the interview room. But, there are certain subtle ways to go about it.

The discussion to follow will build on the same line of thought and suggest what all you can include to make your follow-up more productive. Give it a good glance to get a clear insight.

Sending a Thank you Note is an Effective Practice

This might be your first step towards initiating the follow-up process. Without fail, each employer you interview with has to be sent a thank you note, no later than 24 hours after the interview. The note should be brief and conversational in nature, laying stress on your interest in the job. It should clearly demonstrate why would you be an ideal pick for the opening.

Also, it might be the ideal opportunity to add any relevant details you forgot to mention during the interview. Here’s an example

Hi [The Hiring manager’s name]

Thank you so much for taking out time and meeting me today. After learning about the job profile, I’m quite excited about the opportunity to join your company and help [create word-class sales figures, develop business relations with clients, introduce efficient cost-analysis, etc.] for [company’s name].

I believe that my experience in [starting a dialogue with clients, working on extensive marketing techniques, etc.] would be a great fit for this role.

Kindly keep me updated regarding the hiring process. Looking forward to your valuable response.

Best Regards

[Your name]

Also Read: A Complete Job Search Guide for Beginners

Breaking Through the Silence

The interviewer told you that he’s going to let you know within 2 days if you’ve made it to the next rounds or not. It’s almost 3 days now and you haven’t heard anything from the employer. You start thinking what could have possibly gone wrong? You might not have made it through. However, it’s equally likely that the interviewer got busy with the ongoing hiring process. Without bugging him too much, start dropping occasional calls or emails. The hiring manager might be frazzled, but he won’t mind as long as your messages are polite and brief. The recruiter is most likely to be impressed by your perseverance and interest in the job.

Do not Forget the Three ‘Ps’

Being Polite, Persistent and Professional are the utmost important qualities required to land yourself to a job. And that is how it works during a follow-up.

Being Persistent: To be one of the leaders in this cut-throat and competitive job market, persistence is one of the major pre-requisites you need. Many applicants come up with complaints that they have been applying to a large number of profiles, but haven’t received a response yet. The first question to them would be, ‘How frequently do you follow up?’ It might just happen that the employer makes his contact details inaccessible. But possibly if you can follow up, there’re a couple of reasons you would want to.

• It shows that you’re genuinely interested
• You are giving in efforts to find about the next step, in order to get an answer to your application.

Being Polite & Professional: Always remember that you aren’t the only candidate this employer is dealing with. His desk might be piled high with files and documents. You might get a response as cold as ‘Don’t call back!’ Whatever may happen, be polite in your approach. In addition to this, from the way you drop a mail to the way you talk over the phone call, things have to be kept professional.

If you’ve been offered a position and need some time to respond (obviously, you’ll have other interviews lined up as well), then you need to ask when do they need to reply. Put forth the most professional voice and the manner in asking for the time you need. In case the employer doesn’t agree, be prepared with an alternate answer.

Also Read: Make Your Job Search Productive with this Checklist

Got Rejected? It’s time to Bounce back in the Game!

Finally, you hear from the interviewer and the news is negative.

How will you handle a situation like this?

Start by thanking the person for having the courtesy to let you know. Then ask if he would be willing to give feedback that you could use for future interviews. You might receive ‘No’ as an answer, but it’ll show your interest in improving.

Keep the hiring manager in your professional network, perhaps by adding him on social media websites. If nothing, this would enhance your prospects of getting a desirable job in the future. Yes, you deserve the job, that’s all you need to believe. Persistent efforts with the shared tips would fetch you the employment prospects you’ve been searching for. Just hang in there and keep giving the best shot at everything you do.

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