The Right Time to Follow Up After an Interview and How

Jobseekers often have a hard time deciding the best way to follow up after an interview. Once it’s over, you’re instantly waiting for feedback. When you are eager to hear about a new opportunity, it can be frustrating to wait, but sometimes the interview process takes a lot longer than you’d like.

The employer has to interview all the suitable candidates, which might take a few weeks since this depends on the availability of both the applicants and everyone who will interview them. To keep your expectations in check, it’s always a good idea to ask the interviewer about their timeline for deciding on a candidate before you leave the interview room. This way you’ll know when it’s appropriate to follow up.

The Right Time for an Interview Follow Up

Your first step should be to send a thank you note to the interviewers (or the person scheduling your interviews) within two days of the interview. Only one in 20 candidates send a thank-you note after an interview, so taking the time to write one is a great opportunity to leave a positive impression on the interviewers.

I suggest sending it by email and keeping it brief — thank everyone who interviewed you for their time, re-emphasize your interest in the role, and express excitement about the next step in the recruitment process. You can also reference specific conversations that may have come up in the interview and use your thank you letter to highlight the ways your skills and experience are a good match for the position. Finally, if there’s something you forgot to mention during the interview, this is a great opportunity to bring it up.

If the company hasn’t told you anything about the next step, it’s best to wait at least a week before you follow up. If you are overeager, you risk annoying the recruiter or the hiring manager. However, if you’ve sent your thank-you note and the decision date the hiring manager indicated has come and gone, it’s time to follow up.

How to Follow Up After an Interview

For an interview following up, start with the person who said they’d be in touch with you. That could be the recruiter, recruiting coordinator, or the hiring manager. Email is definitely the best way to follow up without appearing pushy.

Here are a few pointers:

Address the person you are emailing by their first name
Mention the job title of the role you’re following up about and the date you interviewed to refresh their memory
Confirm that you’re still interested in the position and that you are eager to hear about next steps
Finally, ask for an update