How to Follow-Up After a Job Interview

How to Follow-Up After a Job Interview

You've just had a great interview and you have your hopes set on getting this job. You know you should follow-up, but you don't know exactly what to do.

Here are some tips to help lead you in the right direction.

Get the Details:

Hopefully, during your interview, you remembered to ask what the time frame is for the hiring. This is a piece of helpful information that helps you follow-up more easily.

When you know approximately when they are expecting to make a decision, you can get a better idea of how long you should remain in contact with the interviewer. For example, if the company is expecting to make a decision by the end of the week and you had an interview on Monday, it's critical that you follow-up quickly. Their decision will be made fast, and it won't help you at all if you call the following week to reinterate what a great candidate you are.

Another detail you should get is the interviewer's name, title, and contact information. If you aren't provided with a business card, ask for one at the end of your interview. Failing that, ask the receptionist on your way out. You'll need this info when you put together a thank you letter.

The Thank You Letter:

Interviews are competitive and this is a great way to put your name in the forefront of your interviewer's mind. Sending a well-written note or letter is critical. These communications allow you, first and foremost, to thank the interviewer for seeing you. Make sure this is the main point of your letter. They also allow you to re-state why you're a good candidate and allow you to add some additional information about your skills that you might have forgotten to mention during the interview. You can also use the letter to clarify something that the interviewer asked you about.

Should you email, fax, or mail? It generally depends on a few things such as the type of company that you applied with. A more traditional, structured company should receive a mailed letter, whereas a more trendy, creative, easy-going company might be more geared towards receiving an email letter. It also depends on how you've been communicating with the company and the interviewer. If in doubt, go with the mailed or faxed letter. Make sure it's on nice, professional paper and absolutely free of errors. Make sure too that you have the correct spelling and address of the contact.

The letter should be sent within a day or two of the interview.

The Follow-up Call

If you haven't heard anything about the job after 7-10 days, you can follow-up with a phone call. Depending on the time frame in which they plan on hiring, you may have to adjust this to earlier or later.

When calling, use the opportunity to show your interest in the position, but don't be pushy. You want to show the interviewer that you're interested in the job, not that you're desperate. Be polite and professional.

Don't Give Up:

Now is not the time to stop the job search. You should continue with planned interviews and applying for new jobs. The worst case scenario is that you have to choose between two or more job offers!

Follow-up after a job interview is critical to ensure that you make a lasting, positive impression on your job interviewer. By following a few simple rules you can extend the positive interview and keep your candidature in the forefront of their mind.