You have landed a job interview after months of searching. You are excited to attend the interview, but also nervous. Then, you nail the interview and can’t wait to tell everyone you know about it. There is another step that you should perform and it must occur prior to hearing from the company again. That step is following up after the interview takes place. You don’t want to make yourself seem desperate, but you also don’t want to be rude and wait too long. We will discuss the best times and ways to follow up after an interview in this post.
Send a Thank You Email
As soon as you get home from the interview, it’s a good idea to send a thank you email to every person you met that day. Send separate emails to each individual. Personalize each one with their name and something you discussed with them so they know you took the time to personalize the note and remind the contact of the conversation. If you also plan to send a thank you note in the mail, mention that a note is following the email.
Send a Thank You Note
You can also send a handwritten thank you note to everyone you met that day. Make these notes personal as well. Do not ask when you will hear from the company, but do tell them you are looking forward to hearing from them soon. Reiterate your interested in both the company and the job so they know how excited you are.
Follow the Timeline
If the hiring manager or department head provided you with a timeline for the next steps in the interview process, follow up based on that timeline. Most companies will beat you to the punch here, calling you early in the timeline to schedule a second interview.
When the rare occurrence happens that the company has exceeded its timeline and you haven’t been contacted, you should follow up with a phone call. Contact the person who told you the timeline and politely ask what the next steps are in the process. If you were not given a timeline, wait 10 to 14 days before calling to ask where you stand.
We understand that interviewing for a job is stressful and time consuming, but if you do not follow up properly, you may have trouble securing a second job interview. Contact the experienced recruiting staff at Halpin Personnel today to discuss the best ways to follow up after a job interview so you can stay top-of-mind with the hiring manager.