How to Follow Up After the Interview
Jessica Hernandez, CPBS, NCOPE, CDCS
Executive Resume Writer ? 7X Certified Personal Branding & Career Strategist for Executives ? LinkedIn Top Voice ? Get my free weekly job search shortcuts (5-min) used by 115,500+ job seekers - click subscribe ??
The interview is over, and you think you have a good chance of getting the job. Don’t just sit back and wait for them to call—follow up. It’s essential. You should, of course, send a thank-you note within days of the interview, thanking the interviewer for taking the time to speak with you. Then you’ll want to make a follow-up telephone call, within a few days to a week. You may feel a bit awkward on the phone, so don’t go in unprepared; use a script.
Why Should I Use a Script?
With a script, you know what you want to say before you say it, and you’re ready for any response you might get. Remember the last time a telemarketer called you? Chances are that he or she was working from a script, stating the purpose of the call and also choosing from a list of follow-up questions to keep the conversation flowing. You can do the same thing with your interview follow-up call.
To help you prepare for your follow-up call, I’ve created some sample scenarios. Scripting doesn’t have to sound unnatural or stilted. Why not record your sample scripts, play them back, and see where you can improve and sound more natural? Trust me, this will work for you. Of course, there are some things you shouldn’t say, so I’ll cover those as well.
When You Want to Know if They’ve Made a Decision
DO: “Hello, Mr. Employer. This is Potential Employee. I wanted to let you know that I enjoyed our meeting last week. I’m very interested in the position, and I was wondering if you’ve made a decision yet.” If the answer is “No,” then follow up with: “Are there any questions or concerns you may have about my candidacy that I can answer for you?”
This way you have the opportunity to immediately address any concerns they may have regarding your candidacy. Just be prepared to provide a professional and confident response.
DON’T: “I really need an answer. I’ve been out of work forever.”
Please, do not communicate desperation.
If They Went in a Different Direction
DO: Leave on a high note. Perhaps there will be a position available down the road, and you want to be sure that you’ll be considered. A good response is “I’m sorry to hear that. I really would have enjoyed working for your company. I hope you’ll keep me in mind if something else comes up.” Make sure that you thank your interviewer for his or her time. “I appreciate being considered. I learned a lot during our interview. Thank you.”
DON’T: “Yeah, well, your loss. When you figure out you made a mistake, give me a call.” Bad. Very bad.
Of course, I’m being slightly comical with the “Don’t” section of this article but in all seriousness it’s OK to follow up. In fact, I encourage you to send a thank you letter and follow up about any questions or concerns they may have in your candidacy this way you can successfully address any doubts and increase your chances for securing the offer.
I'd love to hear what's worked for you when following up after the interview. Leave me a comment below or send me an invite on LinkedIn.
Thanks for the great article Jessica! I will share this with all my clients because as Veterans the civilian world is like Mars to us. We are tuned to waiting until an answer is received and/or to move or not to move. This article will help my Veterans understand that they have the power to control their future to land that dream job outside of the military. Thanks again have a great Freedom Day!!
Managing Social and Human Capital | Tech Advocate | Diversity and Inclusion Champion
10 年Great article!
Project Manager | Scrum Master | Program Manager | IT Manager | Delivery Manager | ITIL | CompTIA Cloud+
10 年Good article Jessica, thanks for publishing it. I recently had an interview and it wen't well with the HR manager but later I followed up and he told me that since I didn't had experience in their industry they would go a different way. But this week I saw again the add in Linkedin so I wrote an email to the HR manager and explained that I have experienced change throught my carree and that I adapt very well to new situations or responsibilties consistently getting results and included two examples. He replied back letting me know that he will submit my statements to the hiring manager. So yes, we need to follow up and even though we might get a NO we should always leave the door open. If you have already let them know that you can address any questions or concerns in your letter then I think you should wait the allotted time and if you don't get any response or are not contacted then call them to get feedback. Kalpan you need to contact the person that setup the first interview to know what happen. Let them know for which position you are calling that you already had an interview and was told you would continue to the second round of interview but haven't been contacted and would like to provide your contact information again and address any questions they might have.
Vice President HR | Emerging HR Leader-ETHR | Iconic HR Leadership Award | 40Under40 | LinkedIn Top HR Voice | XLRI
10 年Rightly mentioned Jessica H. Hernandez, Executive Resume Writer! Also the most important and difficult situation is, when the employer says that you have been shortlisted for another round and we will set up interview soon. But you never get a response, what to do?
Program/Project Management Problem-Solver| Stakeholder Engagement Leader| Policy & International Affairs Advocate
10 年Jessica, Thanks for the valuable info! Have a question regarding this. I recently had an interview for a position and sent a thank you letter through LinkedIn since I was never contacted by the interviewers directly but by HR. Is it of good taste to follow up with HR for any questions or just wait the allotted time the interviewers said they would take interviewing?