Get the Job of Your Dreams with Post-Interview Follow-up
92
Follow Up -- Don't Drop the Ball!
© Patty Inglish, MS 2005 - 2012. All rights reserved.
After you have done all the hard work of preparing a resume and cover letter, applying for a job, researching the company thoroughly and then completing a fantastically good interview, don't just leave and hope they call you! Your interview is really not finished yet. You need to do some post-interview follow-up.
Just as a good golf swing has good follow through, good interviewing has good follow-up. Even if you don't want the job, so the follow-up in order to make good business contacts for the future.
[In case you missed it --successful manners and etiquette for job interviews ]: Etiquette for the Interview
What Should I Do After The Interview?
There are several more good things that you can do to help yourself have the best chance of winning the job for which you just interviewed. Here they are:
Interview Follow-Up Tips and Suggestions for Success in Obtaining Your Dream Job
Take interview follow-up very seriously as a strategic part of landing the job of your dreams.
Follow-up all interviews, even if they did not go as well as you expected, or you decided that you did not want the job. Interview follow-up will definitely place you ahead of other job candidates who interviewed for the same job, all other things being equal. Among equally-qualified candidates, the person hired will be the one who did the best and most sincere interview follow-up.
Follow-up well in a timely manner, but do not make yourself look or sound desperate for the job. If you seem desperate, then your potential new employer may develop the idea that you have poor planning skills and ran out of money, that there is substantial reason that no one else has hired you, and/or that perhaps you were fired from your last job or all of them. Your new employer would not want employees who let things deteriorate to the point of desperation, whether it is as complex an issue as a bankruptcy or as simple as running out of toilet paper for the company bathrooms and forgetting to order it.
At the end of your interview, ask the interviewer or panel of interviewers 1) when they will make their decision, and 2) when you might expect a call for a second interview.
Write down the correct names and titles of every individual who interviewed you, in addition to the receptionist, personal assistant, or executive secretary who served you. Request their business cards or make notes of their information in a small notebook. Interviewers, and even company presidents, will ask the receptionist what he or she thought of you as a job candidate and as a person. Make a good impression on everyone there.
PROPER FOLLOW-UP
- Send a Thank You note card to the receptionist of the company with which you spoke. Reception duties can be tedious and taxing and a little appreciation is not only compassionate, but makes you a remembered job candidate who will receive better telephone follow-up service than average through this individual.
- Write Thank You note cards or short letters to each Interviewer with whom you spoke within 24 hours. I mail these the same evening at my nearest post office branch, from which mail is collected beginning at 5:00 AM. Often, the notes are received the next day in my town. Individualize the notes. You may wish to send email Thank You's as well, especially within IT firms where email is checked frequently. In 2011, I still send hard-copy Thank You's, because it shows class, appreciation, and good manners..
- Write thank you notes after every interview, even if you do not want to job. This will help make you known in the business world and ensure a growing number of good business and personal contacts for you.
- Find out whether snail mail, email, or FAX is the best way to get hold of the Interviewer(s). Ask the Receptionist -- You can also car this person for correct name spellings. Proofread your thank-you letters or cards before sending them and make 100% sure that there are no grammar or spelling errors.
- In your Thank-You letters, write that you appreciate the company's interest in you and re-state why you think you are the best candidate for the job.
- Call all your references and tell them they may be contacted. Ideally, you should talk to them before you apply for jobs and ask their permission to use their names, addresses and phone numbers.
- Continue to search for jobs and go on interviews, even if a particular interview went so well that you think the company is definitely going to hire you. You do not know that for sure, and you do not want to lose momentum in the job market while you are waiting for a job/company that hired someone else.
- Even if you are hired by the company that you expect to hire you, you can use additional interviews to gather information and to make good business contacts long-term. Further, if the job you receive does not work out, you will have ready contacts to help you secure your next one.
- Stay visible in your business by continuing to look for other job and career opportunities, even after you have been hired. Stay informed about the job market and your industry, because you will be able to use the information to help yourself and others.
- Do additional interview follow-up after the thank-you letters or notes have been received. Allow 48-72 hours after mailing, then make a telephone call to the Interviewer and ask about the position. Re-state your assets during your telephone calls.
- Be patient, but persistent. The hiring process can seem a long one. This is especially true of jobs in the educational system or those connected with the city, county, state, or federal governments. These entities, as well as the Board of Directors of non-profit organizations and of some commercial enterprises must vote on job candidates. If they have a meeting only once a month, then results are delayed. Follow-up with the Interviewer by telephone once a week during a long-term process. Continue follow-up efforts until the job is filled. If an employer tells you that it may take 30 to 60 days to fill a position, you can call once a week.
- Do not forget about the company if you do not receive a job offer or the job-offer package does not work out for you. Keep that firm and its staff as important business contacts.
- Small employers are as important as large corporations for business contacts. Add your Interviewer into your business circle, such as on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com. Ask them to keep you in their circle for future referrals.
- You can use job interviews to gain important information for your future about business trends, plans in the future for certain companies, etc., not only for obtaining a new job.
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THANK YOU LETTERS and THANK YOU CARDS
You must use your judgment about whether to write letters, use email, or prepare handwritten thank-you cards for interview follow-up. However, it is always wise to send a handwritten letter or card and then quickly follow it with one of the other methods of contact and thanks.
Personally, I prepare word processed thank-you letters for the interviewer(s) and do a handwritten notecard to the receptionist. I have used email letters in the past, but actually find them less formal and less satisfactory when I receive them. In fact, as an interviewing and/or hiring manager in the recent past, I found these emails to be usually poorly-worded, trite, slangy, shallow, and even flippant. A well worded and sincere email thank-you is acceptable, especailly if you send a handwritten note simultaneously. I usually mail hard copy letters or and/or fax them.
FIVE ESSENTIALS TO REMEMBER
- Show good etiquette and good manners in using proper titles, punctuation, grammar and spelling.
- Near the beginning, show verbal appreciation for the company's interest in you.
- Re-state your interest in the job and the company, but without sounding desperate.
- Re-state your qualifications for the position and add anything you forgot in the interview.
- Enclose any information the interviewer asked you for, including references or other materials.
SAMPLES
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EXAMPLE
Date (May Day, Year)
Your Name
Your Address
City, State, Zip Code
Your Phone Number / Your Cell Number
Your Email Address
.
Interviewer Name
Interviewer Title
Organization Name
Organization Address
City, State, Zip Code
.
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
Thank you very much for providing time from your busy schedule to talk with me about the Sales Manager position at McDonald's Blinds and Shades. I truly appreciate your time and consideration in interviewing me and feel that I am a perfect fit for this position.
After speaking with you, I know that I will excel in the job duties in a way that will bring an increased customer base and increasing revenues to your company. In addition, my enthusiasm for the work and managing people will bring higher motivation levels and results overall to the sales team.
I am very interested in working for you and look forward to hearing from you soon regarding this position. Please feel free to contact me if you need any further information. My cell phone number is (xxx) xxx-xxxx and I carry it with me at all times.
Thank you again for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Your Typed Name
CC: file
FOLLOW-UP SECRETS
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More Comments!
Dear Readers - I appreciate each and every one of your comments. This article has had so many good posts, that I've archived a few hundred. Keep asking questions and I'll continue answering to the best of my knowledge and experience.
Cheers!
Patty
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Comments & AdditionsLoading...
PK - If you hear nothing form the company, call them on Feb 15th. Success to you!
I would never be messaging with a job candidate; it is too intrusive and time consuming. If you keep messaging him now, you may sound desperate and therefore, not one whom they will hire. Drop the matter, until time to make a personal phone call. Phone, do not text. That personal effort could make the difference if you and the other job candidate are equal otherwise.
Thre may not even be another candidate.
Patty-
I had a great interview last week. While I had a list of references with me, it was not asked for so not given. They did ask who could best tell them about me, when I mentioned a few names of my references they mentioned that they already knew them and how to get in touch with them. Is it necessarily a bad thing that I did not leave them a written list with contact info?
Thanks.
Hello!
I interviewed the 24th of january where I was told a decision would be made in 2-3weeks. I sent a thank you email the evening of the 24th, a follow up call last thursday, and I wanted to know if calling today would be too much? The interview went very well and when I called last week I received a very positive response and was thanked for calling. I was told it would be another week or two though...
Thanks for your time and assistance!
PK
Some info also,
after passing the exam we had a little talk. I think my interviewer likes me. He told me some questions for the next interview. He also warned me that I have a competitor who is good as me. Last feb 8, I went out of their office with a smile on their face because of his good remarks about me. That's why I keep my hopes high.
Anyway,
What should I reply then to his text, "Rest assured that we will keep your application in our active database"
Thanks for the help Patti! I am really nervous about this.
Gee, 'keeping you in their active database' does not sound really encouraging and he sounds as though he did not appreciate a message so soon. However, give it week from Feb 8, which would be Feb 15 and place a telephone call then.
The company may be waiting for other interviews to be completed, or for a Board of Directors meeting in which new hires would be approved.
Hi! Patti I applied as a marketing assistant in a company.
I was interviewed last Feb 1, 2012. Passed it. Took an exam, last feb 8. Passed it also.
My interviewer told me that he will call me to schedule another interview to my supposed to be superior
2 days later he hasnt called yet.
And i sent him an sms. "I 'd like to follow up my application.I am willing to continue with the interview process"
he replied: "Rest assured that your application is kept in our active database."
what is the meaning of all of these. Do I still have to keep my hipes high abt this job? Thanks Patti!
Not until after the 13th. The Board of Directors won't meet until then, so you'd be talking into a vacuum. Hope you win that job!
Hi there, I have been through two interviewers (one with technical dept and the other with HR dept) last month (20th of Jan). After one week the HR manager called me and discuss about my salary (27th of Jan). I called them last Thursday to check on the status and they informed me that the offer letter is ready but they are waiting for their boss (board of directors) to sign it...and the earliest is 13rd of Feb 2012...should I call them tomorrow (Friday) to pester them on the status again? Many thanks for your kind feedback!
Call HR and ask if the hiring decision has been made. Good luck!
hi
i attended one company interview and finished all the rounds finally they told me that hr will call you it's mean what should i reject or selected pls let me know?
Looks good to me - final decisions likely to be made by mid-to-late February. But call by phone and check in, ask if there is anything else to can provide them, information-wise. Good luck!
I was called for an interview with the state of January 3, the interview was then scheduled for January 27th. The interview went well; after the interview one of the ladies told me that there were 22 applicants but there will only be 11 positions. January 30th my first reference was called and my second was called Febuary 1st.... I havent heard anything from them yet. Is this a good sign that my references were checked? I sent a follow up letter on the 6th...what is an appropriate date to perfrom a follow up call to the department?
Call first thing Monday Morning. it sounds like they were hiring you, doesn't it, when they asked when you can start? If, on the other hand, they asked how much notice you would need to give your current employer before you could start, that is not an outright hiring offer.
Dear Patty,
I have attended an interview on Monday for an internship position. It went well, i was asked when can i start and that I will be contacted during the following days. I have followed up with a thank you email to which I have not been replied. It is now Friday, when do you think it would be appropriate to contact them again and how?
Thank you
Probably. Further, if you tell them someone else has offered you a job, they will often say, "Take it." This is a difficult decision for you.
I have been offered a job but the company that i am interested has not offered me yet, they called me for two interviews already. WOuld I sound desperate if I let the company I want that I really need for them to make their decision becausaae they are my top choice?
No more email. I think email Thank Yous often are ignored or simply deleted without reading, after speaking with several interviewers over the last few months. I'd make a phone call today.
Hi Patti!
I had an interview 2 wks ago that went very well with a great company. I was told that HR would be deciding the Tuesday following (which was right after the MLK holiday). It originally took them 2 wks to bring me in for an in person interview after my initial phone interviews (due to the holidays). I sent thank you emails to everyone following the interview (9 altogether) and heard back from most. However, it is now 1 and a half weeks after they were supposed to make a decision (I assume it took longer than initially thought). Do I send a follow-up email again or wait? And do I send it to HR or the hiring manager? A friend of mine in HR told me that I should wait it out. Any advice is welcome! :)
Call on Thursday morning.
Sometimes saying another company wants to hire you kills your chances, but not always. Good luck!
Dear Ms Inglish,
I had a job interview for a job position 2 weeks ago but then i got a second interview with the resource manager because the first interviewer reffered me for this position. I had my second interview this Monday. I was honest and told her that another company wanted to hire me but i was interested in her job position first. I asked her if i can call her to check on my status application and she said yes. She said to call her Thursday or Friday (a couple of days after the interview). Is that a good sign? should i call thurs or fri? I am very nervous because the interview was different than any other interviews i had. It seemed she was rushing. I guess being a resource manager makes her very busy. HELP
Since the email worked first off, then send another thank email and after a 2nd email send bot an email and a hard-copy thank you letter or card. Good luck!
Last week I had a phone interview, I followed that up with a thank you email. I received an email to set up a face to face interview which was yesterday. The interview went well, and I should be contacted next week to come in for a 2nd face to face interview. My question is should I send a thank you today, and if I get a second interview do I need to send another after that?
Unless the company is out of town or out of state form you, I would have mailed a handwritten thank you card asap. Email is too cheap and easy, and sometimes bothersome to the employer. It may be simply deleted.
Wait until Friday after lunch and call at about 1:00 to 1:30 PM if you have heard nothing and politely inquire whether thay have made their decision and if not, when you can expect to hear something definite.
Ms. Inglish -
I am hopeful that you review this blog frequently because I need your assistance ASAP.
I had a second interview on Monday. I was told they are expecting to make a decision by the end of this week. On Tuesday, I emailed a thank you letter to my interviewers and today, I would like to follow up with a phone call. I really want this job but I don't want to sound desperate during the call. Can you advise me on exactly what I should say during this call?
Thanks!!
Cari
Go ahead and email them this afternoon or tomorrow morning. There is still hope. Good luck!
Hi Patty,
Great article and read, thank you. I hope you can provide some insight and feedback for me as well.
60 days ago I had my first interview for a great opportunity in a new career, HR said i was the perfect fit after the first interview and immediately set me up with a face to face meeting with the head department manager. Interview went great and but didn't hear anything back from HR for almost 2 weeks. Finally they contacted me and asked to proceed to next interview phase which was a tour of a facility and to provide a written report on my observations which I sent in the next day. Again, I didn't hear anything back from HR for almost 2 weeks so I called and spoke to HR directly and they said I am again the right candidate for the position and they were going to proceed to final interview with the President.
That was almost 30 days ago (before XMas holidays) and finally last week on Thursday I sent a follow up email to HR (and they indicated they were away on vacation) and in 2 minutes of my email HR replied to my follow up email and said they were returning to the office on the next day on Friday and would arrange the final interview. Is now almost Tuesday and have not still heard back. How many times should I follow up or should I give it more time? I don't want to be pushy but I want this new role, but are they really interested after 60days especially with the poor follow ups? What is the next steps?
Thank you!
I think it is appropriate to email him once a week until you receive a definite answer.
Hey,
Thank you patty for your nice reply.
I need you your help again for my interview.
As I told you that because of holiday season, hiring manager was not able to arrange an interview with HR.
On 20th Dec. I emailed Hiring manager regarding the status. He replied me on 21st dec that, he think that I would be good addition to his team but because of holiday season, communication are really slow. He told me that if I don't receive any feed back till 29th dec. I can contact him.
Its 4th Jan. But only 2 working days were there after 29th.
Do you think that I should email him again for the status? or Should I wait for this week?
Thanks in advance.
I'd write a straightforward inquiry into the status of your resume and at the end, wish the person you contact a Happy New Year and prosperity for the company.
Great site Ms. Inglish, it is very informative. I am in process of getting my dream job & I have a family friend who actually works for the company. 3 weeks ago, I was promised my resume would be given to appropriate personnel. It has now been 3 weeks. How would I verse a holiday greeting-withouht cheapening it- while inquiring about the status of my application?
Why didn't you ask the recruiter that direct question? Call the recruiter back and ask the question.
Hi,
I have a quick question I applied for this role through an agency and after the interview it turned out to be that i had got the job. now the start date was to begin dec 12 however 3 days before that date, i got to call from the recruiter, he mentioned to me that the company is doing internal structure change and not sure whats happening with the role.. when i was interviewed with the company she did mention to me that from dec 12 to jan of first week it is training period, the essential work will begin after the new years. Now my question to you, does this mean that they put this role on hold and that after the holidays i still have a chance or that because of this structure change they cancelled this role.. Thanks
In the experience of most (not all, but most) of my clients and myself when this has happened, the chitchat and laughing are nice, but no job is ever offered. If you want to, call and ask the interviewer what your status is and see if you can obtain a direct answer. That way you'll know.
Hello Patty,
I really need your help here.
I had an interview somewhere last week and we talked for almost 2 hours, it started as an interview then we starting chitchatting and laughing as if we are buds.
He told me that during this week (Next week at the time) he will contact me to know whether am hired or not.
I didn't hear any from the guy, and I'm thinking, which is better; Call or Email? and why?
Standard procedure tells us to go through the Recruiter, so feel free to call that person and ask for updates. Merry Christmas!
Christmas and nearby holidays sometimes slow the whole process with people taking time off.
I interviewed for a Job and was called for a second interview. All communications was through a Staffing agency. I sent a thank you letter to all the interviewers and kept in contact with the recruiter regarding the status of the position. The recruiter indicated that I am still in the running and it would take appropriately two week before he heard anything. Three weeks have passed. What should I do. Should I contact the company to see if the job has been filled or continue communicating with the recruiter?
Hard to say - Are they on leave until after Christmas and New Year's? You could email that you enjoyed the Interview and that you look forward to speaking with him again soon. See what happens.
Hi,
Please suggest me that to do. I had a phone interview with Hiring manager on 12th Dec. On the same day He emailed me to meet his team on 14th Dec. I went for the face to face interview on 14th Dec. It was great. I sent a thank you note after the interview through email. I did not meet HR on that day. Manager told me that HR is on leave. So I will get back to you when I will talk with HR. After that I did not get any email from him. Should I email him regarding the status?
It is too late for a letter; call the company and ask when the hiring is expected to be done and whether you are still in the running.
If you have another interview or the company says they will call you, call within 24 hours and ask for their decision.
hi there patty,
need your help...i was interviewed for over a month now.
1st it was phone interview then a week after they called me and wants to have a face to face interview...after the said face to face interview I didnt hear anything from the company.
Please help me compose a letter to make a follow up for the result of the interview.
Many thanks
Hi monie240 -
It seems to me that they did not find the person they left was the best fit for the job and began recruiting all over again. I hope you find other possible employers before the end of the year. Best wishes!
joey - In the view of HR, you changed your mind too many times about location and to them, distance may not be a worthy complaint. Check out these places on Google Maps before you ask for what you don't now yet is too far away. Best wishes to you!
Hi Patty,
I just wanted to give an update from the last time I wrote. I called the compnay again for a 3rd follow up as you suggested. I again got a voicemail and left a message. I still have not heard back from the HR Dept. I'm believing at this point I should wash my hands and keep it moving. I will say that I am still on the job hunt and noticed the company has placed an ad for hire again. I really font understand, a company that kept constant contact is now unresponsive. This is really sad and makes me wonder if this is a company I really would want to work with? What are your thoughts?
I really need your advice, I'm so stressed and worried at the moment.
So I went for an interview for a position at a certain store. After being interviewed I got offered a position at another store, thinking that it was near my house I accepted it. Human resources said that I will probably go in for a trial shift and won't start till after new years. I drove up to the place only to discover it was too far. So, I called back human resources and asked them if it was possible if I could have the job I originally applied for instead. I was told due to my other commitments it was not possible, and to attend my trial shift.
Following that, I did go to my trial shift. After that the retail manager there said "that was a good first day, you'll hear from head office soon".
Did I piss off head office and screwed up everything? Please help!
monie240 -- I would be persistent and call one more time. Ask if there is any additional information you can furnish and then ask when they expect to make the hiring decision. Any of several events could have happened, for example:
They hired someone else, the position itself is on hold until January 2012, some vital decision-maker is out of the office, the background/security check had a problem.
Let us know what's happening - I wish you the best.
Hi,
I can really use your advice. I submitted my resume for a position in late October. The HR person emailed me back stating the position I applied for was not a good for for that dept however, she saw a dept that was a better fit and asked if I would be intrested. I read over the job description and saw that yes, I was a good fit. We emailed constantly back and forth til finally she gave me my first phone interview. The interview went well therefore, she told me I will have a second interview with the hiring manager. Now because of scheduling, the initial interview with the hiring manager was to be face to face but ended up as another phone interview. I believed the interview went well and was told the HR person will get back to me in a few days. In the meantime, I sent him a thank you note and waited. A couple of days past and the HR person did call because now they want to do the initial face to face. I figured that was just to meet me and see if I truely was a good fit. I had the face to face and again I believed it went well. I was told that again in a few days I will hear from the HR dept. I sent another thank you note for meeting with me. I waited and sure enough, the HR person called to say they really liked me and wanted to go to the next step. She emailed me their background security form which I did have problems with opening (I did inform her) but in the end found a workaround. I signed it emailed it back along with the references she had requested. She told me I should now a definite withn 24hrs. I heard nothing so I contacted her in 72hrs via email. It's now been 3weeks and I have heard nothing. I waited another week and contacted her by phone andleft a voicemail. This is the 3rd week as I said before. Do I let it go or should I contact one last time? This is a small company that began in 2006 and believe me, I did my research on them first so I know the company is lagit. I am still looking while I wait but its frustrating that in the beginning the HR person did so much contact with me that now she hasn't given me any communication at all. It's been approx 6weeks total since the process began. What should I do?
Patty Inglish, MS Hub Author 2 days ago
Jackson - That all sounds strange to me. Let's hope they contact the names you mentioned. Good luck!