The job
interview you've prepared for is over. Here comes the hardest part: Waiting to
hear back. Now is not the time to sit back. You need to continue to take a
proactive approach, doing everything you can to show your interest, stay top of
mind and memorable (in the right way,) and present yourself as the right candidate
for the job. This includes following up in a professional manner.
Waiting will
test your patience and following up in a professional manner takes a
well-thought out strategy. Follow these tips and you’ll show your interest
without crossing the line and becoming a pest.
create a follow up
timeline
Following up
is critical in showing your continued interest in a job opportunity. However,
you don’t want to hound the Human Resources or hiring manager for a decision.
▪ Before you
leave the interview, ask about their time frame for making the hiring decision.
This will help to time your follow-up efforts.
▪ Send a
separate and different email to each person you met during the interview
process.
▪ If you
haven’t heard back within the time frame provided, it’s appropriate to send an
email to the primary contact e.g. human resources professional or hiring
manager.
▪ You can
follow up one more time to learn if they’ve made a decision—anything more than
that is pestering. Make sure these two emails are spaced—two weeks is a good
benchmark to use.
follow up after each contact with the employer
First follow-up is a 'reiteration of your
qualifications' email.
It is an
imperative to send a short note of appreciation within 24 hours to the
interviewer(s) for their time. This is an important touch point. Reiterate your
interest in the position and the company as well as your ability to do the job.
This is a good way to keep your name current in the interviewer’s mind.
▪ Comment and then
add 2-3 bullet points on something you discussed during the interview that will
allow you to restate your qualifications and confidence in performing the job.
People may not read the whole email but they always read the bullet points.
▪ Take the
opportunity to use your third party endorsers aka references, "I've worked hard to earn the best references. I've attached a reference letter and happy to provide more when we met again."
Your can follow up again when you haven’t heard
back in the time frame provided.
In a situation
in which the company says they will make a decision by a certain date, and that
date goes by without any word after you've sent an initial follow-up note, it's
okay to send one more polite inquiry.
▪Your email
needs to be concise and friendly. Don’t necessarily remind them that they
haven’t gotten back to you, but rather use the time frame provided as the
reason for your follow up. Something along the lines of: "You mentioned in the
interview, you were hoping to make a final hiring decision by the end of the
month, and I wanted to follow up to see where you are in that process."
It’s important
to understand that providing interviewees with a time frame is tricky for
employers. You can’t predict or control workplace emergencies and situations
that arise that could change things.
keep the lines of
communication open
You want to stand
out and show your interest.
▪ Send links to
recent articles and posts about the industry and/or company. This shows you're
keeping the job opportunity top-of-mind and you’re staying top-of-mind.
It’s as simple as: “…I recently read this article about (relevant subject) and
thought you would find it interesting as well.”
▪Ask to connect via LinkedIn and be
sure to personalize your request to connect.
learn when to move on
It’s
not easy to wait patiently for a reply from the company. If the employer just
isn’t responding to your touch points, there’s a point when you just have to
move on. Don’t take it personally; just move along.
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