You sent off your job application, you were invited to a job interview and you aced it. Well done! But what now? There's more you can do after your interview than just waiting for a response. Specifically, you have some job interview follow-up emails to plan.
Is It Worth Sending a Follow-up Email After an Interview?
Yes, absolutely! As long as your email isn’t excessively long or overly pushy, you only stand to benefit from sending one. A job interview follow-up email can noticeably increase the visibility of your application. Moreover, it's simply good form to thank the recruiter for their time. Even if you don't secure the job, showing good form may encourage the recruiter to consider you for another open position because you've made a positive impression on them.
Never copy a generic interview follow up email template verbatim. You can find some examples for follow-ups below, but your own email should always include personalized information, from using the name of the recruiter to bringing up a few of the things that were discussed during your interview.
Sending a generic email along the lines of "To whom it may concern, thank you for the job interview" can be detrimental to your job application, as it demonstrates you're not willing to invest the time in crafting a personalized email.
When Can I Contact My Recruiter with a Follow-up Email?
There are two situations in which you may want to send out a job interview follow-up email:
- Sending a "thank you" note directly after the interview
- Sending a follow-up email after not hearing back from the company
Make sure you always follow up a job interview with an email within the next 24 hours. This has become the accepted norm today, as recruiters consider it good etiquette for applicants to send a quick "thank you" note afterwards. This also means that your job interview follow-up email doesn't need to be lengthy.
You should thank the recruiter for the interview, provide enough information for them to remember you, and reiterate your interest for the position. You can also offer to provide additional information if needed or indicate that you're open to further discussions over the phone if required.
If you haven't heard back from the company after a job interview, you can send another email to inquire about the status of your job application. In this case, consider the timing and content of your email carefully. If your recruiter has told you to expect their reply by a certain date, make sure to wait until that date has passed, then allow an additional 24 hours.
If your recruiter hasn't given you a specific date, you should wait at least a full week. But don't wait too long either: If you haven't heard back from the company a full two weeks after the interview, you should definitely send a follow-up to ask about the status of your job application. If they don't receive your email by then, they may think you're no longer interested in the job.
What Should I Do if No One Replies to My Job Application Follow-up Email?
Don't worry if there's no immediate reply to your initial "thank you" email. Recruiters have a lot on their plates, so they may not reply until they've made the final decision on who gets the job.
If you've already sent another follow-up email after not hearing back after a week, that changes things. We suggest making one more attempt at that point. If you still get no reply at all (not even a response saying "we need more time"), it may not be worth pursuing this job opening any further. Feel free to keep trying, but keep in mind that not responding to you at all after three follow-ups is considered bad form from a prospective employer.
Keep in mind that many companies today use automated email replies to notify you if the recipient of your email is on vacation or sick leave. You can call the company offices and ask if your recruiter is currently unavailable, though that may be considered a bit pushy.
Who Should I Contact with My Follow-up Email?
Your email should always be addressed to the recruiter directly. Since most recruiters will react to your initial job application via email, you should already have their email address. If not, you may want to ask for their business card after the interview, to make sure you know how to contact them directly.
If you find yourself in a situation where the job interview is over and you still don't have the recruiter's email address, it's still better to call the company and ask for their email address, rather than sending a job interview follow-up email to their "contact@company.com" address.
Make sure you send job-related emails from a professional-sounding email address. It's usually enough to just use your full name, your initials or a combination of the two. Pop culture references, jokes or strange nicknames may make the recruiter question your professionalism. Also make sure your email signature doesn't contain anything that may be considered unprofessional. It's usually enough to state your full name as well as your phone number or any other important contact information.
How Long Should a Job Interview Follow-up Email Be?
Your follow-up doesn't need to be very long. Make sure you give just enough information for the recruiter to remember you and understand that you're still interested in the position. Essentially, you are on the safe side if your follow-up email does not exceed two paragraphs. You can find some examples for this later in this article.
You should never introduce new information in your follow-up email that hasn't been mentioned in your resume or during the job interview. It can be beneficial to insert a couple of sentences referring to something you talked about during the interview, though. This will help the recruiter remember you and the conversation you've had.
Here are a few examples to inspire you:
"I was amazed to hear that many other employees at company X have a background in chemical engineering, just like me."
"I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk to you about implementing generative AI in your internal processes. I'm confident I'll be able to help with increasing productivity across the company using the methods we discussed."
"Being from Dallas, TX originally, I was thrilled to discover you grew up not far from where I spent most of my childhood."
When adding such information, however, you should always exercise restraint. If you provide too much detail, your email may come off as rambling. Try to refer only to the one or two most important points that are likely to help the recruiter remember you and the value you can bring to the company.
In general, keep the text body of your email to a maximum of four short paragraphs plus salutation ("Dear X") and complimentary close ("Best regards").
How to Follow Up After a Job Interview: a Check List
Follow these steps to ensure you get the most out of your follow-up email:
- Find out the email address and full name of your recruiter before or during the interview.
- If you and your recruiter were using first names during the interview, you can also call them by their first name in your email.
- Write a personalized job interview follow-up email for every interview you've had.
- Make sure you reinforce your enthusiasm for the job in your follow-up emails.
- Use your emails to convey a positive and confident attitude.
- Mention some topics you discussed during the interview.
- Keep your email short and concise.
- Send your follow-up email as part of an existing email thread, i.e. as a response to the recruiter's job interview invitation.
- Send out your follow-up email no later than 24 hours after the interview.
- If you haven't heard from the recruiter for over a full week, send another follow-up email requesting an update.
Also keep in mind that in today's job market, email is the preferred method to follow up on a job interview. Calling your recruiter just to thank them for the interview may seem a bit pushy.
The Subject Line for Your Follow-up Email After the Interview
What's most important is that your subject line for your follow-up email after the interview mentions the job opening you applied for. In larger companies in particular, there may be multiple positions available at any given time. If there's an ID number or similar identifier associated with the job opening, be sure to include it in the subject line.
With that in mind, on your first follow-up, you could simply say "Job ID 4179: Thank you for the interview". You can also use "RE:" to indicate that your email is in response to something: "RE: Our interview for the position as marketing specialist".
Examples for Good Job Interview Follow-up Emails
Remember: The purpose of your follow-up is to stand out from the mass of job applications they receive each day, and you won't be able to do that if you use a generic template. So, make sure to only use the following examples as inspiration. Recruiters often know all common interview follow up email templates and are certain to notice if you rely on a template and simply insert your own information.
- Short and Sweet Follow-up Email After an Interview
Subject line: Thank you for the interview (engineering position, ID 19513)
Dear Dr. Hutchinson,
Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you about the open engineering position at company X yesterday. Experiencing your company culture firsthand has made me all the more thrilled with the prospect of joining the team.
Hearing that you're currently working on implementing new polymer technologies into the production of your consumer-grade videography drones, I recognized how much my previous experience in this area can benefit company X. I've worked extensively on improving the ratio of strength vs weight during my time at University Y, as evidenced by my published works. I believe we can find a way to improve stability and flight characteristics while also remaining within the legally mandated weight limits for drones in many overseas markets.
I'm very much looking forward to joining the team. The engineers you introduced me to appear to be true experts in their field, and I'm eager for a productive exchange of ideas that will benefit the company.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information you may require.
Thanks again,
Dr. Sarah Barker
555-402725
This is a good example of a follow-up email that provides enough specific information for the recruiter to remember you, while also remaining concise enough to not feel overburdening. Note how the applicant has found an enthusiastic, positive tone without sounding unprofessional and how she explains again how her work can be beneficial to the employer, referencing her previous experience in the field.
- Adjusting Your Tone When Applying to a Young Start-up Company
Subject line: RE: Our job interview for the position of marketing assistant—Thank you for your time!
Hi Matt,
Thank you again for inviting me for a job interview earlier today.
As I told you, I was a bit anxious about it, since I've always aspired to enter the advertising business, despite lacking a professional background in marketing. I'm pleased I was able to show that my broad cultural experiences and college training in multiple languages can provide you with valuable insights, precisely because it comes from a new perspective on your work.
I think the results of our mock slogan brainstorming session speak for themselves, as you and your colleagues mentioned some of the ideas we came up with were ideal for a project you're currently working on. I was impressed with the sheer creativity on display at company X and I'm more eager than ever to become part of the team. Please let me know if you need any more information from me.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Alex Foster
555-183520
You'll notice this example uses a much more familiar tone. This could be useful when applying for a job in a small creative company. But make sure you know that they'll appreciate that tone. Also note how the applicant reminds the recruiter of their anxiety facing the job interview. This is not always advisable, especially not when applying for jobs with large corporations. In the case of a small creative marketing company, however, this can strengthen the emotional connection between you and the recruiter. Most recruiters understand that it's perfectly normal to be a bit anxious before a job interview.
- Follow-up Email After Not Hearing Back from the Recruiter for a While
Subject line: Re: Checking in regarding the position of engineer (ID 19513)
Dear Dr. Hutchinson,
We met on the 13th for a job interview for the position of engineer (ID 19513). I was wondering if there were any updates concerning the decision-making process for filling the position, as I'm still very eager to join the team. Please feel free to contact me if I can provide any additional information you may require.
Thanks again,
Dr. Sarah Barker
555-402725
When sending a job interview follow-up email after not hearing back from the company for a week, you should always avoid phrases that may feel pushy, such as "I still haven't heard from you". Instead, reiterate your interest in the position and ask if there's anything you can do to help the recruiter make their decision.
However, be cautious not to come across as overly meek. For instance, don't start your email with "I'm sorry to bother you again" or similar phrases. Worst-case, these can come off as passive-aggressive.
Always Send a Job Interview Follow-up Email to Maximize Your Chances
Gaining and retaining the attention of your recruiter is the main goal of your job application, so make sure you seize every opportunity to put yourself in the spotlight. It's become the expected norm to send a concise follow-up email after the interview. It's also good practice to send an email checking up on the status of your job application if you haven't heard from your recruiter for a while.
Utilize these avenues of communication to ensure you stay at the forefront of your recruiter's mind long after the interview.