Interview Follow Up Is A Must

When it comes to job-search expert advice, there are certainly varying views on any given topic. However, one piece of advice experts appear to agree upon is that job candidates must follow up after a job interview. In fact, some experts mention that monitoring candidate follow-up is a purposeful tactic for some employers, and factors into their selection process. What should your follow-up plan be? Take a look below for some simple pointers:

Ask for the interviewer’s business card or accurately notate their contact information, if they don’t have a business card available, prior to your departure from the interview.

Inquire about next steps and the timeline for filling the position.

Ask for immediate feedback before leaving the interview, and explore whether they’ve identified any barrier to why you may not be the right candidate for the job. You should attempt to address this in the interview, however if time doesn’t allow or if you’re caught off-guard, you may decide to address this in some form of post-interview follow-up.

Review your interview notes to identify a particular point to emphasize in your thank you notes (e.g. if the interviewer mentioned a new client, and you’ve done a little post-interview homework on this client, you may want to share a tidbit of information that you’ve come across). This demonstrates you were paying close attention in the interview, as well as reflects your willingness to go the extra step in learning more about their clients and business.

Underscore your appreciation of their time and interest in you, and succinctly restate why you consider yourself the ideal candidate for the job.

Send a thank you email immediately.

Send a follow-up hand-written thank you note, by snail mail, within a day or two after your interview appointment.

Proofread all your written communications for perfect grammar and clarity.

Make a phone call approximately a week after your interview if you haven’t received a status update on the hiring process—this is an opportunity to build rapport, inquire as to whether there is a need for any further information, and remind them that you are an ideal candidate for the job. Plan and practice what you want to say in advance. Be sure to get right to the point of your call.

Be patient and persistent without pestering. The hiring process inevitably takes longer than expected, so be patient. Be persistent about your follow-up, but do so in a manner that doesn’t come across as pestering. Be perceptive to how the interviewer is responding to your follow up thus far, and discuss a reasonable plan for obtaining ongoing updates.

Whether and how you follow up after an interview makes a powerful impression—be sure your impression is a positive one by implementing some of the tips above.