When you effectively follow up after a job interview, you achieve three goals: reiterate your interest, demonstrate your skills and strengthen connections. Many job applicants believe that there is not much within their control in between interview rounds. I’m here to challenge that belief and show you how to follow up with intention and purpose after each interview round.
Follow up after an informational interview
Goal: Express gratitude and establish a connection.
An informational interview or informal interview is outside the formal job application process. Career experts stress the importance of having as many informational interviews as possible. Seek information interviews with established immigrants, professionals in your chosen field, industry or target companies. These interviews give you a unique opportunity to have a low-stakes conversation to learn the ins and outs of your target role, industry or company—check out our post to learn the Dos and Don’ts of reaching out for informational interviews.
The first step to following up is sending a thank you note. Though you might think sending a thank you note is obvious, research shows only 25% of candidates send thank you notes.
In your follow up message, aim to:
- Express your gratitude for their time;
- Mention two or three points that you found insightful;
- Highlight a moment of connection or common interest, goal or contact;
- Request additional support;
- Make a plan to follow up within a specific timeframe; and
- Offer your support.
Request additional support
Any request you make in your follow up message must not be a surprise to the reader. It is always best to discuss this during the informational interview.
Examples of requests are:
- Reviewing your resume, LinkedIn profile, job application or portfolio.
- Introducing you to a colleague or connection
- Referral or recommendation.
If not already discussed in your initial meeting, it is best to leave it to the person to offer you additional support before asking for more assistance.
Follow up after an initial/screening interview
Goal: Express gratitude, demonstrate your enthusiasm and secure your position to the next round.
Human Resources practitioners tend to conduct initial or screening interviews in medium to large organizations. However, in smaller companies or startups, you could be interviewed by the CEO or Department Head. The initial screening interview is one of the most critical steps in the job application process. Remember that at this stage, you have more control than you think. You have been identified as a candidate for the role, so approach the interview with confidence to prove that. Read our posts on preparing to ace your job interview and proven ways to ace your job interview.
To effectively follow up after the initial interview, your message should:
- Express how grateful you are for their time and interest in your skills and experience;
- Demonstrate the skills that make you the ideal candidate for the role;
- Recap one or two points they shared that strengthened your interest in the position or company;
- Show your enthusiasm in continuing to the next phase of the process;
- Commit to following up within a specific time frame.
It’s essential to listen carefully for clues on what the interviewer is looking for during the interview. Be sure to take notes and pay attention to their responses and reactions to your answers.
Ask the interviewer for the next steps in the process, and when you can expect to hear back from them.
Checklist for your follow up message:
- Address them by their first name.
- Specify the role, company and details of the interview.
- Reiterate your interest and fit for the position.
- Show your eagerness to move on to the next step.
- Proofread and ensure your tone is energetic and professional.
When to send follow up messages
- Send your first follow-up message within the three hours of your interview. The latest to send a follow-up message is by the end of the day of the interview.
- If given a specific time frame to hear back, wait to follow up the day after not hearing back.
Follow up after a technical or case interview
Goal: Present your skills, impress the interviewers and secure a job offer.
Once you have completed the screening or initial interview, the next interview is usually more technical or role-specific. The interviewers may take on two parts, a few situational questions and a case or technical interview.
You can do a technical interview in real-time or as a take-home. The take-home casework can be reviewed over email or during an in-person presentation.
In following up after your technical interview or case, be sure to:
- Show gratitude for the opportunity;
- Speak to the passion for the work that you do;
- Summarize your findings and key insights;
- Submit work that exceeds expectations while meeting the requirements;
- Address any questions or gaps.
Remember to go through the same checklist before sending your follow up message.
After an in-person technical interview or case presentation, follow the points above to send a follow-up message. The follow up can allow you to address any questions or gap. In case you stumbled on a problem, you can take the opportunity to re-answer the part if needed. If you missed a chance to ask an important question, this is also a great chance to do so.
Once invited for an interview, always ask ahead of time the interview format. Some companies will opt to have a technical interview first.
Following up after a final round/panel interview
Most final interviews take the format of a panel. It will be ideal if you could send a separate thank-you note to each member of the committee. You can ask your primary contact person if it’s possible to share their contact information. If not, you can send a message to be forwarded to the participants.
For follow up messages to multiple interviewers, be sure to:
- Address all the panelists by name;
- Mention a memorable point made by each ;
- Share a heartfelt anecdote;
- Show your eagerness to work with each one of them.
Following up after an offer
Goal: Understand the details of the offer and request an in-person discussion.
Once you receive an official offer, you will be on cloud nine. Remember to take the opportunity to negotiate if your offer does not exceed your expectations. The saying goes, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.” In the final stages of the interview, you may discuss your expected salary. If you are offered exactly what you asked for, asking for more will be in poor taste. If you are offered less than what you were expecting, then propose an in-person or on-camera discussion of the offer.
Points to consider once you receive a job offer
- Make sure you show your enthusiasm for the offer
- Ask how long you have to consider the offer
- Take two full days to review the proposal and make a list of your questions.
- If possible, review with an HR professional, employment lawyer, trusted mentor or colleague, an expert on remuneration and benefits.
- Ask for an in-person/on-camera discussion of the offer.
Follow these pointers to effectively and powerfully follow up after your job interview. This post concludes the Ace Your Job Interview series. If you are looking to ACE your next job interview, sign up for our interview prep sessions to master your interviewing skills.