The age old question…when should I follow up via email after my job interview? You’ve just managed to successfully get through your job interview without crying or running away. Congratulations. Now it’s time to figure out what to do next, and when to follow up with your interviewer if you don’t hear anything back.
We’ll break it down into each email you should send, what it’s about and when to send it (so you don’t look desperate).
If you want to know what to include in each email, check out our email template blog post for all our secrets.
Email 1: The Post-Interview ‘Thank You’ Email
Before you ask, no, sending a thank you email or message to follow up after your interview doesn’t make you look like a desperate suck up. In fact, 80% of HR managers say thank-you notes are helpful when reviewing candidates, and it’s the easiest way to get your name back in front of a company’s eyes (making you more memorable and showing your passion for the role!)
Send a thank you email within 24 hours of your interview to keep it fresh. If your interview was in the morning try sending your email later that afternoon and if it was in the afternoon send it first thing the next morning.
Email 2: The ‘I Haven’t Heard Back’ Follow Up Email
Usually in your interview, the interviewer will give you an expected window of time to hear back from them e.g ‘we’ll email you within the week’ or ‘we’ll contact you before the 24th November’.
If this date or time comes and goes with nothing on their end, wait 48 hours after you were meant to hear back and drop them a follow up email politely asking for an update on your application and reiterating your enthusiasm for the role.
Email 3: The ‘What’s Happening’ Follow Up Email
If there’s nothing after your first follow up email, wait 5-7 days and drop them a second follow up email (7 days including weekends or 5 working days). If you want to take this further, try calling the company/department or using LinkedIn to contact your interviewer or someone else at the company to get an update on your application.
To be honest, even getting to this stage is a bit of a company red flag so take that into consideration.
Email 4: The ‘Last Chance’ Email
If there’s STILL nothing, send one final email asking for an update and if there’s no response, call it quits. No one wants to work for a company that can’t be arsed to even send a generic ‘unfortunately this position has been filled’. They’re not worth it.
For even more interview hacks you can browse our other blogs here or download our free interview checklist and email templates.
