What To Do When You Are Declined A Position
You will not always get the job you want. Its hard to fit perfectly into a companys needs. So dont take it personally if you are contacted following a job interview and told you didnt get the job. Instead, treat this as a learning opportunity.
When a recruiter contacts you with the bad news, thank him/her again for the consideration but also ask a couple of questions. First, explain that you would like to improve your interviewing skills and ask for suggestions on how you can interview better in the future. Second, ask if there any qualifications or experiences that would make you a more appealing candidate.
You may or may not get specific feedback, but theres a chance you will learn something valuable for future interviews.
When And How To Follow Up After An Interview
One of the questions you should ask during a job interview is What is the next step in your hiring process? This gives you an idea of when you will hear back from the company.
Its important to respect the job hiring process that recruiters go through. If the person that interviewed you told you that a decision will be made by next Wednesday, dont contact them before this apart from your thank you note.
You may be really interested in the position, and you want to try to persuade the company that you are the right person for the job. But dont. It runs the risk of a recruiter perceiving you as a bad listener or disrespectful of other peoples time.
However, lets say that the recruiter said you could expect to hear back by Wednesday, and its now Wednesday afternoon. Well, in that case, its time to act. There is nothing wrong with sending a short interview follow-up note to see if the company has made a decision.
Example of What Should an Interview Follow-up Email Say
Dear ,
I hope all is well with you. I am just following up to see if you have come to a decision regarding the position . If not, could you please let me know when a decision might be made?
Thank you kindly, and please let me know if you require further information regarding my qualifications.
Sincerely,
Show That You’re The Perfect Fit
Along those same lines, employers want to be excited about you in the decision making process. Give them a reason to believe that you’re a perfect match for the position. Hiring managers choose candidates based on their alignment with the company. Skills, experience, values, and philosophy all come into play. Go back over the job listing and choose the two most important traits the company looks for in an applicant. Compare those traits to items in your resume and connect them. Look for the company’s mission statement and apply it to your own core beliefs. Don’t just make a claim. Show how you’ve applied these principles and values to your career and life. Here are two examples:
Honesty, integrity, and dedication: These are the three principles I incorporate into my professional and personal life. In my previous role as , I applied these three values by
In my previous role as , I applied my knowledge of by . Through this project, I learned the most important elements of any business are the clients we serve.
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If Youre Writing A Thank
- Did I include a relevant subject line? Is everything spelled correctly there?
- Have I addressed the person Im thanking correctly? Am I spelling their name and email right?
- Did I make my point in under five sentences?
- Did I mention a specific topic, common interest, or question relevant to my discussion with this person?
- Did I say thank you at some point in the note?
- Are my signature, email name, and email avatar photo all in alignment to project a professional image?
- Did I use Grammarly to edit this note for correctness, clarity, and word choice?
- Did I proofread this email?
- Did I hit Send within 24-48 hours?
If you did all of these things, congratulations! You deserve to grab a book and a snack and take a break. The hard part is over.
Need more help following up after interviews? Check back for more insights next week.
This Job Would Be So Good For Me Because

This is a trap thats easy to fall into. You want to talk about all of the ways that the role would positively impact your life.
Heres the brutal truth: prospective employers dont care. It might seem selfish or cold-hearted, but they want to know about how youll add value to their companyas opposed to how they can benefit you.
Resist the urge to rant and rave about all of the reasons that job would improve your life, and place the majority of your emphasis on what you bring to the table and how that contributes to any company goals.
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Recap Of Your Qualifications
Next, provide a short recap of your experience and background. The interviewer should already be aware of these qualifications after reading your resume and meeting with you, so this section should be brief. Connect your qualifications to the position and its unique requirements to express why you are such a strong candidate for the job. For example, you can write, My social media and search engine marketing expertise would make me an excellent candidate for this marketing role.
How To Write A Post
Writing a short, professional thank-you email after an interview can have a strong impact on the success of any job search. It’s a small note that takes only minutes to write. And can separate you from other candidates, encourage progressing to the next steps of the process, and build a professional network.
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Start By Choosing The Right Subject Line
The best subject lines in your follow-up email are clear, concise and convey appreciation for your interviewers time.
Here are the best interview follow-up email example subject lines:
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Thank you for your time,
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Great speaking with you today!
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Thank you for the opportunity
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Thank you!
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I appreciate your time and advice
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Follow up regarding
Thank You Email After An Initial Screening Interview
Use the approach below if the first person you talk to is a recruiter or assistant who is doing an initial screening to decide who to forward on to the hiring manager. Use the same tone and level of respect that would be appropriate for the person making the hiring decision.
Subject Line: Thank you for with me Dear : Thank you so much for position with . I’m so glad to have been selected to interview for the position, and I’m really excited about having an opportunity to be selected to move forward in the interview process. Based on the way you described the job, I am convinced that I am ideally suited for this job. I look forward to further discussing how I can contribute to as a . My background and experience are a great fit for this opportunity, and seems like a wonderful place to work. I am a hard worker who would like nothing more than an opportunity to join as a . I am ready to schedule a second interview as soon as you are ready to move forward, and I can arrange my schedule to you or anyone else who is involved with the hiring process at your earliest convenience. I look forward to speaking with you again soon. Sincerely, |
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How To Write A Thank You Letter After An Interview
- Post authorBy Susan P. Joyce
Although recent surveys show that most employers seem to be happy receiving a thank you by email, this is the thank you that you put into an envelope, add a stamp, and drop off at the Post Office.
For the employer, this note is a sample of your work.
Keep it short , but personalized.
Typically, as with email, you send a separate thank you to a each member of the employers staff who interviewed you. Also send a different thank you to an external recruiter, if one referred you to the job.
NOTE: If an external recruiter referred you, ask them which thank you is most appropriate for the employer, including whether email is appropriate and acceptable by this employer.
What To Write In Your Thank
Ideally, your note or email should include an expression of strong or enhanced interest in the job after meeting with the interview team. In addition, incorporate a concise statement regarding why you think the position is an excellent fit, as well as an expression of gratitude for their time and input.
You can also add any information about your qualifications that you neglected to share during the meeting. Heres more information about how to write a thank-you note for a job interview.
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What To Include In A Thank You Email After A Phone Interview
There are many elements you should include when constructing your thank you email after your phone interview. These can help you stand out and capture the attention of your interviewer. Some common sections to include in your thank you email are:
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Subject line
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Opening sentence thanking them for the opportunity to interview
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A statement explaining why you’re the best fit for the position
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Any additional comments regarding what you previously discussed in the interview
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Extra information you were unable to discuss in the interview
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A message stating you look forward to hearing from them
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Your signature and any additional contact information
Sample Thank You Email Template #2

Hi Kevin,
Thank you for meeting with me at your office this afternoon.
I enjoyed hearing about the companys long-term goals related to the development of your latest software features. It was also interesting to hear how the software engineering department will go about adding them to their roadmap.
seems like an interesting place to work with the many exciting projects youre working on.
I feel my experience programming with Python would be a great addition to your team. Several of the projects I have worked on using Python should help close the skills gaps you mentioned.
I would relish the opportunity to work with you and your team. Im excited to see what the future holds for the software development team.
If you have any further questions or need anything else to move the process forward please let me know.
Regards,
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Thank You Letter After Second Interview
If youve been invited to attend a second interview, congratulationsyouve made it to what is likely the final round of the hiring process. Demonstrate that youre a courteous and thoughtful professional by thanking the interviewer for their time and continued consideration of your application in a personalized thank you note.
Its critical to send a thank you letter after your second interview because:
- Its your final opportunity to leave a good impression in the minds of the decision-makers involved in the hiring process.
- It allows you to express your enthusiasm for the position and gratitude for being selected for a second interview.
- Its your final opportunity to address any undiscussed details regarding your application or the interview process.
Thank You After Interview Email Best Practices
Here are some general best practices for writing your interview thank you message:
- Send the email within a few hours of the interview.
- Be polite and professional in your language.
- Highlight things you liked about the job, company, culture, and mission statementMission StatementA mission statement defines what line of business a company is in, and why it exists or what purpose it serves.. (You can use this opportunity to elicit a reply to your email by turning things around by writing, Id be interested to hear what you think are the companys core values.
- Mention your skills and strengths that best match the job opportunity and what you learned from the interview about what the company is most looking for from the person who is ultimately chosen to fill the position.
- Dont appear overconfident by sounding as if you just assume that you got the job.
- Be sure to actually say the words, thank you.
- Offer to answer any additional or follow-up questions the interviewer may have.
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How To Write A Perfect Thank You Email After An Interview: Tips & Templates
I know all of this sounds great in theory, but slamming pen to paper to write a thank you letter after a job interview is a very different matter. Never fear, templates and suggestions are here!
Before I share a general format, I want you to repeat after me: I solemnly swear not to copy-paste this template into my email. Weve already covered why a generic thank you is almost worse than no thank you, but in case youre not convinced, heres an infographic to change your mind. That said, a few ideas never hurt, so feel free to steal any of the phrases or sentences below and make them your own! Heres a great sample thank you email after an interview.
Dear ,
Subject Lines
- Thanks for Chatting Today Use something like this if you had a phone screen or video interview.
- Nice to Meet You Today This works well for interviews that take place on site.
- Thanks, and a Question Have a nagging, relevant question that shows youre passionate about the role? Use this email to follow up after your interview!
- Thank You for Your Time Especially good if it was a long interview.
- Many Thanks Short, sweet, and classic.
Opening Lines
- It was really nice to meet you today.
- Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.
- Thanks for taking the time to introduce me to the team today.
- Thank you so much for your time today.
- Thanks for chatting with me today.
Closing Sentences
Sign-Offs
Editing Your Work: A Thank
I love to edit all sorts of writing, but I know this isnt true for everyone! Since editing can be a time-consuming step, here are two checklists you can use to make sure your email is flawless: one for real letters and one for emails. Dont worry, editing shouldnt take longer than five minutes, so youll still get that email out in time!
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More Information About Interview Thank You Notes
- Turning Rejection into Opportunity the thank you after you are turned down for the job
About the author
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a recent Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Susan is a two-time layoff graduate who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. Since 1998, Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt.org. Follow Susan on Twitter at and on , .
Phone Interview Thank You Email Example
Not too different from the sample email earlier.
Dear Ian
Can’t thank you enough for spending time with me over the phone and discussing the opportunity at Apple, Inc. It sounds like an incredible opportunity to learn about Product Management and how technology will advance with younger demographics.
My previous work experience in the education space makes me a great fit for this role.
I’m including a few of my projects and references below. Let me know how I can be helpful in moving forward in the process. Or if you have any further questions, let me know!
Thank you so much, Ian!
Melissa
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When To Send A Thank
If youâre writing a thank-you letter to the interviewer, itâs essential to consider the email timing. For the email to be relevant, you should try to send it while the interview is still fresh in your mind and in the mind of your interviewer. Try to send the email as soon as possible, within 24 hours ideally.
Pro Tip: To make it faster, you can prepare a thank-you email template in advance. Leave blanks in the template that you can personalize after the interview.
Note: If you are communicating with a hiring manager for a job through the Upwork platform, please note that all communication should be through Upwork. Instead of sending an email, users are required to use the Upwork Messages feature, where you can send a thank-you message. Learn more about Upwork Messages.
Take Notes Of The Interviewer’s Name And Any Other Important Information

As you interview, you should have a pen and paper available to take notes of important information as it’s discussed. You can note any company information mentioned by the interviewer, talking points you want to elaborate on later or an overview of regular tasks they may expect you to complete for the job. You should also write down the name of your interviewer or interviewers if there is more than one. Clarify their names and request spelling instructions to ensure you address them properly in the email.
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Create Your Subject Line And Greeting
Once you’ve taken the necessary notes, you can build your email. Start with a subject line that briefly and clearly explains the reason for your email. This can be something like, “Thank You- Interview.” You can also include your first and last name after the words, “Thank You” for additional clarification.
Your greeting can be something simple to start your email. You can write a friendly, but professional greeting like “Hello ” or “Dear .”