When To Send Follow Up Email After Interview

Show Your Unique Value In An Authentic Way

Smart people want to hire people who hustle. So I determined how to stand out from hundreds of other applicants.

I demonstrated I wasn’t just qualified for the position, but I was qualified for the culture. A few years ago, HubSpot published a SlideShare on their Culture Code.“

I used that code to illustrate how my own personality matches HubSpot’s culture:

A few hours after sending this email, I saw Anum opened my emails and clicked my links.

I had two more interviews scheduled the following week. I was hired that Thursday evening.

Anum later told me the importance of this extra step in the hiring decision

“Your personal culture code was a major contributor in deciding to move you along our interview funnel. Not only was its content reflective of how your values tied to our company’s values, the act of making it showed hustle and that you understood the importance we place on culture at HubSpot.”

And now I’m writing this from my desk at HubSpot, sitting directly across from Anum.

All because of a unique thank you email.

What Is The Thank You Letter After The Interview

Research shows that the majority of hiring managers consider the lack of a thank you email as a sign that a candidate lacks follow-through. Thanking someone for taking the time to interview you also shows good manners. And if you can show that you were listening attentively by mentioning a topic you discussed or naming people you met, the email tells the interviewer that youre genuinely interested in the position.

In short, this is another excellent opportunity to persuade the employer that you are the right person for the job.

A hand-written note telling the prospective employer, thanks for your time, can help you stand out from the crowd and set you apart from another job candidate who made a great impression. But sending a traditional letter to a digitally-focused company can suggest a lack of awareness and do more harm than good. Also, the letter might take days to reach the recipient. Such delays can help other job seekers get the position you were hoping for.

The right amount of research and mere common sense will help you decide whether you should send an email or a traditional letter.

Whatever you choose, you should never wait longer than 24 hours to send a thank you letter after a job interview. The conversation between you and the interviewer is still fresh, and the email will only reinforce the positive impression youve already made. So, it should land in your recruiters inbox the day after your interview, preferably between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Changing Your Salary Expectations

Mike Astringer, founder and principal consultant at Human Capital Consultants, noted that HR professionals interview candidates based partly on their initial compensation expectations.

“We know that they fit into our overall compensation range,” he said. “All too often, a candidate will interview for a job, become overconfident then dramatically increase their compensation expectations.”

Astringer said he makes an offer to a candidate based on those initial salary expectations. Candidates should avoid greatly increasing their expectations at the final hour, he said.

“It makes the candidate look bad, it makes me look bad, and it wastes everyone’s time,” Astringer added.

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Consider A Handwritten Thank You Note

In addition to sending an email thank you, you may want to consider sending a handwritten thank you note. This should be a brief one- or two-sentence thank you in your own handwriting. Use a card stock like you can find in a stationery store, write legibly, and mail it shortly after you send your original email, so the interviewer gets it a few days later. It will jog his or her memory and add a nice personal touch.

What To Say In Your Thank You Email

Seek to connect with the interviewer with this message. If something you said seemed to resonate with that interviewer perhaps something you shared about one of your achievements or information you learned about one of their competitors include a brief statement related to that topic in your message.

If you did connect with the interviewer about something, from sports, schools, or a passion for recycling to movies, music, or an interest in cats, insert a reference to that connection in your thank you note to help the interviewer remember you.

Highlight any strength or qualification you have that was emphasized in the job description and/or the interview, particularly if you dont think the interviewer understood your strength in that area.

Demonstrate your skill in business communications by writing a note as you would email a potential customer or client.

Do not try to be cute or funny, unless those skills are required for the job.

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Send A Thank You Note Via Email

How soon should you follow up after an interview? The answer is: immediately! As soon as you get home, write a thank you note to the person with whom you interviewed. This is an important step a study by resume-writing firm TopResume reveals that 68% of hiring managers say that receiving a thank you note has an impact on who they hire. Not writing a thank you note could seriously harm your chances of getting hired.

In the past, most thank you notes were handwritten and delivered via postal mail. Today, however, email thank you notes are the norm unless youre dealing with a very traditional firm.

What should you include in your thank you note? This should be a short and sweet follow up email after the interview.

First, thank the person you talked to. Express your appreciation for taking the time to talk to you and reiterate your interest in the position and the company.

Next, take a few sentences to promote yourself. Remind the interviewer about your skills and why youre uniquely qualified for the job.

You should also use this opportunity to add any information you forgot to mention in the interview. Clean up any mistakes you made and clarify any poorly-worded answers you might have given.

Do Follow Up On Specifics

The followup note is a great place to follow up on specifics that were brought up in the interview. If you discussed a blog post you wrote or a project you executed, send them relevant materials. If they asked for a writing sample, include a link to your portfolio if they asked for a list of references, get them all of the contact information they’ll need. Including this will show that you’re reliable and on top of things.

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These Emails Seem Too Simple Should I Add More

Some job seekers have asked me whether the example emails above are too brief or too simple. In my opinion, no.

I always recommend using a short and sweet follow-up email in your job search. I recommend keeping the length approximately the same as the templates I provided above.

Dont complicate your message. Give a polite greeting, be up-front and say what you want , and then conclude your email politely without any unnecessary fluff or filler content.

This type of follow-up email is your best shot at getting a prompt update after your interview without seeming pushy, desperate, etc.

In all likelihood, the person you emailed will get back to you and apologize and say theyre still working on a decision. Or theres a chance they have news to share and will update you as soon as they get your email.

Either way, you reminded them youre waiting for news and still have interest in the position, which is the goal

If you want to know what else hiring managers look for when conducting interviews, read my list of job interview tips here. Itll help you understand the employers mindset better and will give you a big advantage over the competition in your job search.

Two More Tips For Following Up

If you follow the advice above, you will have great emails to send after any interview from a phone interview to a final stage in-person interview.

However, there are also a few other tips I can share that will make the process easier and help you get the job:

Tip 1: If youre still not 100% confident about your emails after reading the information above, have a friend or family member look at your follow-up email to give feedback.

They can double-check everything and tell you if it sounds polite and clear, or whether something sounds off!

Tip 2: End each interview by asking when you can expect to hear feedback. Simply say, When can I expect to hear feedback, and who will be in touch?

Sometimes its normal for it to take one to two weeks for a response after your job interview. For example, maybe you were the first person they interviewed and they need to talk to a couple of other candidates before making a decision.

So this tip will save you a lot of stress because youll know whether its time to follow up or not, and you wont be worried if youve gotten no response after a couple of days.

While you wait for feedback, you can read these signs your interview went well or badly.

And if you have more interviews coming up and dont want to leave anything to chance, Ive written detailed preparation steps for how to pass an interview here.

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When To Send A Follow

There are typically three types of after interview emails you could send after an interview. A thank-you email to the interviewer right after the interview, a follow-up if you havent heard anything back, and an email to stay in touch in the future.

In most cases, you will only have to send one after interview email, one that thanks the interviewer and expresses your interest for the position. The sooner the better when it comes to sending the thank-you email. Try for the same or next day, and do your best to send it no later than 24 hours after the interview.

If for some reason you havent heard anything from the employer since your interview, you can send the second follow-up email to check-in with them. If you dont hear back and have a strong feeling you didnt get the job, you can send an email saying to stay in touch with the hiring manager. This is a great way to expand your network and show the employer you are still interested. We will go through each type of after interview email with examples below.

Select A Subject Line

A subject line is the first thing your interviewer will see even before opening your email. This is your first chance to impress and get them to open the email. The subject line should be captivating and relatable. Depending on the type of email youre sending, it should express appreciation for your Interviewers time it can also quickly say the reason for the email like a reminder. Here are some strong subject lines you can use:

• I learned so much from you today, thank you!
• Thank you for your time today
• I appreciate your advice
• Follow up concerning

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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:

• Thank you for your time,
• Great speaking with you today!
• Thank you for the opportunity
• Thank you!
• I appreciate your time and advice

• Follow up regarding

Things To Avoid When Following Up

At the same time, there are also a few things you should avoid:

• Don’t Hound Your Interviewers: Initiatives such as a thank-you email and a follow-up a week or so later are more than enough. Beyond that, you won’t be promoting yourself you’ll be stressing them out. Remember that your goal is not only to show the hiring managers that youre qualified but also to convince them that they want to work with you.
• Don’t Send Anything That Makes You Look Bad: This includes personal social media profiles that contain unprofessional pictures or behavior. Err on the side of caution when determining this. You might see nothing wrong with a photo of you enjoying a margarita on a tropical vacation, but the hiring manager might feel differently. Likewise, don’t send memes or be too casual in the tone of your email by using internet acronyms, etc.
• Don’t Overwrite: Keep your message short and focused. The interviewer will not want to read a very long thank-you email. Focus on saying thank you and briefly reiterating your interest in the position.
• Don’t Send Misspelled or Grammatically Incorrect Emails: Even professional editors make mistakes when they try to work on their own. Get another set of eyeballs to look over your work before you hit “send.”

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Things To Avoid In A Thank You Letter After The Interview

Apart from failing to customize your letter, there are several other things to avoid before hitting the send button.

Make sure to read through it a couple of times to ensure there arent any errors. Look for typos and double-check whether youve included a subject. Also, make sure that the name of your interviewer is spelled correctly.

Next, focus on the tone and length of your email after the interview. Are you being formal enough? Is your email too long to be appropriate? Check your attachment section and make sure the attached document is the one you want to send to your employer? Your potential employer will be happy to receive a thank you note after an interview, but it has to be done right.

Final Tips For Following Up

Make sure to end each interview by asking when you can expect to hear back from them.

Itll save you some stress and youll know whether its time to follow up or not. Sometimes its normal to wait 1-2 weeks for a response after your interview. Maybe you were the first person they spoke with and they have many interviews scheduled.

UPDATE:

If you have more interviews coming up and dont want to leave anything to chance, Ive created a new guide where you can copy my exact step-by-step method for getting job offers. You can get more details here.

To read the original article, click here.

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How Do I Keep From Coming Across As Annoying When Following Up

This especially applies to the checking in follow up email.

Youre eager to hear back about a decision on the position, but you dont want to come across as overeager, or worse, desperate. And here’s how:

• Keep your note brief, and only add the details needed.
• Avoid using words like really or super or very.
• If youve already sent a follow-up, dont send another one for three to five business days.

Here are seven essential parts of every great follow up message.

Template For A Thank You Email After A Job Interview

An in-person job interview is a huge opportunity. And employers tell us that the way candidates follow up is an important indicator of their interest in the position. Candidates who go silent after the interview come across as disinterested. So if you really want the job, take the time to write a sincere, customized email immediately after you end the interview, and send it the same day.

Subject Line: Thank you from ] ]

Dear ],

Thank you, again, for the time you spent with me today. I really enjoyed meeting you and exploring how I might be able to assist ] as the new ].

After our conversations, I am even more confident that this position is a job I would enjoy, as well as one where I can be successful and make a valuable contribution.

I am particularly excited about ]

You mentioned that the decision on this position will be made in ]. In the meantime, if there is any additional information you need from me please let me know and Ill get it over to you!

Again, I appreciate the chance to interview with ] and am grateful for the time you spent with me.

Sincerely,

There you have it! Follow these templates, and make extra sure to customize them to your own voice and situation. Before you know it, youll be perfecting your interview follow-up and hearing back after more interviews. Ill wish you luck with your next interview, because I know youve got the thank you email covered.

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Finding The Perfect Job

For a lot of people, the law is all about lawyers. However, there are many different types of legal jobs. As a matter of fact, many people considering a career in law are actually thinking about being law professors and official court reporters. Figuring out what you want to do and deciding which job is the perfect fit for your ambition and talent is the first step.

From there, every job hunt starts with going through job postings. When you find the position you would like to apply for, you should start crafting the perfect resume and cover letter. Next, you should work on customizing the two for position ads that sound like they may be the right fit. You should dedicate a decent amount of time to customizing your resume and writing a unique cover letter. That same level of dedication is required for the thank you note.

Being Rude To The Receptionist Or Support Staff

It is vital that you are kind to everyone in the office when you go in for an interview. You never know who has a say in whether you get the job.

According to the Recruiter Nation report, the worst thing an interviewee can do is be rude to the receptionist or support staff. In fact, 86% of recruiters reported that if a potential employee was rude to the receptionist, they would take the candidate out of the running for the job.

Be courteous, professional and polite to everyone you interact with during the entire process, and make sure to thank people for their time as you leave.

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