Parity: How to follow up after a job interview 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash 

You’ve had an interview and think it went pretty well, but haven’t yet received any feedback. Should you contact the hiring manager to find out if a decision has been made or will that appear too eager and needy? You’re wondering exactly how to follow up after a job interview. If you don’t get in touch, will it seem as though you’re not bothered? Should I? Shouldn’t I? Argh, it’s a minefield. Never fear! Here are our top tips on how to follow up after an interview: 

1) Ask at interview 

Prevent any feelings of anxiety right from the off by asking your interviewers when they’re likely to make a decision. This is a perfectly reasonable question and presents you as someone that is serious about the job on offer. It might be that the interview stage is going to take a few weeks and though it leaves you twiddling your thumbs, at least you know by which point you may need to make contact.   

Real-life example: 

“I’ve been left not knowing the outcome of interviews before, so I definitely wanted to ask about next steps at my latest interview. Just means you can relax for a few days and not panic because you haven’t heard!” – Dave, IT. 

2) Speak to your recruitment consultant

The easiest way to chase up feedback is to speak with your recruiter. All good consultants will call you after your interview to find out how it went, providing the perfect opportunity for you to ask when a response is likely. If they don’t already know this information, they can enquire on your behalf. Serving as the middle-person between both parties, your consultant can relay any questions or messages without fear of rushing or hassling the interviewers.  

Real-life example: 

“My consultant told me I’d hear in a week, and then proactively chased up when a week had passed – without my prompting. It’s really good to know someone is on my side, getting updates for me.” –  Lara, Project Management. 

3) Send a short email to follow up after a job interview 

If you didn’t go through a recruitment agency, then once a reasonable amount of time has passed (a week or so), you could send an email to follow up after a job interview. Our advice is to specify the role (in case they’re managing lots of vacancies) and mention something exciting about the company, to convey your enthusiasm, along the lines of: 

“I just wanted to follow-up on my interview for the role of Project Manager. Can you confirm when a decision might be communicated, please? I very much enjoyed meeting you and learning more about the company. The commitment to helping the local community was especially impressive – yours is an organisation I would very much like to be a part of.” 

Fingers crossed, this should prompt a reply, even if it is just to let you know it’ll be another week.   

Real-life example:  

“After both an interview and a trial day in the office, the line went cold. So cold, that even my dad was suggesting I probably hadn’t been successful. In the end, I sent a quick email to my interviewer who explained that they had a few more interviews to carry out, but I’d hear on the following Friday. On Friday, I was offered the job!” – Liz, Marketing. 

4) Make a call to follow up after a job interview

The issue with an email response is that it can be short and sweet, offering little information. A phone call, on the other hand, opens up the lines of communication and you may discover more about any hold-ups in the process. You can open with the dialogue as per the email: you want to know when a decision might be made. It might be policy that only successful candidates are contacted, so you might find out someone else has been appointed. But if this is the case, you’ll know to continue your job hunt elsewhere. Or check out a recruitment agency which boasts a 2:1 interview to placement rate (who, us?). 

Real-life example: 

“It took all my nerve to call the interviewer, but I’m so glad I did. She explained they were deliberating between two candidates, me being one, and trying to work out if they could offer two roles – which in the end, they did.” – Paul,  

Timing is important when it comes to chasing up a response. We recommend waiting a week before making contact to follow up after a job interview (though you can contact your recruitment consultant as soon as you like) if you haven’t been given a confirmed date. The way you make contact offers the interviewers another chance to see your communication skills in action, so think of it as an extra step in the interview process, perhaps.  

Talk to us if you need some guidance or if you’d like us to help you secure your next interview. We’d love to chase up the outcome on your behalf!