Follow-Up After an Interview

Many are uncertain when and how to follow up after an interview. Here are a couple of things you must do to optimize an interview follow up…

JOB Client Services VP, Terry Devlin shares insights based on his work as a professional career advisor and through his own job search experiences.

1) Ask About Next Steps During the Interview

First, make sure to ask what the next step in the process is before you leave the interview. You may be a little nervous about asking, but doing so makes the follow up a lot easier.

Example:

Most interviewers will give you the chance to ask if you have any questions.

Make your final question: “What’s the next step in the process?”

The most common answer is:
“We have a few more people to interview, but we’ll be letting everyone know their status by (date).”

Your response:
“Great, if I don’t hear from you by (date plus one day) is it alright if I contact you to follow up?” The answer is usually positive.

After the Interview Optimism - A Cautionary Tale

I can honestly say that on almost every interview where I was the candidate, I thought I did great, and I was confident that an offer was sure to come. I thought, all I had to do was sit back, relax, and wait for the call to confirm my high opinion of my performance!

Believe me, that’s not the best attitude to have after any interview. I suggest that you take that warm glow of positive energy and develop more opportunities.

2) Do Next - Date plus one day after the interview

Call whomever it was that you had the best relationship with (HR Person or Hiring Manager) and say this:

"I am very excited about the position and I wanted to follow up to learn if I am still a candidate?"

Please remember to ask it that way. You must be specific. You may not get the answer that you hoped for, but you will know your status!