The 7 best ways to follow up after a job interview

You’ve written up a great resume, applied for a bunch of jobs, landed an interview and now you’re playing the waiting game. Waiting to hear whether you’ve landed a role after a job interview can be frustrating. However, there are a few things you can do to follow up afterwards and place yourself in the best possible position to begin a new career.

Alyce Vayle has spoken to the experts and has compiled this short list on how to best follow up after an interview. Try some or all of these for your best chance of success.

#1: Ask, ‘what are the next steps?’

Make the recruiter’s job as easy as possible, The Muse from Forbes says, “As a recruiter, it stuns me that so few people end the conversation with this question.”

The expert mentions that it’s important to ask this at the interview itself, too. “If you ask the interviewer what happens next, you know exactly when it’s acceptable to follow up,” Muse explains. “If she says she’ll be contacting candidates within a week, and its day 9, it’s completely OK to touch base and remind her of the timetable she gave you.”

#2: Ask to connect on LinkedIn

Making a connection on this social media platform can be a great way to keep in casual contact with the person or people that interviewed you. Even if you’re not successful at landing the job you went for, you may find that they keep you in mind for a subsequent position. In any case, it never hurts to grow your professional network.

#3: Ask for a timeline if you can

“Find out when they expect to let candidates know their decision, who in the company will be contacting the candidates (interviewer, HR manager), and through what means they will contact,” says WikiHow. Email, phone call or direct message is fine, they say.

#4: Add anything you forgot to say

“If there’s something you had wished you’d shared during the interview, do it now. Mention anything you wished you had said, but didn’t, during the interview,” says Alison Doyle, a job searching expert.

In an interview space, the person going for the job is usually quite nervous and keen to get all their information, skills and attributes across. It’s natural to forget things, or to stumble over a question or two. If you feel that there is something that you really should add, send across a polite email within two days.

#5: Learn when to move on

Chris Fields from The Resume Crusade adds that “company time frames can be tricky to predict, and candidates should take encouraging comments during an interview with a grain of salt.”

He says, “Workplace emergencies happen unexpectedly and all the time, so it’s important to follow up a couple of times. But if you hear absolutely nothing, then it’s time to move on.”

#6: Recover from a less-than-excellent interview

If you really feel that you did a poor job in the interview itself, the follow up process might be a good time to repair any damage done. Peggy McKee of Career Confidential, says, “Tell them you’re going to provide them with additional resources. If you can send documentation of your abilities, or even get references to send notes on your behalf, do so.”

#7: Send a brief and cheery email

Of course, a polite follow up email is essential. PopSugar has a sample email here but you should personalise it to your own style. Make sure it is short, to the point and highlights a sentence or two about your suitability for the role.

Following up by SMS or tweet should only be done for certain types of role, for example, Social Media Manager, Marketing, PR or Media roles. Use your common sense.

Great image by Bill Strain