Follow up After the Interview
Once the interview ends the interviewers hard work begins. They typically talk with peers or supervisors about what they learned. They may have to meet with the team and share with them as well. Eventually they have to decide who to hire. Then in most companies, they will have to go to HR to permission to offer you the job. Most times they have to track down a supervisor to sign off on hiring you before they can even talk to the human resources department. Then before making the offer many companies require the proposed salary get reviewed by the account or possibly even the CFO. Even if the interviewer thanks you are a perfect fit, it can take a lot to make an offer letter happen.
However… sometimes they just get busy and forget about the interview.
Either way, once the interview is over follow up becomes your responsibility. It’s up to you to make sure they don’t forget about the time you spent interviewing. It’s up to you to reassure the interviewer and/or hiring manager that you are still interested in the job. Just remember, aggressive follow up can get you remembered for all the wrong reasons. To be effective and not too aggressive we suggest you devise & stick to a follow up strategy like the following.
Thank you note: Within 24 hours send a personal follow up letter thanking the interviewer(s) for their time. Use this opportunity to incorporate the type of information you covered during the interview closing.
Follow up phone call: During the interview, you should have asked when the next step would happen. Mark that date on your calendar and never call before that date. However, within 48 hours of that date it is acceptable to call the interviewer and ask how the process is going.
Repeat follow up calls: If you have not heard back within the first week of the next step date, it is acceptable to make a second follow up call. If you are really interested in the job, you could repeat this every week for as many as 4 weeks.
Closing call: If you still have not heard back six weeks after the next step date, it’s safe to assume you are not getting the job. At that point, it is acceptable to ask if this is still a viable job before moving on to something else. This simple question demonstrates that the process is dragging and reminds them that they are missing out on a great resource who really wants the job.
Move on: There’s no sense beating a dead horse. If you haven’t heard an answer after 6 weeks, it is best to move on to bigger and better jobs. Don’t worry. There is one out there with your name on it. Just keep looking.
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