You interviewed for a job a few days ago but haven’t heard anything. Now what?
Here’s some guidance for how — and when — to follow up after a job interview.
Preparing for the Job Interview Follow-Up Even Before the Interview:
The best time to decide how to follow up is in the interview. Asking about the next steps in the process at the end of the job interview can help provide a lot of clarity for your follow-up actions.
Near the end of the interview, ask the interviewer when you can expect to hear back from them about a hiring decision or the next step in the hiring process. This will help guide your follow up. If the interviewer doesn’t have a specific timeline, ask if it’s okay for you to check in with them. Ask if he or she would prefer you to call or email. And determine a specific date for doing so — usually a week or two at a minimum.
If you do establish a specific follow-up follow up process, make sure you follow it. That can solidify you as an even stronger candidate when you follow up at the time and manner you established you would.
What if you don’t hear back from the interviewer?
If you don’t hear back from the interviewer on the date promised, that’s not unusual. It doesn’t mean you weren’t selected for the role. Often, things come up that can delay the hiring process. Sometimes an organization’s priorities for hiring have changed. If the interviewer is also a manager, other job responsibilities can have an impact. Maybe they got sick or had a family emergency. All of these can impact the hiring timeframe — and may not necessarily be communicated to you.
- When to Follow Up:
For situations when there was a definitive schedule provided — but that date has passed — an email follow-up is often the best way to touch base (if you have an email address for the interviewer). Write a short email reiterating that you interviewed for the job on [date] and are still interested in the position and would like to know if anything else is needed.
Following Up When You Didn’t Establish a Follow-up Schedule with Your Interviewer
What if you didn’t ask the interviewer about the next step(s)? And what if the interviewer didn’t mention a timeframe for making a hiring decision? What then?
The first step is to wait. See if you hear back from the interviewer. How long should you wait? You’ll generally want to wait at least a week. But you won’t want to wait more than 10-14 days before you reach back out to inquire about the status of the hiring decision.
- How to Follow Up When There was no predetermined timeframe:
Again, you’ll want to send an email or perhaps call the hiring manager or Human Resources (HR). If you’re having trouble connecting with anyone, it might be helpful to get some “inside information.” If you have a contact at the organization, reach out and ask if they know anything about the hiring for the position. You may also want to reach out to your references to see if they have been contacted.
Keep Applying — and Interviewing
Even while you’re waiting to hear back about this job opportunity, keep your job search going. Focus on the things you can control (applying and interviewing for other opportunities) rather than the things you can’t control (an employer’s hiring timeline).