Follow-Up Letter After an Interview: 2 Samples + When to Send

So you’ve gone through the interview process for your ideal job, and you have even sent a thank you letter, but you still haven’t received a response. How should you proceed in this situation? Sending a follow-up letter will not only help keep you on their radar, but it will also give you a chance to demonstrate your continued interest in the role and show that you are a good fit for their organization.

Why It’s Important to Send a Follow-Up Letter or Email

Following up with a talent acquisition specialist or recruiter when you haven’t heard back after an interview is a good idea, and in some cases, a follow-up letter could increase your chances of receiving a response. Talent acquisition specialists usually juggle multiple job openings simultaneously, each with their own applicant pools, interview schedules, and processes. There are a lot of moving parts in these processes, so it’s important not to take the lack of response personally or as proof that you’re not being considered anymore – there’s likely something going on in the background.

It’s important to write a carefully thought-out follow-up letter to remind the specialist or recruiter that you are still interested. Job seekers are often reluctant to follow up after an interview for fear of seeming too desperate or bothering the recipient. However, if written with intention, the follow-up letter or email may be the trigger that reminds the recruiter that you are the right fit for the role.

When to Send a Follow-Up Letter or Email

At the end of the interview, it’s a good idea to ask the interviewer what the next steps in the process are, or when they think they’ll make a decision about who will move forward. If you asked this question and the interviewer gave a specific response, then you’ll want to follow up one day after the timeframe the interviewer provided. For example, if they stated that they expect to reach out after 2-3 days, then send a follow-up email or letter on the 4th day.

Perhaps the interviewer didn’t give you a chance to ask about next steps, or you got nervous and forgot to ask. In that case, you’ll want to wait 1 week before following up. This gives the interviewer time to meet with all of the candidates and make a decision about how to move forward.

What to Include in a Follow-Up Letter or Email

It can be frustrating when you have invested your time and energy into writing your resume and applying and interviewing for a job, especially when it’s a role that excites you. The important thing is to remain positive and not jump to any conclusions.

The subject line of your follow-up email should be short and informative. Include your name, reason for reaching out, and the job title. Some examples include:

• Follow-Up on (Job Title) Interview for (Name)
• Following Up on (Job Title) Position for (Name)
• Checking In Re: (Job Title) Interview for (Name)

You can attach the follow-up letter to the email using a business letter format that is commonly used for job letters, or you can use the body of the email as your follow-up letter. In the letter or body of the email, be sure to reiterate your interest in the role and include one qualification and a call to action. Make sure that you begin with a professional greeting and end with a professional closing. Keep the content light and polite.

Hopefully, your follow-up email gets you the response you’ve been waiting for. If you receive a request to complete another interview, be sure to respond promptly. If you receive a job offer as a response, be sure to send a job acceptance letter or counter offer letter.

Follow-Up Email Sample: Initial Follow-Up

Hi Ashley,

I hope all is well with you. I genuinely enjoyed my meeting last week with Elliot Barnes, the Front Desk Supervisor, and I just wanted to check on the status of my application. I continue to be interested in the Front Desk Support role, and I’m confident that the team will benefit greatly from my five years of experience providing top-notch customer service.

I welcome any updates or feedback you’re able to provide about this position. Please let me know if you have any other questions that I can answer.

Best regards,

Harper Randall

What to Do After You’ve Followed Up

If you’ve sent a follow-up letter or email and still haven’t heard back about your status, you can send a second follow-up email. Before you send that email, make sure to check your junk or spam folders, voicemail, and text messages to ensure that the specialist or recruiter hasn’t already reached out. If you haven’t received anything, wait an additional 3 days before following up again.

Follow-Up Email Sample: Second Follow-Up

Good afternoon, Devon,

I wanted to check in regarding the interview I had on June 23rd with Sam Thompson, HR Director, for the Human Resources Business Partner role. I’m eager to move forward in the process and put the SHRM-CP certification that I recently obtained to good use!

I understand that the talent acquisition process can be lengthy, and I’m open to any feedback that you may have for me. Please contact me at your earliest convenience with any questions or updates.

Thank you,

Terry Michaels

If You Still Hear Nothing

If it’s been 2 weeks since your interview and you’ve sent two follow-up emails with no response, it’s time to move on to other roles. This is a frustrating position to be in, but it’s important not to internalize the experience. Getting to the interview phase means that you were likely qualified for the role, and a lack of response usually indicates a challenge on the company’s end, such as changes to the position or shifting business needs.

Moving on to the next role? Our free resume builder lets you tailor a clean, ready-to-send resume for each new application in minutes, so a slow reply on one job never costs you momentum on the next.

FAQs

How do I follow up after an interview with no response?

Be sure to send a follow-up email or letter within an appropriate timeframe, usually a week after your interview. Reach out to the person who initially scheduled the interview (this can be the talent acquisition specialist, recruiter, or hiring manager) and request an update. Be sure to show your enthusiasm for the role and keep the content short and professional. Do not resort to guilting the recipient, issuing demands, or using aggressive or harsh language – not only will this likely reflect poorly on your professionalism, but it will probably not get you a response at all.

How many times should I follow up?

You can send up to 2 follow-up emails or letters within a 2-week period after your last interview. To help keep track of your job applications and timelines, use a job application tracker. If you still haven’t received a response after 2 follow-up emails, it’s best to move on to other roles.

Is following up twice too pushy?

No, it’s not too pushy, assuming that you don’t send the follow-up emails too quickly after the interview or send them back-to-back. The talent acquisition process can be lengthy and experience delays, so you’ll want to allow a reasonable amount of time to pass before receiving a response.

I’ve sent 2 follow-up emails and still haven’t gotten a response. What did I do wrong?

It’s likely that you didn’t do anything wrong. There are a wide variety of reasons why you didn’t receive a response. For example, perhaps the hiring manager got the flu, the funding didn’t come through for the position, or the company is dealing with an issue that requires everyone’s full attention. Whatever the reason, you don’t need to automatically assume that you made an error. However, if you’re worried about your interview skills or positioning, it may be worth working with a professional to help you pinpoint where you can improve.