Follow-up emails with questions like, “Do you have a rough idea of when you’ll be in touch with next steps?” or “Just wondering if you remember me from our interview last week” don't earn you any brownie points—or the job.
It’s natural to want updates after a job interview, but phrasing matters. You want to show the employer that you’re a hard worker who has a sincere interest in joining this organization—not someone who’s just looking for any job. Or worse, someone who feels entitled to the position.
So, what's the right thing to say? Here’s how to follow up after an interview, with tips and examples for different situations.
When to follow up after an interview
Job searching involves a lot of waiting: waiting to hear back, waiting for next steps, and waiting for the right moment to follow up. The ideal timeline depends on the type of follow-up note you’re sending.
If you’re sending a checking-in email: Within a week or even a month
The “checking-in” follow-up email is the one you send when some time has passed, and you haven't heard back from the recruiter or employer. You might follow up in a week or even a month—the timing depends on the company's size and what they told you about the next steps at the end of the interview (which is why it’s always a good idea to ask).
“Smaller companies are typically able to move quickly due to their lack of recruiting processes, while larger companies usually have more steps that interviewers need to adhere to—for example, formally writing up their feedback in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and/or conducting group interview feedback meetings, which can take time depending on the interviewers and recruiters calendars,” says Tessa Ganassi, former recruiter and founder of the recruiting firm TurnPoint Search.
“If it's a smaller company with less than 200 employees, and you know they’re looking to move quickly because they told you so at the end of the interview, follow up about a week after your interview,” Ganassi says. “If it's a larger company of approximately 10.000 employees, and they said they’re still finishing up first round interviews before moving to second round interviews, wait about a month to follow up.”
Read this next: How to Handle Getting Ghosted During Your Job Search
If you’re following up for the second time: Within a few days
If the employer or recruiter responds to your checking-in email and gives you a date to hear back with their decision, but the day comes and goes with no response, you can follow up again. Just be sure to use your discretion to decide when.
A common (though not mandatory) practice is to wait at least a couple of days before reaching out again. For example, if they told you to expect an email by next Friday and it hasn’t arrived, wait until Monday afternoon to follow up instead of doing so right away.
Read this next: How to Write a Second Follow-up Email After an Interview
If you’re interviewing with multiple companies: ASAP
There's an exception to all of these rules: the follow-up email you send when you're interviewing with multiple companies and moving to the final stages. “Reach out as soon as you know you are entering final rounds to give the company time to make a decision or expedite your interview process if they are interested in moving you forward,” Ganassi says.
For example, she suggests something along the lines of:
Hi [Contact Name],
I hope you're well! I wanted to reach out to check in on my candidacy for the open [job title] position. I interviewed last with [interviewer name(s)] on [date]. I am also interviewing with four other companies for similar roles and have a final round interview scheduled for next Friday, [date]. However, I remain very interested in this position and am looking forward to hearing about the potential next steps in the process.
Please let me know if I can provide any additional information.
Thank you,
[First and Last Name]
This, of course, applies only if you're genuinely interested in the position. If not, you may prefer to continue interviewing and evaluating your options.
Read this next: A Guide to Juggling Multiple Job Offers and Coming Out on Top
How to follow up after an interview
Once you've waited long enough to follow up, make sure you’re doing it the right way. Keep these tips in mind:
- Be mindful of your tone. When asking for an update on the hiring process, avoid demanding an answer or sounding passive-aggressive. Phrases like “Just wondering if you remember me?” may work with a date who ghosted you, but not with a recruiter or potential employer. “You don't want to make it sound accusatory,” Ganassi says, “as if they know something but didn't share the feedback.”.
- Use the appropriate channels. Always follow up with the person you spoke to. If you were interviewed through a hiring agency, Ganassi advises asking them to follow up on your behalf. But if your interview was directly with the company, reach out to your primary point of contact, typically a recruiter or HR professional.
How to write your follow-up email after an interview
Follow-up emails are simple and straightforward. If you just need to follow up on the status of the process after a panel interview, avoid contacting all the interviewers. Instead, reach out to your primary point of contact (e.g., HR or recruiter).
Begin with a greeting and immediately state the purpose of your message in the first paragraph of the email. “Include the role you interviewed for, the date of your last interview, and who you spoke with,” Ganassi says. For example, you could say, “I'm reaching out to ask if you have any updates on…” or similar. End your email with a professional closing sentence and sign off with your first and last name.
As for the subject line, don’t try to use clickbait to get the recipient to open it because you fear they might not have an answer yet. Get straight to the point and let them know what the email is about. For example, use “Following up on our interview for [role].”
Read this next: The Best Thank-you Email Subject Line for After Interviews
Follow-up email after an interview: 3 examples
Here are three follow-up email examples to use in different situations. Remember to carefully personalize each message.
Example #1: Short and sweet follow-up email after interview
Subject line: Staying in touch—Sales manager position
Hi Richard,
I really enjoyed meeting you last week and wanted to emphasize just how excited I am about the opportunity to be a sales manager at Grey Company. Is there anything else I can forward along to make your hiring decision easier?
Regards,
Jordan Smith
Example #2: Follow-up email to ask for updates
Subject line: Checking in—Software engineer position
Hi John,
I hope you are doing well. I'm reaching out to check in on my candidacy for the software engineer position. We had an interview last week on February 10. It was a pleasure meeting you and getting to know more about Blue Company, and I'm looking forward to your update.
Let me know if there's anything else I can provide you with to assist in the decision-making process.
Thank you,
Ashley Morris
Example #3: Interview follow-up email after two weeks
Subject line: Following up: Supply chain leader position
Dear Harper,
Hopefully you're doing well. I wanted to follow up on the status of my candidacy to the open supply chain leader position. I had a panel interview with Cameron, Charlotte, and Blake on January 31, and I sincerely enjoyed and appreciated our discussion.
Of all the companies I engaged with during my job search, Purple Company really stood out to me—particullary because of your sustainability program and commitment to reduce waste.
Since then, I'm looking forward to your update and am available to send any additional information you need to help with the decision-making process.
Thank you for your time,
Alexis Johson
How many post-interview follow-up emails you can send
You can follow up more than once, but don’t overdo it. “If you’re interviewing directly through the company, I recommend [following up] no more than two to three times,” Ganassi says. “If you do not receive a response to your first check-in email, follow up after about a week—unless you received an out-of-office reply [indicating] that your contact is on vacation.”
If you still don’t hear back, the former recruiter suggests sending a second follow-up a week or two later. “But I don't typically recommend following up more than that if you receive no response,” she says. “The best rule of thumb is two follow-ups for every response you receive, but if you do not receive a response it typically means that they aren't interested.”
If you're working with an agency recruiter, the rules are a bit different. “You can follow up as many times as you want,” Ganassi says. “Their job is to act as the buffer between you and the company, so there is typically no harm in following up with them frequently.” That said, you don’t want to email them every two business days. Follow up as needed, but don’t test the recruiter’s patience.
What not to do in a follow-up email after an interview
Never be rude to the recruiter or employer—not just because it could cost you the job, but also because it may hurt your chances for future opportunities (and, of course, because it’s simply not nice).
“The worst thing you can do for your reputation is send a rude follow-up,” Ganassi says. “It's a surprisingly small world in recruiting, and you never know who people know, or where they will end up in their career.”
Remain kind and gracious to everyone you interact with during the hiring process, even if they make mistakes—like missing a feedback deadline or ghosting you. In most cases, it’s not personal.
“There are lots of extenuating circumstances that recruiters have to deal with and 99% of the time it's not about you,” Ganassi says. “If you don't receive feedback after an interview, it could be because they had to put the role on hold and the recruiter who was running the search moved to a different team. Don't make assumptions, and follow up as politely as possible.”
Read this next: The Truth About Ghost Jobs: What They Are and How to Spot Them
FAQs
How long should you wait after an interview to follow up?
If you were never given a timeline for the next steps, it’s recommended to wait at least a week before following up. If the interviewer provided a date but didn’t follow through, you can follow up a couple of days after that date.
How do you politely ask for interview results?
You can say something like, “Hi, [interviewer name], I wanted to follow up on the status of my candidacy to the open [job title] position. I really appreciate you taking the time to get to know me and sincerely enjoyed our conversation. I'm looking forward to your update.”
This approach also works if you haven’t heard back in a while and want to check if you’re still being considered. Be sure to include the date of your interview and your full name in your email, as the recruiter may be reviewing multiple candidates.
How to ask if there is any update after an interview?
You can write an email saying something along the lines of, “Hi, [interviewer name], I'm just checking in on the status of the open [job title] position. My interview was X weeks ago, and I really enjoyed our conversation. I'm looking forward to your update.” End with a thank you or other professional email closing like “Best regards,” “Best,” or similar.
Amanda Cardoso contributed to the latest version of this article.