Follow-up email after an interview
A thank-you for the same day, a check-in for when their date has passed, and a reply for when the decision is delayed.
Ghosted editorialPublished 11 min read
On this page
- The thank-you
- When the date they gave has passed
- When they tell you it's delayed
- A last note
- Which email, and when
- What makes a thank-you work
- Follow-ups for other situations
- A filled-in example
- Email, a handwritten note, or LinkedIn
- Replying to a rejection
- The mistakes people make after an interview
- Before you hit send
- Questions people ask about following up after an interview
The same day
The thank-you
Name one thing from the conversation. It shows you were listening, and it reminds them which interview was yours. Replace everything in square brackets.
SubjectThank you: [Role] interview
Hi [Name],
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today about the [Role] role. I enjoyed hearing about [Something you talked about], and it made me even keener to join [Company].
If anything else would help, I'm happy to send it.
Best, [Your name]
Met several people? Send each of them a short note of their own, and mention something different in each.
80%
Share of HR managers in an Accountemps survey who said they take thank-you messages into account when deciding who to hire.
Source: Robert Half, on an Accountemps survey of more than 300 US HR managers, 2017
After their date
When the date they gave has passed
SubjectChecking in: [Role] interview
Hi [Name],
I hope your week is going well. When we spoke on [Interview day], you mentioned a decision on the [Role] role around [Date]. Is there any news, or a new timeline I should keep in mind?
I'm still very interested in the role.
Best, [Your name]
They didn't give you a date? Replace the second paragraph with: "I wanted to ask whether there's an update on the [Role] role, and when I might hear about next steps."
Send it to the person who told you the date, usually the recruiter or whoever arranged the interview. They're the one who knows where the decision has got to.
23.7 days
The average length of an interview process worldwide in Glassdoor's 2017 study, up from 22.5 days the year before. A quiet week after one round is often just the process.
Source: Staffing Industry Analysts, on Glassdoor's 2017 study
A delay
When they tell you it's delayed
A delay isn't a no. Hiring often waits on a budget, another candidate's last round, or someone's holiday. Thank them, confirm the new date, and keep it short.
SubjectRe: [Their subject line]
Hi [Name],
Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate the update. [New date] works for me, and I'm still very interested in the [Role] role.
If anything from me would help in the meantime, just let me know.
Best, [Your name]
Reply in the same thread as their message, so they have the context. If they didn't give a new date, ask instead: "Is there a rough date I should expect to hear by?"
Closing the loop
A last note
If a check-in goes unanswered for a week, one final, friendly note closes the loop. It leaves the door open, and it lets you stop waiting.
Subject[Role]: one last check-in
Hi [Name],
I wanted to follow up one last time on the [Role] role. I know these decisions can take a while. If you've gone with someone else, a quick note would help me plan, and I'd be glad to be considered for future roles at [Company].
Thanks again for your time, [Your name]
After this one, stop writing. Silence after a last note is an answer of a kind, and the time is better spent on your next interview. If they come back in a month, you can still say yes.
61%
Share of job seekers who said they'd been ghosted after a job interview, in Greenhouse's 2024 survey of 2,500 workers in the US, the UK and Germany. If it happens to you, you're in the majority, and it isn't a verdict on you.
Timing
Which email, and when
- The thank-you: the same day, or the next morning. It's good manners, and it doesn't count as chasing.
- The check-in: once the date they gave you has passed, plus two or three working days. If they gave no date, about a week after the interview.
- The reply to a delay: as soon as they tell you the decision will take longer. Short, with the new date in it.
- The last note: a week after a check-in nobody answered. After that, stop writing and put the time into other applications.
The date they gave is the one that matters. Ask for it before you leave the interview: "When should I expect to hear about next steps?" is a normal last question, and the answer tells you exactly when to write.
Line by line
What makes a thank-you work
A thank-you is four short lines. Each one does a different job, and none of them is a second interview.
The subject line
"Thank you: [Role] interview" tells them what it is in their inbox, and files it with your application if they search for the role.
The thanks
Plain and first. "Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today" is enough. They gave up an hour; say so and move on.
One real detail
The project they described, a problem the team has, a question they asked you. One specific thing shows you were listening, and it's what makes the note yours rather than anyone's.
Still keen
One clause: "it made me even keener to join". After a good interview they're wondering whether you'd say yes. Tell them.
The offer to help
"If anything else would help, I'm happy to send it" leaves them an easy next step: a portfolio piece, a reference, an answer you could have given better.
Leave the rest to the interview you already had. Repeating your strengths reads as nerves; one line about something they said reads as interest.
24%
Share of applicants the same HR managers said sent them a thank-you, down from 51% in 2007. A short note still stands out.
Source: Robert Half, on an Accountemps survey of more than 300 US HR managers, 2017
More versions
Follow-ups for other situations
Same idea, different moments. Each one is short, names the role, and asks for one thing at most.
SubjectThank you: [Role] interviews
Hi [Name],
Thank you for organising today's interviews for the [Role] role. Could you pass my thanks on to [Names]? I especially enjoyed talking with [Interviewer] about [Something you talked about].
Best, [Your name]
Subject[Role] interview: one more thing
Hi [Name],
Thank you again for today. One thing I didn't get to mention: [One or two sentences about it]. I thought it might be useful as you think about the [Role] role.
Best, [Your name]
SubjectThank you for today's call
Hi [Name],
Thanks for the call today about the [Role] role at [Company]. It was helpful to hear about [Something you talked about]. I'd be glad to go ahead to the next stage, so let me know if you need anything from me before then.
Best, [Your name]
Subject[Role]: a question about timing
Hi [Name],
Thank you again for the interview on [Interview day]. I've since received another offer and need to reply by [Offer deadline]. [Company] is the role I most want, so I wanted to ask whether a decision before then might be possible.
Best, [Your name]
Example
A filled-in example
The thank-you with made-up details, so you can see how it reads once it's yours.
SubjectThank you: Product Designer interview
Hi Dana,
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today about the Product Designer role. I enjoyed hearing about your plans for the new booking flow, and it made me even keener to join Fernhill Studio.
If anything else would help, I'm happy to send it.
Best, Sam Rivera
"Your plans for the new booking flow" is the line doing the work. Dana spent a good part of the interview on it, and Sam remembered. Swap it for a vague "learning about the team" and the note could have come from anyone.
Email or a card
Email, a handwritten note, or LinkedIn
Email is the safe choice for almost every interview. The other two can work, with care.
- Arrives the same day, before anyone has decided
- Easy to forward to the others on the panel
- Reply to the interview invite's thread if you have one
Handwritten note
- Memorable, and rarer than it used to be
- Arrives days later, sometimes after the decision
- Send it as well as an email, not instead of one
LinkedIn message
- Fine for a recruiter you already talk to there
- Keep it to two lines; it's read on a phone
- Don't send a connection request in place of a thank-you
If it's a no
Replying to a rejection
A rejection after an interview deserves a two-line reply. It's the last thing they'll remember about you, and a runner-up who took the news well is an easy first call if the role reopens or a new one comes up.
SubjectRe: [Their subject line]
Hi [Name],
Thank you for letting me know, and for your time during the process. I enjoyed meeting the team and learning about [Something you talked about]. If a similar role opens up, I'd be glad to hear from you.
Best, [Your name]
You can ask for feedback in the same email, in one line: "If you have a moment, I'd welcome any feedback on how I could improve." Many companies don't give it, often as a policy, so don't read anything into silence.
What goes wrong
The mistakes people make after an interview
Waiting a week to say thanks
By then it reads as a check-in, and the decision may already be made. Write it the same day, while the details are fresh.
The same note to everyone
Interviewers compare notes, sometimes literally. Three identical emails look like a mail merge. Change the detail in each.
Re-arguing an answer
A paragraph on what you meant to say about the hard question reminds them it went badly. If something important was missing, add it in two lines, as in the "one more thing" version above.
Asking about the decision in the thank-you
"When will I hear back?" belongs at the end of the interview, not in the thank-you. Keep the two emails apart.
Chasing before their date
They said Friday; you wrote on Wednesday. It tells them you weren't listening. Wait for the date, then two or three working days more.
Getting a name or title wrong
You met Jo and Joanna, or the role's title changed between the posting and the interview. Check the invite before you send.
Checklist
Before you hit send
Leave out a recap of your CV, guilt ("I haven't heard anything"), and attachments nobody asked for. Waiting longer than you'd like? Here's what to do when there's no response after an interview.
Questions
Questions people ask about following up after an interview
Should I send a thank-you email after every interview?
Yes, after each round, to the people you met in that round. A first call with a recruiter counts too; keep that one to two or three lines.
How soon should I send it?
The same day, or the next morning. A day or two later still helps. Much later than that, and it starts to read like a check-in.
Is an email or a handwritten note better?
Email, unless you know the team likes cards. It arrives before they decide. If you want to send a card too, send the email first.
How long should I wait to follow up after an interview?
If they gave you a date, until it has passed, plus two or three working days. If they didn't, about a week after the interview.
What if I don't have the interviewer's email address?
Look in the calendar invite first. If it isn't there, send your thanks to the recruiter or coordinator who arranged the interview and ask them to pass it on.
How many times can I follow up?
One check-in, and one last note a week later. After that, stop. They have your details if anything changes.
Should I ask for feedback after a rejection?
You can, once and politely, in the same reply as your thanks. Many companies don't give feedback, so take a no without it as normal, not as a sign of something worse.
Know exactly when to follow up.
Keep the interview, the date they gave and your follow-ups on one card.