Interviews can be quite nerve-racking. However, the process that follows can be just as nerve-racking as the interview itself. It is a point in time when you might feel clueless, anxious, and impatient. Not knowing your status can definitely cause unease. Nevertheless, there are follow-up steps you can take to possibly determine your status and to ensure that your recruiter remembers you.
STEP 1: Say “Thank You”
First and foremost, after any interview, you should always send a “thank you” almost immediately following. Try to do so within 24 hours. This way the interview is fresh in both your mind and the interviewer’s mind.
STEP 2: Wait
The next portion is the difficult part. You must be patient and wait about a week to a week and a half to see whether you get any sort of response. If you find that this amount of time has lapsed and you have not received any information on where you stand, then proceed to your next follow-up step.
STEP 3: Write an email
This is where things can get a bit tricky. You want to send an email that will help show how truly interested you are without over doing it. The key here is to impress them, not to be a nuisance. So how do you go about doing this?
- Demonstrate how you remain interested. Share how eager and excited you are and how it’s been on your mind.
- Reassure them that you’re the right candidate. Although this shouldn’t be anything new as you probably discussed this during the interview, it never hurts to give them a little reminder of the skills you possess and can offer.
- Recent accomplishments? If you have any, feel free to include them. Refrain from boasting about them. Simply include how this recent experience could potentially help you in any future endeavours.
- Enquire about following actions. Ask them what actions you should take next. Through enquiries, you may be able to extract the information you were hoping for, such as where you stand in the process and what the time frames look like.
STEP 4: Wait again
As mentioned previously, waiting can be the most difficult part. If you do not receive any responses, do not feel discouraged. Some processes may take longer than others. If you feel you would like to send them a second follow-up email, you can do so, but email them in about one and a half to two weeks. Do not exceed 3-4 attempts as that can come off as too aggressive. If you find that you have done all this and still no luck, then this is when you must accept it and simply move on to the next one, and that’s okay!
The follow up procedure can be somewhat complex and frustrating. Best of luck to all of you enduring the process, you can do it!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Caroline is an associate at Execu Search. We specialize in information technology recruitment across all industries.
