A follow-up letter may put you ahead of the competition by allowing you another chance to

summarize what took place in the initial meeting. If you are writing this letter to a future
employer, it will show him your appreciation for his time interviewing you. It can also serve as a
thank-you letter, giving your clients more information about your products or services and
showing that you still have an interest in better serving them.

Significance
The purpose of writing a follow-up letter is to once again put yourself in front of the
person with whom you met; both to thank her for her time as well as to remind her what
the meeting was about. According to Virginia Tech's Office of Career Services,
the follow-up letter for an interview should do the following things: thank the person for
taking the time to meet with you, show that you still have an interest in the position,
repeat your skills for the position and give the employer any additional information she
may require

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You walk out of a job interview for your dream position (or a great job at least). You
were stressing out about it for days and it’s finally over. You answered all their
questions on point.
 
Relief floods through your whole body.
 
I gave it my best shot. Now let’s wait and see what happens.
 
So here you are, listening to crickets. And guess what?
 
So is the interviewer.
 
They’d love to give you a shot, but you just don’t seem too interested. And so they move
on to the next candidate.
 
What went wrong?
 
You never followed up.
 
Thankfully, this is just a hypothetical scenario.
 
See, you will follow up after the interview. And it will make the employer want to hire
you.
 
This guide will show you:
 
 How to write a follow-up email after an interview better than 9 out of 10 others.
 What to write in your interview follow-up email depending on the scenario (first interview,
second interview, phone interview, or after no response).
 Sample follow-up emails you can copy, adjust, and use today to make hiring you a no-
brainer.
 
Still waiting for that interview call-in? Maybe it’s the right time to follow up on your
resume and cover letter.
 
Find out how to follow up with a recruiter from our comprehensive guide: Following Up
on a Job Application: How-To Guide & Examples
 
Let’s get started then.
 
Here’s how write a follow-up email after an interview in 4 different scenarios:
 
1
Follow-Up Email Right after the Interview
 
First of all, it’s a matter of good manners.
 
More importantly, though, it’s what hiring managers want:
 
This report shows that 91% of employers like to receive follow-up thank you notes. And
yet, according to another study—57% of candidates don’t send them.
 
Easy math, isn’t it? Following up on your interview with a thank you email gets you
ahead of more than half of the competition.
 
When to follow up after an interview?
 
The sooner the better—the same day as the interview or the next, but definitely no later
than 24 hours after the interview.
 
What’s the best interview follow-up email subject line?
 
One that’s short and makes it clear what the message is about. Have a look at these
examples.
 
Sample Subject Lines for a Follow-Up Email After an Interview
 
 Thank you, [Interviewer’s Name]!
 Thanks for your time today!
  Thank you for the opportunity!
 Appreciate your time and advice.
 I enjoyed learning more about [Company Name]. Thank you!
 
And how to write the message itself? Have a look at this template for a follow-up email
right after the interview.
 
How to Write a Follow-Up Email After an Interview
 
1. Open with a greeting (salutation)—address the hiring manager by name.
2. Thank them for their time. If you interviewed with several people, send a separate thank-
you note to every one of them.
3. Express your appreciation and reinforce your interest in the position.
4. Personalize your interview follow-up email. Refer to specific company plans that you
discussed during the interview. Suggest how your experience and skills can help your
prospective employer with their challenges.
5. Say that you’re willing to provide the hiring manager with any additional information if
necessary, and confirm when a final decision is to be made.
 
And here’s an interview follow-up email sample you can adjust and use for your
thank you message:
 
Sample Follow-Up Email After an Interview
 
Subject line: Pleasure to learn more about [Company Name]
 
Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],
 
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me about the position of [the position
you’re applying for] with [Company Name] this morning. It was a pleasure to learn
more about your [innovative strategy / upcoming challenges / core values /
industry insights].
 
The details you provided me with about the position convinced me that this is a job I
would enjoy and one where I could make a valuable contribution with my skills and
experience [refer to your specific area of expertise and how it can benefit your
employer].
 
I was also thinking about what you said regarding [specific issue discussed during
the interview]. In my last role as [your current or most recent position] I found
that [data-backed explanation of how you would tackle the issue in question].
 
Finally, attached you will find the details of some of my projects we talked about. Please
feel free to contact me if you find you need any more information. I look forward to our
call next week as discussed.
 
Thank you once again, [Hiring Manager’s Name].
  
Best regards,
 
[Your sign-off]
 
Out of all the stages of following up after an interview, this one’s the most crucial. That’s
why we’ve put together a handy guide that explains how to make the most of it in full
detail: Thank You Email After an Interview: How to Write One That Gets You the
Job
 
2
Phone Interview Follow-Up Email: Is It Any Different?
 
That depends on what sort of a phone interview you had.

A regular phone interview after submitting an application? The rules for a standard
interview follow-up email apply.
 
But—
 
What if you’ve been screened during a sourcing process? That is—what if it’s the
employer that found you, and not the other way around?
 
If you’re interested—clearly reiterate that. Sourcers often interview multiple people on
the same day. Their job is to engage candidates and weed out those that aren’t
genuinely keen on the offer. Show them your engagement.
 
How to write a follow up email after phone interview?
 
1. Thank them for their time and interest.
2. Emphasize your interest. Be as specific as possible: say what parts of the job excite you
and why.
3. Enclose your resume and a cover letter to explain your motivation and outline your key
selling points.
4. Keep it short.
 
Let’s take a look at this sample.
 
Sample Follow-Up Email After Phone Interview
 
Subject line: Thank you for the opportunity, [Hiring Manager’s Name]!
 
Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],
 
Thank you for talking with me today. I really appreciated learning more
about [Company Name]. It was great to learn that you share my approach
to [industry / business]. I particularly liked the way you [specific detail about the
company you learned during the interview].
 
I’m looking forward to meeting with you in person and discussing our cooperation
further. Please find attached my resume and cover letter with detailed work experience.
 
Best,
 
[Your sign-off]
 
Pro Tip: Not interested in the job after the interview? Send a thank you follow-up email
anyways. Thank them for their time and consideration, explain why the position isn’t a
good match for your skills and experience and let them know you’d like to stay in touch
if they have suitable openings. Never burn bridges on the job market.
 
Some time after your initial interview, your phone rings again.
 
“We’re happy to inform you that you’ve been selected for a second interview…”
 
Congratulations. But guess what? After the second interview, you need to send
a second follow-up email.
 
3
How to Follow Up after a Second Interview?
 
The biggest difference between the first and second interview follow-up emails is: the
deeper your run in the recruitment process, the more detailed you should be in your
messages.
 
You’ve probably discussed particular plans and challenges or the details of the position.
After a second interview, in your follow-up letter, provide information on how you would
tackle them.
 
Pro Tip: Just like with the follow-up email after the first interview: if you interviewed with
several people, send separate, personalized notes to each of them.
 
Here’s another sample.
 
Follow-Up Email after a Second Interview Example
 
Subject line: It was a pleasure to talk about [the name of the position] with [Company
Name]
 
Dear [Interviewer’s Name],
 
Thank you for the opportunity to come and chat for the second time. Now I am even
more certain that working with [the team name] would be a dream come true for me.
 
I started to think about the [project] that we discussed—I have some ideas on how we
could make it successful. I describe them briefly in the attached presentation. Please,
let me know what you think. I’d be happy to explain the details and hope to get the
chance to discuss them with you later.
 
Thank you again for your time and advice. Looking forward to hearing from you.
 
Best,
 
[Your sign-off]
 
Right.
 
So you’ve learned how to write a follow-up email after an interview. You crafted your
perfect follow-up letter and sent it right after the talk. And then—
 
Weeks go by. And there’s no call-back.
 
Don’t lose hope. You might still be very much in the running. And, with another follow-up
email, you might become the top seed.
 
4
How to Send a Follow-Up Email After No Response?
 
A follow-up letter after an interview when there’s been no response might feel difficult to
write.
 
All in all, you’re trying to check in asking a seemingly annoying question, “When are you
finally going to make up your mind?”
 
You need to ask about the interview result politely and professionally enough so that
you don’t come across as a pest.

Is it a good idea to send one, then?

 
Yes. But only when done right.
 
When to send a job interview follow-up email after no response?
 
Only after the established deadline has passed. Unless—
 
You got another offer.
 
 In such case, if you’re planning to accept it, let all other companies know.
 
If, on the other hand, you would rather work with this, not that company, tell them about
the competitive offer—if they’re interested in you, it’s very likely they’ll be eager to
speed up the decision-making process.
 
And what to write in your second follow-up email?
 
Most importantly: not much.
 
1. Remind them of the passed deadline.
2. State that you’re still interested.
3. Ask if they’d like you to provide any additional information.
 
Have a look at this sample.
 
Sample Second Follow-Up Email after Interview
 
Subject line: Following up on an interview for [the name of the position]
 
Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],
 
I thought I’d check in as, during our last interview, you mentioned that you’d be making
the final recruitment decision for the [the name of your position] by [the established
deadline].
 
Please, let me know if you have an update and if there are any additional details I could
provide you with to facilitate the hiring process.

Best,
 
[Your sign-off]
 
And here’s another example of a follow-up email after a job interview in case you were
offered another position.
 
Sample Second Follow-Up Email—Competitive Job Offer
 
Subject line: Following up on an interview for [the name of the position]

Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],

 
I would like to let you know that I have been offered a position with [Company Name].
My deadline for accepting or rejecting it passes on [the established deadline].
 
 However, I’d be happy to turn down that offer if you decided to choose me as your new
[the name of the position]. Please, let me know if you’re likely to reach a hiring decision
before the deadline I established with [Company Name].
 
If you need any additional information from me, please let me know.
 
Best,
 
[Your sign-off]
 
Simple as that.
 
Now, for the final dilemma you might be facing at this point:
 
Following up on a job interview—email or phone call?
 
Let’s look at some data.
 
This study has shown that 46% of recruiters and hiring managers prefer to be contacted
by email. Only two out of five were open to phone calls. If you’re not positive that your
hiring manager would be okay with your calling them—stick to the battle-tested follow-
up email.
 
Pro Tip: And what if you don’t get that job? Just get over it, accept your lost opportunity,
and move on, right? Wrong. Even if things didn’t work out, use this as a networking
opportunity. Connect with the hiring manager on LinkedIn and keep the conversation
going: maybe send some articles that might be relevant to them, congratulate on their
accomplishments. You never know what connections might prove useful in the future.
 
Speaking of networking—you might be wondering “what’s in it for me anyways?” Get
inspired and learn how to network from Elle Torres: a girl who networked her way into a
6-figure job in her 20s, before finishing her degree, without any prior connections: How
to Network Your Way Intro a $100,000 Job: Real-Life Story
 
And, whatever stage of your job search you’re on right now, make sure you know how
to use one of the most powerful tools you’ve got at hand: LinkedIn. How to Use
LinkedIn Right in 2018: Expert Tips for Your Profile and Job Search
 
Key Takeaway
 
Here's how to write a perfect follow-up email after an interview:
 
1. Write the first interview follow-up email within 24 hours after the interview.
2. Send a separate, personalized email to everyone you interviewed with.
3. Be specific (especially when following-up on a second interview). Suggest how you can
help the company with their challenges.
4. Write a second follow-up email to ask for an update If you get no response after the
established deadline.
5. Follow-up even sooner if you’ve received another offer, whether or not you’re planning to
accept it.
6. Stay in touch with the company—even if you don’t get the job. Nowadays, networking is
more important than ever!