Author: Biron Clark

So, you finished your interview, went home excited to hear back, but now what? Maybe it’s been a few days (or more) and you haven’t heard anything.

I’m going to show you exactly how to send a follow up email after your interview if you’ve gotten no response, with examples and templates.

One WARNING first though: Don’t use these follow-up templates to email the company after one day! It takes time for the company to interview people and make decisions. If it’s one day after your interview, you should be sending a “thank you” email instead (I’ll cover that too).

How To Follow Up By Email After An Interview:

Step 1: The Follow-Up Email Subject Line

Follow up email subject lines are important. They decide whether your email gets opened, and how fast.

I’d recommend following up with whoever said they’d been in touch. Or follow up with whoever you’ve been talking to for scheduling, etc.

The best subject line, and the one that’s going to get opened faster than anything else, is to simply reply to the latest email between the two of you.

It’ll look something like this:

“Re: Interview on Thursday at 10 AM”

They’ll open it immediately because it’ll appear as part of the previous conversation. Much better than starting a whole new email for this.

Step 2: The Body Of Your Follow Up Email

I’d keep it simple and straight-forward. Don’t be shy or unclear. Tell them you’re excited to hear back and wanted to check if there’s an update or a decision yet.

Best follow-up email if you already sent a “Thank You” email:

“Hi <NAME>,

I wanted to follow up to see if there have been any updates regarding the <JOB TITLE> position that I had interviewed for on <DATE>. I’m still very interested based on what I heard in the interview and I’m excited to hear about next steps, so any information you can share on your end would be great. Thanks!”

Note: This template above is best if you’ve already sent a “Thank You” email a day after your interview. I’m going to give you one in this article coming up in a minute, so keep reading.

We can’t go back in time though. So if you didn’t send a “Thank You” email after your last interview and a few days have passed, here’s what to send… You just need a follow up email that also thanks them for interviewing you, since this is your first contact with them.

Best follow-up email if you DIDN’T already send a “Thank You” email:

“Hi <NAME>,

Thank you for taking the time to interview me on <DATE>, I enjoyed learning about the <JOB TITLE> position and wanted to follow up to see if any progress has been made in terms of a decision. The role sounds like a great opportunity based on what I’ve learned so far, and I’m looking forward to getting feedback when you have a chance. Thanks!”

For future use, here is a “Thank You” email template I recommend. Send it at lunchtime the day after your interview:

“Hi <NAME>,

I wanted to take a minute to thank you for your time yesterday. I enjoyed our conversation about <SPECIFIC TOPIC>, and the <JOB TITLE> position sounds like an exciting opportunity for me at this point in my career. I’m looking forward to hearing any updates you can share, and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.”

“These Emails Seem Too Simple. Should I Add More?”

No. Don’t complicate it. Be up-front and say what you actually want, which I assume is an update on the status.

This email is your best shot at getting that update without seeming pushy, anxious, insecure, desperate, or any of the things that’ll turn a company off.

In all likelihood, the person you emailed will get back to you and apologize and say they’re still working on a decision. Or there’s a chance they have news to share and will update you as soon as they get your email.

Either way, you reminded them you’re waiting for news and still interested, which is important if 4-5 days have passed because companies love to hire people that seem genuinely interested. If you want to know why, or what else a company looks for first, you should check out my complete list of job interview tips. It’ll help you understand the company’s mindset a lot better.

What If The Company Says They Don’t Have Any News Yet?

This is a pretty likely scenario, they respond to your email and say they’re still waiting for something to happen. Sometimes they’ll be specific on what that ‘something’ is but usually not. Either way I’d respond with something to keep the conversation alive and give yourself an opening to follow up again if needed.

Here’s an example of an email reply you could send them:

“Thanks for the update. Do you have a sense of what the timing will look like moving forward? Or when would be an appropriate time for me to check back in? I’m excited about the opportunity, but I know these things take time so I don’t want to follow up too often here.”

What If The Company Still Hasn’t Responded To Any Emails After The Interview?

If you sent your followup email after the interview and didn’t hear back, here’s what I’d do:

First, make sure you’ve waited a one or two days for a response (not counting weekends). Give them some time.

Then send a followup to the same person, replying to the same email you already sent and keeping the subject line.

Email Body:

“Hi <NAME>,

Just wanted to make sure you saw my last email and follow up again to see if you had any updates regarding the <JOB TITLE> position. Please let me know when you get a chance, thanks!”

Be Patient After This…

If you still haven’t heard back at that point, I’d be very patient. There’s a chance someone necessary for the decision is on vacation or the person you emailed is extremely busy. If you get nothing after 48 MORE hours, you can email somebody else in the company.

I might wait even longer though. Really, at this point, you’re not going to gain anything by sending more followups one day sooner. So if in doubt, just wait a bit. I might wait a full week at this point if it were my job search.

However, when you do feel it’s time to take things further and check back in, here’s what to do…

Pick the next logical person and send them an email. If you were emailing an HR person before, try the hiring manager or somebody in the department you interviewed in. Or the other way around – if you’ve been emailing with the hiring manager before the interview and they’ve gone silent, try checking in with HR.

Example Subject Line:

“Any interview updates? I emailed <CONTACT’S NAME> and didn’t hear back”

It’s a bit long, but it’s specific which means it’ll get opened and the person on the other end will know it’s not spam.

The contact’s name is who you’ve been emailing previously – the person who isn’t answering your emails.

The Email Body:

“Hi <NAME>,

I emailed <CONTACT’S NAME> last week and hadn’t heard back so I wanted to send you a brief note. Is there any feedback you can share about my interview or the status of the <JOB TITLE> position? I’m looking forward to hearing any new updates when your team has a chance, thanks!”

Final Tips For Following Up

Make sure to end each interview by asking when you can expect to hear back from them.

It’ll save you some stress and you’ll know whether it’s time to follow up or not. Sometimes it’s normal to wait 1-2 weeks for a response after your interview. Maybe you were the first person they spoke with and they have many interviews scheduled.

UPDATE: 

If you have more interviews coming up and don’t want to leave anything to chance, I’ve created a new guide where you can copy my exact step-by-step method for getting job offers. You can get more details here.

To read the original article, click here.