Waiting is a big part of the job application process. You check job ads to find fresh opportunities that fit your interests and skill set. You draft a cover letter and resume, send them out, and bide your time for a word on a potential interview. After landing an interview, you must prepare, give it your all, and bide your time until you hear back.
Your eagerness to learn more increases as an offer draws nearer. Anticipation and energy are produced by such anxiousness. Having energy makes you desire to take action.
However, at this point, you must exercise caution in how and when you follow up.
There’s not much you can do now to further your cause. Intense or forceful behavior will, at best, come across as obnoxious and, at worst, may work against you in the hiring process. Remember that the individual conducting your interview can manage multiple roles. If every candidate they interviewed contacted them, their email would overflow with inquiries.
This “waiting” rule does include a few exceptions, though. Specifically, there are 4 situations where sending the recruiting manager a note can be advantageous for you.
1. The Thank-You Follow Up
After the interview, find out from the hiring manager when you may anticipate a response regarding the next stages. This date will help you determine the best time to follow up later.
You can send your first note the day following your interview. In a brief email message, express your gratitude to the hiring manager. Keep it short and sweet. Share one particular takeaway from the interview or something you discovered about their company. In conclusion, express your excitement for their response. There are better places to expand on the details of your interview in the thank-you note. It’s merely an opportunity to express your delight and gratitude.
2. The Follow Up Note
Only write a note immediately if the recruiting manager responded to you by the date they stated they would make an offer. Even if you weren’t selected for the position immediately, you could still be considered. Someone else might receive the job offer and not take the position. Allow them some time to resolve their differences.
If you are still waiting to hear back a week after that date, make a note in your calendar to follow up. When that time arrives, write a brief message to the hiring manager you worked with, up to three paragraphs. The content has to be comparable to the note you wrote thanking them. Communicate your enthusiasm and interest in the position. Remark positively about the company and inquire if you have any other information that may be helpful. Inform them that you hope to hear from them shortly.
Suppose there is a significant change in your situation or portfolio. In that case, it is the only time you can contact the hiring manager between the interview and the date they provided. Suppose you interview for your ideal job and receive an offer from another firm before hearing back from your own. In that case, you can write to inform them of your other offer, express your admiration for the company and its goals, and ask to speak with them again before making a decision. Or maybe you applied for a job and, in connection with it, wrote an essay or filed a patent application. You can spread the word about accepting the article for publication or granting the patent since this could impact the conversations surrounding your application.
4. The Feedback Follow Up
If you thought the interview went well but weren’t offered the job, you have one more note to send to get feedback. Again, you should keep it brief. Again, I want to thank the interviewer for their time. Let’s say you had a great time during the interview and would need some helpful advice on boosting your chances of landing a job.
While some recruiters may not have the time to provide feedback, you can frequently receive specific advice that will help you in the next round and, who knows, may even lead to a different job offer. After being turned down for an offer, my eldest son contacted me to ask for some comments, and it turned out that.
