Following up After the Interview

Once the interview is over, a sense of anti-climax creeps in. After all that preparation, what does one do now? Some people believe in following up actively to see if they’ve got the job. The problem with this if you don’t do it the right way could mean that you either appear as overly aggressive or very desperate. Both of course, don’t present you in the best possible light. So, how can you maintain the momentum after the interview and follow up in the best possible way?

• Ask – Don’t leave the interview with doubts in your mind as to when you could hear from them. Ask them before you leave, about when you can expect an answer. Be friendly and pleasant as you ask this question. In fact, try and frame it in such a way that doesn’t leave the interviewer with the option of giving an open ended answer.
• Thank you – It’s important to send a thank you note to the interviewer either through regular mail, email or fax. Apart from being polite, it is also the perfect place to insert a small one-liner asking them when they could possibly let you know.
• Haranguing never works – Don’t call them up every day until the interviewers get so hassled that they start avoiding your calls. If they’ve told you that they will give you an answer by the end of the week, call them then to ask if they’ve decided anything. Don’t call before the period that they’ve mentioned.
• Call or email – Find out from them which method they prefer for communication. Would they rather that you email them or call them to ask what their decision is? It never helps to annoy your prospective employers by calling them repeatedly when they’re in the middle of something possibly important.
• Speak to your references – Inform your references that they will be contacted soon regarding the job. It helps to have them prepared for calls from your prospective employers.
• Look for other jobs – Yes, this might be the job you’ve always wanted, but don’t count too much on it. Continue looking for other jobs as well and even go for other interviews. You never know which might click for you and where it will happen.
• Be patient – This one’s the hardest. It’s really difficult to wait to hear for the answer but do be patient. Hiring someone is not an easy job in itself and the HR really needs to meet up and evaluate you before they can give you an offer letter.
• Don’t be disheartened – If the job doesn’t work out for you, don’t be disheartened. There is always something better lined up, even though it might not seem that way. In fact, losing out on a job offer might prove to be depressing but continue your pursuit for your job and don’t lose hope.
• Professional and courteous – Even if you don’t get the job, don’t be rude to the interviewers. They’re just doing your job and you never know when you might cross their paths again. You don’t want to be embarrassed by any unprofessional outbursts you might have had.

Following up after an interview is quite like an art. You have to do it just right or it can simply backfire in your face.

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