Following up after an interview
What to do…what to do…???
You’ve had an interview and you’re pumped. Thankfully the interviewer gave you some sort of timeline for when they will be making their decision. Great! But what should you be doing in the meantime? This is called a follow up. I’m going to assume that you’re smart enough to send thank you notes immediately following the interview (I personally like to send an email immediately after and let the interviewers know that their formal thank you is in the mail). Now that your thank you’s are sent you might be asking yourself what else, if anything, you should do.
Well, there is. What exactly depends on the type of job you are applying for. If you are in an aggressive field your interviewers would prefer to see some type of aggressiveness in further pursuing the position. It gives them an idea of how you will be on the job. Do be careful not to scare them though. There’s aggressive and there’s too much. Your instincts can usually tell you where the line is but if you have doubts ask someone in the field.
If you are in a less agressive field you still want to show your interest. Using the timeline the interviewers have given you is key. If they have told you they look to hire within the next couple of weeks they should be hearing from you about a week and a half after your interview. The point of you calling them is to reiterate your interest in the position and why you would be the perfect fit for the position. If you choose to wait to follow up until the two weeks has passed it is still acceptable, just less aggressive.
When you call I think it is important to be prepared for anything. If the time frame they have given has passed and you have not heard from them you must be prepared for them to say they are not interested in you. However, they may just be delayed so I advise you to stay positive while calling. I like to write down what I want to say. Unfortunately if they do tell you they are no longer interested in you it is very easy to say “thank you” and hang up. What you can do is be prepared to ask them what qualities the applicants they are interested have that you do not. Sometimes this may be helpful and sometimes not. If it is just personal preference on their part it does not mean you aren’t qualified, it just means that you may not have been the best fit for that particular office in terms of personalities or style. Anyway, the point here is that if you write down what you want to say you have a better chance of actually spitting it out when/if the time comes.
If you are lucky enough for them to say they haven’t chosen anyone yet due to the process taking longer than they expected you may then ask them when you should call back. Write this down, put it in your phone as an alarm, whatever you need to do to remember.
If you are extremely lucky they will offer you the position.
Ultimately, it is important to stay positive as you are following up on interviews. After I have been told that I am not the candidate they are interested in I give myself a bit of time to grieve for what I thought was the perfect position and then I move on. If they did not want me in their office then it probably isnt the place I want to be anyway.
I hope this is informative to some, if not, I’m sorry.
Jessica Moomaw
