How And When To Follow Up After Interview - A Few Ways To Do It

How And When To Follow Up After Interview? – A Few Ways To Do It

Job & Career 5 Mins Read September 21, 2023 Posted by Soumava Goswami

In some cases, job applications can be annoying, especially when you expect to hear back but you don?t. Waiting to hear back and getting an offer letter feels like an eternity to the employee. However, in every case, you will not need to wait for a response from the employer. In fact, you can actually improve your odds of getting hired by the company once you get in contact with the hiring manager.

In this article, you will learn about when to follow up after an interview if you are expecting a response from the recruiter. You will also know some essential details about how long to wait for an interview. We will also discuss here how to follow up after the interview once you have decided to do a follow-up. Hence, to learn more about these details on following up after an interview, read on through to the end of the article.

How Long To Wait For A Response After An Interview?  

How Long To Wait For A Response After An Interview

According to Indeed.com,

?Typically, it’s best to give interviewers at least five business days to contact you. That means if you interview on a Thursday, you would wait until the following Thursday to reach out. This could mean you are waiting a week or longer before you get a response from the hiring company, provided they do reply. It’s also a good rule to offer a small buffer period for companies to get back to you beyond the designated timeline.?

The response time that you will get from a company depends upon a lot of factors:

1. The company might still be interviewing other candidates. You must be among the first ones to be interviewed. Hence, the best option would be to wait for a week.

2. In some companies, the decision-making process in hiring might involve different people and can drag on for weeks. The hiring manager might take time to respond to the HR manager.

3. The company might be dealing with something more important, and that is why recruitment has been halted for some time.

4. The company might be involved in doing background checks for the applicants, and that is why the recruitment process is taking more time than usual.

When To Follow Up After Interview?  

How To Follow Up After Interview

You should wait for five to seven working days once you have been on an interview with a company, and they have said that they will let you know. Although there is no hard and fast rule to this, you should still consider this as a rule of thumb.

Furthermore, if the hiring manager mentioned to you that the hiring process will take around fourteen to thirty days, you will need to wait for that period of time. Hence, you see, the timeline that you will have to wait for following up to the interview can vary based on the type of employer you are interviewing with.

According to Upwork,

?The timeline for following up can also differ depending on whether it?s your first interview with the company or your final one. If it?s the former, it?s reasonable to follow up within a week after an initial interview. If it?s the latter, stick to the timeline provided by the hiring manager or follow up after two weeks if no timeline was specified.?

To follow up after an interview, you can use a wide range of methods. Some of the major options to choose from are phone, email, or text messages. However, experts recommend using the email options since most hiring managers prefer emails from candidates.

However, you can also ask the interviewer about their preferred method of communication once you have been on an interview with them. You can use that communication method when you are following up.

All you need to do while following up is make sure that you maintain a common courtesy. When you are reaching out to the hiring manager, try not to be pushy. Do not compel the manager to give an immediate answer. If your follow-up is aggressive, the chances of you getting hired will be reduced.

How To Follow Up After Interview?  

When To Follow Up After Interview

According to Business News Daily,

?It?s all right ? and even expected ? to follow up after the interview, but don?t overwhelm your potential employer with multiple messages and phone calls. If you reach out too often, you?re going to turn off the hiring manager. […] It is good etiquette to send one thank-you to whoever you interviewed with one or two days after the interview.?

However, you should also wait for them to respond to the interview and reply back. However, you must also be prepared to receive no response from the hiring manager.

The first thing you need to do is respect the existing timeline (or the general timeline). The general time, as already mentioned, is five to seven working days. However, if the hiring manager informs you that it will take two weeks for a reply, then wait for two weeks. Following up in between that time might irritate the manager.

If you have waited for the time and did not receive any mail, or even a phone call, you might consider sending a follow-up email to the hiring manager. If you do not get a reply even after the follow-up email, consider moving on with your job search. There are other companies that put communication as one of the major priorities.

Final Thoughts  

How and when to follow up after an interview? I hope you have found the answers. When you are following up, consider giving the hiring manager at least a week after the interview. While you are following up, consider using email or the hiring manager?s preferred method of communication. Make sure not to compel the manager to give you an immediate answer.

However, if you feel that the hiring manager is taking too much time, the best option for you would be to move on and try somewhere else. How much time do you think a candidate should give to the hiring manager to reply? Share your answer with us in the comments section below.

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Inspired by The Social Network, Soumava loves to find ways to make small businesses successful – he spends most of his time analyzing case studies of successful small businesses. With 5+ years of experience in flourishing with a small MarTech company, he knows countless tricks that work in favor of small businesses. His keen interest in finance is what fuels his passion for giving the best advice for small business operations. He loves to invest his time familiarizing himself with the latest business trends and brainstorming ways to apply them. From handling customer feedback to making the right business decisions, you’ll find all the answers with him!

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