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Following up after an interview is important regardless of how you think it went. There are obvious benefits to following up after a good interview, including potentially increasing your odds of getting an offer, but making an effort after a less-than-stellar showing can also yield positive results.

To help you choose an effective method for either situation, here are some tips to make your follow-up efforts as valuable as possible.

Good Interviews

Whether you feel like you nailed the interview or just feel it went as well as it could have, it can be considered a good interview. Often, following up after these interviews provides an opportunity to give thanks while also getting more information about the next steps involved in the process.

In most cases, your initial follow-up should be managed quickly. Typically, this involves sending an email thanking the interviewer or the interview panel for their time. You can also assert you are still interested in the opportunity and you look forward to hearing back from them.

As you craft the message, focus on being polite and concise, and don’t press for information about the decision (yet). These messages should generally be sent within 24 hours of the interview, so this isn’t the time to pry too deeply. This is especially true if you were given a timeframe regarding when a decision would be reached and that time has yet to pass.

If an initial deadline for a response has elapsed, and you have not received any additional information, further follow-up can be appropriate. This is another situation where sending an email is fine, but make sure the message is only delivered to the hiring manager.

Don’t point out they failed to contact you within the timeframe provided. Instead, consider the prompt for the additional inquiry. Considering using a phrase like, “I know you had hoped to reach a decision by [timeframe in question], so I wanted to follow up and see if the timeline has changed.” This gives them an opportunity to provide the level of information they are comfortable with, ranging from a new tentative decision date to a full explanation regarding what has occurred.

However, if this message receives no response, you might want to resist additional inquiries. Sometimes, companies do not follow up with candidates that weren’t chosen, and continuing to follow up won’t change that fact.

Bad Interviews

First things first, it is easy to assume an interview was bad when it actually wasn’t. Often, we are our own harshest critic, so your perception of a bad showing may have been seen differently by an interviewer. You should send a quick email thanking them for their time just as you would when you think the interview went well. This helps you leave a positive final impression, and if you don’t get selected for this position, may make it easier to score additional interviews with the company in the future.

If you receive notice you weren’t selected, consider following up based on the opportunity to learn from the experience. Many interviewers are open to providing feedback about why you weren’t selected, so don’t be afraid to ask what you could do next time to be a stronger candidate.

As with other messages, keep this one polite and concise. You are actually asking them for a favor, so approach it from a place of humbleness and appreciation. That way you can turn a poor showing into a great learning opportunity.

If you are looking for additional tips regarding interview follow-ups or are looking for a new position, the professionals at Resolution Technologies are here to assist. Contact us to speak with one of our recruitment specialists today.

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