How to Send a Job Interview Follow-up Email (with Examples)

Interviewing for a job can be a dreaded task. You have to put your best self forward, calm your nerves with some daily affirmations, and prepare for those uncomfortable questions. You never really know what you’ll be asked in an interview or how your rapport will be with the person on the other side of the table.

You can easily agonize over a not-great interview, thinking of everything you should have done differently. On the flip side, a successful interview means you feel confident that it’s a great fit for you and your career objectives. When that happens, and the interviewer seems to feel the same way, it’s pretty exciting.

But once that first interview is done, remember that you need to take a few additional steps. No matter how it went, you don’t have to just sit waiting and wondering about the coming decision. Don’t underestimate the power of the follow-up email. After your initial thank you, it’s perfectly acceptable and standard to check in after weeks of silence. 

This guide walks through the dos and don’ts of interview follow-up emails and provides a couple of strong examples to help you get started.

Why are follow-up emails after job interviews important?

Some candidates may be new to interviewing and don’t know the etiquette for interviews and follow-ups. Or you just may think that sending emails is unnecessary. Shouldn’t interviewers get everything they need in the interview? Are emails really that effective? Aren’t you just bothering people with more communication?

Follow-up emails are just part of the typical process for most companies. But they’re also great at accomplishing the following:

• Showing you’re serious and excited about the position

• Showing a high level of professionalism

• Setting you apart from other candidates

• Reminding the interviewer of your conversation

• Sparking a faster response from the interviewer

• Relieving some of your anxiety and stress

Your follow-up email strategy should start with a simple thank-you note right after the interview. If you hear back quickly, you don’t have to worry about a potentially awkward follow-up email. But, if it’s been a while, and you’ve only heard radio silence, it’s time to start drafting that next follow-up.

Dos and don’ts of follow-up emails after job interviews

First, you should absolutely send follow-up emails. Today’s shifting job market all but requires these kinds of gestures. Many hiring managers expect them (though not all candidates send them). 

You no longer have to send a thank-you card in the mail (although that’s still an option if that’s your thing). Let’s talk emails. These dos and don’ts will help you take the right approach:

1. Do be prompt with thank-you emails

Your first follow-up email should be a brief thank-you note. Send this right after the interview, within 24 hours, so the meeting is fresh on everyone’s mind. Thank the interviewer and include a note about how much you think you will fit in and how excited you are about the possibility of getting the job. 

Send a separate thank you to everyone you met with if you have their contact information. (Pro tip: ask for it in the interview.)

2. Do follow up after a couple of weeks

In an ideal world, you’ll hear back from a potential employer within a few days after your interview. You want to know if you got the job, of course, but it’s also stressful to wait. You want to know when you should start moving on. 

But there are lots of reasons why employers may drag their feet. They may still be interviewing other people, or maybe someone is on vacation. Perhaps there are a lot of people involved in the decision-making process, and coordinating that many people takes time.

Whatever the reason, when two weeks have passed, it’s perfectly reasonable to send another email to follow up on the job’s status. Reach out with a polite note that you’re checking in since you haven’t heard back in a while.

3. Don’t write a novel

You may be thinking about all the things you wish you’d said during the interview. It’s natural to replay the conversation. But resist the urge to include a lot more information in your follow-up emails. 

Don’t include anything new about yourself unless it is really important they know it. For example, if you discussed your availability in the interview, and something has changed in your schedule, it’s reasonable to mention that change in a follow-up email.

But don’t feel like you have to make up for anything. It likely won’t help your chances to tell them what you wish you would have said. You can quickly emphasize why you’d be a great fit, but keep it at that.

4. Do write a great subject line

Subject lines should also be direct. Keep them to the point. For instance, when sending a thank-you email, simply writing “Thank you” as your subject line is effective. Or, try something like “Thank you for the interview” or similar. 

For follow-ups down the road, something like “Interview follow-up” or “Application check-in” will work. Don’t be misleading in your subject lines, and make sure it’s clear why you’re writing.

5. Don’t send too many emails

Very eager candidates may be more than ready to send a few emails to the interviewer to thank them, to let them know how much they want the job, to ask for updates, and more. While sending a thank-you email right after the meeting and following up a couple weeks later is more than reasonable, make sure not to send more than that.

However, in some cases, you can send a final, third email after more time has passed that can be more of a networking email. If you haven’t heard back about the job, it’s been a month or more, and you’ve already sent your two initial follow-ups, you may want to send an email that asks to stay in touch. 

Just because you didn’t get a position doesn’t mean you can’t try again in the future. You could build a connection with the interviewer that will lead to future opportunities. 

6. Don’t stop your job search

You may think you’ve found the perfect job and that you knocked your interview out of the park. But the fact is, you never know what’s going on on the other side. They may have loved you, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have other amazing candidates in the running. 

Don’t stop your job search until you get that job offer. Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself crazy waiting for a response, and you could miss out on other great opportunities in the meantime.

7. Don’t assume you’re getting ghosted

As with dating, getting ghosted after an interview means you never hear from the hiring manager or company again, despite your efforts to reach out and follow up. Unfortunately, it just happens sometimes.

But don’t automatically assume you’re being ghosted. There are lots of reasons why you may not get a response to your follow-up email right away. Consider that the median time to fill a non-executive role, according to the Society for Human Resources Management, is 44 days. 

It can take as long as a few weeks to get a response back. It all depends on the timeline the company is working with. So, don’t start panicking until it’s been at least three weeks to a month with no communication. Avoid uncertainty from the start by asking what their timeline is for hiring someone in your interview. If that time has passed and still nothing, you may need to move on.

But put this into perspective—do you really want to work for a company that doesn’t follow up with candidates? You probably dodged a bullet.

2 examples of post-interview follow-up emails that get responses

Let’s walk through examples of the most important types of follow-up emails to know: the immediate, post-interview thank you, and the follow-up a couple weeks later. 

Thank-you email example

You may also want to add a couple of sentences to your thank-you email that highlight specifics about your background and the tasks the role requires. Or, comment on something you talked about during your interview, like a personal connection or shared hobby.

Follow-up email example

Remember: Your follow-ups should be simple, professional, and clear. Don’t tell your life story, and don’t send them too frequently. Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes and think about what you would appreciate receiving from candidates. Start there.