Learn about different kinds of follow-up emails, why you need to use them, how to write them, and when to send them. Samples and email templates included.
Post-interview follow-up emails are the cherry on top of your job application.
They keep you on top of interviewers’ minds, make you look resourceful and proactive, and might even help you make it to the next round.
But how do you write one that’s memorable? When should you send it? And what if they don’t respond?
In this article, you’ll learn:
Don’t waste days compiling overused interview techniques. Get original answers to every single question you could expect.
In a survey of US interviewers, 34.3% reported that thank-you follow-up notes are very or moderately important. It’s not that a follow-up email will make or break your chances but it’s a great addition to your interviewing process.
And this doesn’t only apply to the US. I interviewed Ivana Andrejic, an IT recruiter specialist working mainly with Eastern and Central European candidates. Although she said she hardly ever receives follow-up emails, she still remembers the candidates who take the time to send them. In her opinion, follow-up emails can definitely help candidates stand out.
Pamela Skillings, an interview coach and career counselor with extensive experience as a hiring manager, agrees.
“For me, getting a thank-you email just confirms that the candidate is seriously interested and has good follow-up/communication skills. I do think it’s possible that a well-written follow-up could boost my opinion of someone who seemed well-qualified but didn’t wow me in the interview. Plus, I have noticed that fewer candidates are sending thank-you emails lately. For me, that just means it stands out more when somebody sends a nice email.”
A well-written follow-up email will let you:
Not sending a follow-up email won’t ruin your chances of getting a job (especially if you’re a suitable, experienced candidate), but it might make raise doubts about your level of interest in the position, Pamela says. Sending a generic one, in turn, will make you look lazy.
TL;DR: Take some time after the interview to write and send that follow-up email. It will keep you on top of the interviewer’s mind and demonstrate your knowledge of interviewing etiquette. Studies found that great answers to interview questions matter as much as following interviewing etiquette (that includes sending a follow-up email after an interview, among other things).
Some interviewers won’t notice or care, but for others, it might be an important factor. “Recently, I was speaking with a CEO who was hiring for a senior sales role and she told me she now sees the lack of a thank-you note as a red flag after some bad experiences. I think it’s more important in a field like sales where follow-up and outreach are so important.” — says Pamela Skillings.
Not all post-interview follow-up emails are the same.
Below, you’ll see samples and templates for 6 common situations:
A phone interview or a screening interview is usually the very first step in the hiring process. In it, the interviewer is trying to assess if you’re qualified to enter the interviewing process. It’s just an initial screening, it’s usually very short, and it focuses on the “big picture:” your key qualifications, first impressions, and basic cultural fit.
Still, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t send a follow-up email after such an interview — even if the recruiter found you.
Interested in continuing with the interviewing process or not, we recommend that you send a short follow-up email to express your gratitude and a) state your interest or b) politely decline going forward with the process.
✅ Pro tip: The deeper you are in the hiring process, the more detailed your follow-up emails need to be. This means that the follow-up email after a phone interview will be super short, the follow-up email after the second interview will be longer and more detailed, and the follow-up email after the first interview will be somewhere in between.
You should keep this email short and simple:
Subject line: Thank you for your time, Serena!
Thank you for your time today. It was a pleasure talking to you about Big Interview and getting to know how the company works. I particularly liked the notion of regular, company-wide projects that encourage collaboration across departments.
Considering my style of work, I’m confident I could integrate into the team seamlessly.
If you need any additional information, I would be happy to meet with you again, in person or online.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Subject line: Thank you for your time, [Interviewer name]!
Dear [Interviewer name],
Thank you for your time today. It was a pleasure talking to you about [Company name]. It was interesting to learn about [a particular detail you spoke about during the call].
Considering [your qualifications, preferences, skills, or similar], I’m confident I could [describe how you can fit in with the company].
If you need any additional information, I would be happy to meet with you again, in-person or online.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
[Your name]
[Your email address and phone number]
The first “official” interview will usually focus on your experience, achievements, and skills in more detail.
If you came prepared and did good, this follow-up email is going to leave yet another positive impression and increase your chances of making it to the next round.
But if you feel like you could have done better — this email might help you salvage your reputation and improve your chances of making it to the second round.
✅ Pro tip: Got a really hard question you couldn’t properly answer in the interview? Or having second thoughts about one of your answers to common interview questions? You can bring it up in the follow-up email. Remind the interviewer of the topic at hand and say how you’ve been thinking about it. Then add to your answer, briefly explaining why you wanted to clarify or elaborate.
Subject line: Lovely speaking to you about Kidco today
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me about Kidco today. I enjoyed discovering more about the company I’ve admired for several years now.
I was thrilled to hear about your content plans and how user-generated content fits into your strategy. Working on several user-generated content projects in the past year convinced me how important such an approach is for increasing authenticity, engagement, and community building.
I’m looking forward to diving deeper into this topic, if the opportunity presents itself.
In the meantime, should you need anything else from me, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Best regards,
Siobhan Kelly
Dear [Interviewer name],
Thanks for talking to me today about [Company name]. I’ve enjoyed [what you enjoyed the most about the interview].
I was thrilled to hear about [particular details, like plans, goals, strategies, or similar]. [A little bit about how you fit into the plans].
In the meantime, should you need anything else from me, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Best regards,
[Your name]
If you’re preparing for a second interview, learn about 30+ Common Job Interview Mistakes to Avoid (Easily!).
And if you need help with answering common interview questions, selling yourself, or negotiating the offer, check out our free course.
Your second interview with a company may be the final one, after which the company will decide on whether or not to hire you (of course, this might differ depending on the company — some will require only one interview, some will require 2–3 or more).
No matter the number of interviews, you should follow up after each. And the deeper you go, the more detailed your email needs to be.
Speaking about the second interview specifically, you need to pinpoint specific information you discussed in the interview. Outline concrete ideas on how you would achieve the goals discussed.
✅ Pro tip: You can personalize the follow-up email by bringing up something casual you discussed in an interview. For example, if you talked about new industry-specific AI trends, you could link your favorite influencer that covers these topics. You can also share industry news or valuable resources.
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. It was lovely meeting up again and I’m now convinced that Pioneer is the perfect place for me to continue my career at.
It was great hearing about your agency’s 2024 strategy and how a new email service provider can contribute to the revenue increase. As already mentioned, I have extensive experience with Engage, as I migrated several clients’ complete email operations to that ESP, which eventually helped us double the revenue in just two quarters. Attached below is a short deck where I proposed several ideas around ESP migration and new flow setup, along with the Replenishment flow you never utilized for your clients before.
I would love to discuss it in more detail, should we decide to work together.
If you need any additional information, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thanks again for your time and consideration, I hope to hear from you soon.
Best,
Kevin Anderson
Dear [Interviewer name],
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. It was lovely meeting up again and I’m now convinced that [Company name] is the perfect place for me to continue my career at.
It was great hearing about [particular details discussed during the interview]. As already mentioned, [restate the qualifications that make you the best candidate and back them up with your proud achievement]. Attached below is a short deck where I proposed several ideas around [what was discussed in the call].
I would love to discuss it in more detail, should we decide to work together.
If you need any additional information, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thanks again for your time and consideration, I hope to hear from you soon.
If the interviewer didn’t get back to you within the agreed time and you want to know where you stand, you can send a follow-up email to inquire about the status of your application.
Don’t get discouraged or worry that you might look pushy. You’re being proactive and using transparent communication.
A good thing to do, though, is to wait for the deadline to pass and email the interviewer only then — not before the deadline.
Subject line: Following up on the Content Writer position
Hope you’re well!
I’m checking in to ask about the content writer position status, considering that you mentioned the deadline for reaching a decision would be November 5. I’m still interested in the position and I’m looking forward to your update.
Please, let me know if you need any additional information on my side that would be helpful.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Warm regards,
Marie Jenkins
Dear [Interviewer name],
I hope you’re doing well.
I’m checking in to ask about the [position name] position status, considering that you mentioned the deadline for reaching a decision would be [date]. I’m still interested in the position and I’m looking forward to your update.
Please, let me know if you need any information on my side that would be helpful.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Warm regards,
[Your name]
What if you’re interviewing for several positions and you get an offer from one company while still in the application process with others?
Well, you send them an email.
If you’re 100% happy with the offer you got from company 1, you can let company 2 know you’re no longer eligible for their position. You’ll want to kindly thank them for their time and effort and explain the situation.
If, on the other hand, you’re not sure whether to accept the offer from company 1 — you can let company 2 know that you got an offer, but would prefer to work with company 2 and would be willing to refuse company 1’s offer.
🥁 Story time: Our editor Michael got his first major job mostly because he followed up on the interview with the right message.
A few days after the interview, he received an offer from another organization. The offer was decent, but it did not come from his top-pick company. So he decided to be proactive, emailed his top pick, and told them about the offer he got and how he would be happy to turn it down if he was still in contention for a job with them. His top-pick company thanked him for the transparency and went out of their way to speed up the decision-making process.
Michael got the job.
Mind you, he had a pretty good feeling after that interview and suspected that he had a real shot. That’s why writing that email didn’t feel awkward.
If you’re in a similar situation, don’t hesitate to follow up. It might make all the difference between accepting an OK-ish offer and landing your dream gig.
Subject line: Sales Representative position update
I’m writing to let you know that I was offered a Sales Representative position at Gartner. The deadline for accepting or rejecting the offer is December 3.
I will be accepting the offer with them, and I’d like to thank you for your time and dedication once again.
It was a pleasure to get to know you and ScholarshipsUS. I wish you the best of luck with finding a suitable person for the position, and I hope our paths will cross again sometime in the future.
Best,
Alexander Smith
Subject line: Sales Representative position update
I’m writing to let you know that I was offered a Sales Representative position at Gartner.
I’m really excited about your opening with ScholarshipsUS and feel it’s a much better fit for me. I’m happy to turn down the offer with Gartner if ScholarshipsUS chooses me to fill in the Sales Representative position in your company.
The deadline for accepting or rejecting my offer with Gartner is December 3 — let me know if you’ll have a decision by that date.
If you need any further information, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Alexander Smith
Subject line: [Position name] update
Dear [Interviewer name],
I’m writing to let you know that I was offered a [Position name] position at [Company 1]. The deadline for accepting or rejecting the offer is [Deadline date].
I will be accepting the offer with them, and I’d like to thank you for your time and dedication once again.
It was a pleasure to get to know you and [Company 2]. I wish you the best of luck with finding a suitable person for the position, and I hope our paths will cross again sometime in the future.
Subject line: [Position name] update
Dear [Interviewer name],
I’m writing to let you know that I was offered a [Position name] position at [Company 1].
I’m really excited about your opening with [Company 2] and feel it’s a much better fit for me. I’m happy to turn down the offer with [Company 1] if [Company 2] chooses me to fill in the [Position name] position in your company.
The deadline for accepting or rejecting my offer with [Company 1] is [Deadline date] — let me know if you’ll have a decision by that date.
If you need any further information, don’t hesitate to contact me.
If you haven’t been hired, but you had a good time during the interview process, you liked the people you met and the company culture — you can choose to stay in touch to explore future opportunities, suggest another mode of collaboration besides working full-time for them, or to nurture that relationship and perhaps ask for mentorship in the future.
Subject line: Thank you for the opportunity, Eva!
I hope all is well. I’m reaching out to thank you once again for your time and consideration.
Although I did not get the opportunity to work with Globex, I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I learned a lot about both your company and the industry. Should an opportunity arise, I’d love to know about your future openings that might be a better fit for me.
It was a pleasure getting to know you and speaking about your career trajectory. Because I’d like to build a career in hiring and recruitment, I’m sure there’s a lot I could learn from you.
Would you be available for a 30-minute call sometime in the next couple of weeks?
Best regards,
Jamie
Subject line: Thank you for the opportunity, [Interviewer name]!
Dear [Interviewer name],
I hope all is well. I’m reaching out to thank you once again for your time and consideration.
Although I did not get the opportunity to work with [Company name], I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I learned a lot about both your company and the industry. Should an opportunity arise, I’d love to know about your future openings that might be a better fit for me.
It was a pleasure [insert the thing you enjoyed the most]. Because I’d like to [list your motivation behind inviting them for a call], I’m sure there’s a lot I could learn from you.
Would you be available for a 30-minute call sometime in the next couple of weeks?
Best regards,
[Your name]
Below are general tips on how to best follow up after an interview.
Generally, it’s suggested to send your follow-up email within 24 hours of the interview, while the interview is still fresh in your interviewer’s memory. This will help you further establish the good rapport you built during the interview.
However, if you had your interview late on a Friday, then waiting until Monday to send a follow-up email is better — don’t email people over the weekend.
In case you forgot to follow up with a thank-you email within 24 hours, do it as soon as you remember. (PS: To avoid this, set a reminder after each interview to send a follow-up email.)
In case you’re still waiting for a company’s decision, don’t email them within the set deadline. Instead, wait for the deadline to pass and then send a follow-up email the next day.
Finally, if you get another offer while waiting for a certain company to get back to you, inform that company you’re waiting for immediately, regardless of whether or not you’ll accept the offer.
You’ll want the subject lines of your follow-up emails to be short, clear, and professional.
The rule of thumb is to be simple and straightforward and find a way to thank the interviewer for their time. Something like this:
Optionally, you can use the name of the position you applied for, as it might make it easier for the interviewer to recognize you instantly:
If you interviewed with only one person in each round, it’s going to make the work easier for you, as you’ll be sending a follow-up email only to that person.
However, in case you interviewed with multiple people, you’ll have to send a separate follow-up email to every person.
You might be tempted to copy-paste the same email and send it to everyone, but it’s going to make you look lazy.
Instead, personalize each email and bring up unique talking points you covered with different people. It might be a bit more work, but it’s the only right way to show interest and determination.
For example, if you interviewed with an HR representative and someone from the leadership team, you will send separate follow-up emails. In the email to the HR person, focus on the day-to-day tasks you discussed, your key skills and achievements, or the logistical and administrative side of things.
People from the leadership team will usually be more focused on your strategic vision, culture fit, problem-solving skills, or leadership potential. They’ll look for skills and competencies that transcend everyday duties in a position.
So you might say something like “It was a pleasure speaking to you about [company’s strategic vision for the next years and how you can contribute/how you can fit in/your suggestions for specific long-term goals/your leadership skills or experience].”
The key is to be aware that different people will assess different things during the interview. It’s your job to email them separately and personalize the content of your email to fit with the topics discussed and things they’re looking to assess.
In follow-up emails, you want to be as clear and concise as possible.
This is important because the hiring decision-makers are busy and you want to spare their time and make them immediately get what the email is about.
Here’s what your email structure should look like:
“Currently, the overly formal, wordy “business letter” style of the past feels very old-fashioned for thank-you notes. Nobody is going to read long paragraphs of fluff and resume recap. Keep it concise and conversational. Say thank you, reiterate your interest, and maybe share or reinforce any additional information that you want them to know about you (a skill you forgot to mention, or your fit for a requirement that came up in the interview but wasn’t in the job description). Reference a detail or two from the discussion to show you were listening and you’re not just copy-pasting a form email. When following up later in the process to check on the application status, there are fewer universal rules. A lot depends on the situation. However, I would say it’s always fine to send a short, respectful note reiterating your interest and asking for an update.” — Pamela Skillings
Matching your communication style to the person you’re speaking or writing to is called mirroring.
Using the same lingo as the interviewer can help you build positive rapport and facilitate better understanding, but it can also make you sound more knowledgeable and persuasive.
If you’re interviewing with an enterprise that values formal communication, then you should be formal in your follow-up emails. On the other hand, startups or creative businesses might value a more casual approach. Pick up on common terms or abbreviations in the company or industry and use them (but don’t overdo it). You can also mirror things like exclamation points or emojis (if the interviewer used emojis in your correspondence, find a way to include at least one in your messages).
Here’s a few more tips you can use to stand out during the interview and when writing a follow-up email:
Copy-pasting a generic follow-up email from the internet and sending it to the interviewer might ruin the good impression you left during the interview itself. Same goes for sending the same email to all interviewers.
Always personalize follow-up emails by referring to specific details discussed during the interview.
If you interviewed with several different people, write a separate, personalized email to each of them. Needless to say, double-check that you address the email to the right person.
It’s okay to send more than one follow-up email if the company doesn’t respond, but remember that they’re likely just swamped and not ignoring you on purpose. Remain patient and polite.
For example — you sent a follow-up email hours after the interview and you never received a response. Now the deadline has passed and you still haven’t heard back from them. Should you email them? Yes, it’s totally ok to send another polite follow-up email inquiring about the status of your application and reminding them about the agreed deadline.
But you should stop there, as it should be enough to nudge them and get back to you quickly.
And in case you don’t hear back from them, don’t feel bad. Would you even want to work for a company that doesn’t value your time and efforts and ghosts you?
Need a hand? There’s 3 ways we can help you:
It should be short and to the point. We’d recommend just 2–3 paragraphs with no more than 2–4 sentences. Thank the interviewer for their time, restate your interest, bring up a specific topic you talked about to make it relevant and personalized, and offer to send them whatever they might need to reach the final decision. Just remember, the deeper you are into the process, the more detailed your follow-up email should be.
You can address the area of concern. If you messed up answering a certain interview question or you couldn’t think of a specific example, you can correct yourself or provide a bit more detail in the follow-up interview. You can also send your portfolio to provide insight into your work and decrease any suspicions an interviewer might have. This will show your willingness to learn, eagerness about the position, and resourceful and positive attitude — so even if the interview didn’t go as planned, you can still get the most out of the situation.
Absolutely. After thanking the interviewer for their time and bringing up some specific topics you talked about, you can mention an important thing that you forgot to elaborate on during the interview. Make sure to be concise, though, as the follow-up email needs to be short: 2–3 paragraphs with 2–4 sentences max.
Dear [Interviewer name],
Thank you for your time today and the opportunity to discuss [Company name]. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about [A particular detail you spoke about during the call].
If you need any additional information, don’t hesitate to contact me,
Looking forward to hearing from you!
[Your name]
[Your contact info]
Depends on the level of formality and how you spoke during the interview. If you were on a first-name basis during the interview, then you can definitely call them by their first name in the follow-up email. The same goes if the interview was not formal, and for a startup or a youthful, creative business that values closeness. If the interview was formal, or for a huge enterprise, or if the interviewer called you by your last name, then you should definitely use their last name when addressing them. But you can use your own intuition here: if you had an informal interview with a person who is considerably older than you, then it might make sense to use their last name.
