How long to wait before following up a job interview?
By Cham Posted Date: August 22, 2017
As a job seeker the interview stage can be deemed as the most crucial part of any job application or hiring process. You may have planned your interview out to the smallest detail – from the outfit you wore, to the way you carried yourself and the energy you portrayed. You may have aced all the questions and feel that the interview went perfect – this is great. So now that the interview was a success, how long should you wait before following up with the hiring manager you met?
As a job seeker soon after a good interview, you’d be constantly refreshing your email inbox and checking your voicemails, eager to hear back. This is especially true if you are super excited about a job and were looking forward to a positive response, but the fact is the hiring manager is not on the same timeline, and they are probably meeting with other stakeholders, checking budgets and definitely meeting other potential candidates.
The tips below will help you figure out when to follow up with the hiring manager or HR representative after the interview:
Should you follow up? - Following up after an interview is an accepted way to show that you are interested in a position and also helps keep your name in mind for the hiring manager. It can also help you show your skills in communication, and motivation (or initiative). The question isn’t whether or not to follow up but rather, when?
How long should you wait before following up? – There is no pre-defined set timeframe that you must wait before following up on a job interview. However, a majority of recruiters suggest waiting about 5 days so as to not appear too eager (or come off as desperate) by following up too early. It’s also not a good idea to wait too long before following up as you might be too late (and a candidate who showed more initiative may have been chosen as a result).
When you do decide to follow up, do it carefully – When it’s time to make the phone call make sure you’ve planned out what you want to say. It’s important to be direct, brief and respectful. If the hiring manager asks that you not follow-up or shuts you down, listen to their instructions, you don’t want the phone call to negatively affect your application.
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