How to Follow Up After an Interview to Give You the Best Chance of Getting the Job!

March 2023

 

How to Follow Up After an Interview to Give You the Best Chance of Getting the Job!

I have been interviewing account managers the last month for several key positions at our companies. I have interviewed eight candidates and am now getting ready to hire someone. Out of the eight candidates, three of them really stand out. They interviewed well, seemed authentically interested, understood our revenue model, and communicated clearly how their skills would add to our future success.

Here is my dilemma. I don't know who to hire. The role of account manager requires paying attention to detail and making our customers feel like rock stars. Only one of the candidates sent me a follow-up email after the interview. I have not heard a peep from the other two. Should I even care in 2023 that they didn't follow up?

 

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Is not following up a sign of how they would treat future customers?  

As a hiring manager, I want to ensure they are interested.

Follow-up is a crucial part of the hiring process, especially if you are trying to get hired at an excellent company. For great jobs, competition from other job seekers is a real thing.

If you want to get the job, you must stand out and follow up after your interview (video or live). Employers want you to confirm your interest in working for their company. 

 

 

To stand out after the interview, do these three things to follow up with the interviewer:

  1. Interview follow-up starts at the end of the interview! First, when the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, ask any clarifying questions you may have at this point. The last question you should ask is when you want to have this position filled. Knowing the time frame is very important. Once you get that, verbally let the interviewer know you are excited about this job and would like to be seriously considered. 

 

  1. Send a thank you email within 6 hours of your interview. Do not waste time getting this done! Once you get home after the interview, immediately send them a message to express your appreciation for t time the interviewer(s) time and consideration. You must reaffirm your interest in the position and mention the strengths relevant to your success in the job. For the record, sending a thank you card via the mail is not a thing anymore, so save the postage.

 

  1. If you know anyone currently working at the company you just interviewed with, reach out to them and ask them to see if you can get them to put the "good word in" for you. If they can email or visit with the person that interviewed you and say you are a great person, this will go far.   

 

  1. Send another follow-up email if you are still waiting to hear back from the hiring authority in the timeline you discussed. It would help to keep your name in lights, and hiring managers get super busy. This quick email reaffirming your interest in their company will move you back to the front of the line if the job is still open. Managers get so busy, and sometimes, they need a friendly push.  

 

I have interviewed hundreds of people for our company's positions. The only thing I want from a job seeker post-interview is for them telling me they want to move forward. The reaffirmation is critical if you want to get to the offer stage.  

You probably figured out which account manager I hired. All three could have done the job, but the only one who sent me a follow-up email letting me know how interested they were made my decision easy!

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