How to follow up after a job interview without seeming desperate: advice from the pros
You wrote the perfect CV. You landed a job interview. They loved you. Now, how do you avoid screwing up?
Preparing for a job interview can be taxing, but it can be almost as challenging to figure out just how many times you should follow up with the boss of your dream job after a great interview.
Your follow-up plays a bigger part in the process than you may realise, said Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behaviour and Thrive in Your Job.
“The quality of your follow-up can underscore a successful interview, or sabotage it,” Taylor said.
The interview thank you email is a crucial step in landing your dream job – your strategy post-interview can be a way for you to stand out from your competition. For example, your follow-up note can slip through the cracks if you don’t frame it with a clear subject line. Not sending a thank you email quickly enough (or at all) can seriously hurt your chances – as can checking in excessively.
“Following up with hiring managers is tricky to navigate because it’s not always easy to gauge your standing, and a lot is at stake,” Taylor said. “Sometimes, if the chemistry is right, you can flat out ask where you stand, but that’s a big ‘if’.”
