How to Craft the Perfect Follow Up Email After Your Interview

Introduction

After a job interview, sending a follow up email can show your gratitude for the opportunity and make you stand out from other applicants. Learn how to craft an effective follow up email that will boost your chances of getting an offer.

Personalize your message

• When you follow up with employers, it is important to make sure your email stands out.
• Make sure to personalize your message by mentioning the job you interviewed for and why you’re excited about the position.
• Additionally, briefly mention how your skills and experience can help the company achieve its goals.
• Personalizing your message not only shows that you remember details from the interview but also that you have researched the role and understand what it requires.
• Finally, make sure to thank the employer for their time and express your interest in hearing back from them.

Reinforce your qualifications and interest in the role

• After expressing your appreciation and thanking the interviewer, it is also essential to reinforce your interest and qualifications for the position.
• Describe why you think you’re a perfect fit for the role, citing successful projects in which you have been involved and referencing the ideas you discussed during the interview.
• Briefly go over any additional qualifications that you believe make you a great candidate.
• Being clear on why the job appeals to you and how your skills could benefit the employer emphasizes why they should choose you for the job.

Keep the message short and focused

• An effective follow-up email should be succinct and focused on the key points you want to get across.
• Keep the content of your message brief, highlighting only relevant information that supports your candidacy.
• Resist the urge to ramble on or bore the reader with unnecessary details.
• In addition to keeping the message short, make sure every sentence contributes in some way to your objective. This will keep your important points concise, clear and highly visible for the person reading it.

Include a professional closing statement.

• No matter how impressive and well written your follow up email is, it’s just as important to close it professionally.
• Always end the message with a courteous closing line like thanking them for their time, noting that you hope to hear back soon or expressing that you look forward to the next step in the hiring process.
• Avoid ending on a generic note such as “Sincerely” or “Best regards”. Instead, use a closing line that reinforces your enthusiasm and readiness for the job.

Follow up quickly after an interview

• When it comes to follow up emails, timing is key.
• You want to get your message out as soon as possible while still ensuring that you don’t seem too eager or pushy.
• Generally, shoot for 24-48 hours after the interview has ended. This gives the hiring manager enough time to reflect on how the interview went, but isn’t such a long wait that they’ll assume you’ve lost interest in the position.
• Follow up quickly and make sure you end your email with enthusiasm and an offer of additional help if needed.