How to write the perfect follow-up email post-interview?

Sales strategy
Juliette BELFIORE
-
8 August

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Did you interview for a dream job? It went pretty well on your end , but you're not quite sure.

Do you want to thank your interviewer but are afraid to sound pushy? or rushy?

👉🏻The follow-up email after an interview is the ultimate key to closing the deal😎. It allows you to reaffirm your motivation, make an impression, and express your gratitude towards your interlocutor.

Feeling a little pressured after this intro? Well, you are right 🙂😋

How to follow up? When? Which channel? How to tell?😱😱

Email is of course the ideal channel for follow-up. You will not send WhatsApp messages, which is far too user-friendly for the first professional exchanges.

There are various avenues to approach your follow-up after an interview.

⬇️Follow the guide and you won’t miss out on your dream job. ⬇️

1. Why send a thank you email after an interview?

Express gratitude

In life in general, always be grateful for an opportunity. Thanking someone is a beneficial action that will always be appreciated.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Start by thanking the interviewer for the opportunity to interview for the position.

Make quite an impression

Take advantage of this email to add the little extra of your personality that will linger in the mind of your interlocutor. Remember, this follow-up email isn't just a formality – it's a chance to make a difference.

Reiterate your interest

Mention how your conversation has reinforced your enthusiasm for contributing to the [Company Name] team.

2. When is the best time to send an email after an interview?

Not too soon!

What is too soon?

If you send it, for example, within an hour of the interview, it might seem that you had prepared it in advance and that you lack sincerity. Or that you put too much pressure on recruitment.

Or that you are a psycho!

Please don’t  😂

Not too late!

After four or five days, you might feel like you're clumsily catching up on an oversight. The recruiter no longer has your interview in mind. The decision on the future recruit for the proposed position may have already been made on his side.In summary, your e-mail is likely to fall into oblivion.

Our Advice:

As we advise in our email “Best Time to Send an Email Newsletter”: Timing is everything. This is the case for a Tinder date, it is also the case for a follow-up email after an interview!

We advise you to send a follow-up email between 24 and 48 hours after the interview.

⚠️ Our Warning:

Do not send the email after 9 or 10 p.m. A recruiter may find it strange to receive a late email, this may be interpreted as a lack of professional judgment.

3. The appropriate subject line of the follow-up email after an interview

Keep it simple & efficient.

Just a few words need to be mentioned:

Your name / Follow-up / Job’s position / [A positive keyword] / [Date of the interview]

3 Subject lines examples:

  • Subject: “Reiterating Interest in [Position Name] Role - Follow-Up from [Your Name]”
  • Subject: “Appreciating the Interview Opportunity - [Position Name] Follow-Up from [Your Name]”
  • Subject: “Follow-Up: [Your Name]'s Impressions on [Position Name] Interview”

👉🏻Choose a subject line that captures the essence of your follow-up message.

4. How to write the perfect follow-up email post-interview?

  • Begin with a thankful note
    As I mentioned earlier, thank the interviewer for their time. Even if you don't get the job, this gesture will be appreciated and may lead to other collaborations.
  • Briefly Gather information from the interview
    Recall the key points of your interview. If you can, reference a specific phrase that your interviewer shared with you: it will help your interviewer develop a special bond with you.
  • Reinforce your motivation
    In one sentence show your strong interest. The interview confirmed your desire to work in this company.
  • Closing and contact information
    End the email with a polite closing, such as "Sincerely" or "Best regards," followed by your name. Include your contact information (especially your phone number) in your Email signature. See our Mailtracker article on How to optimize your email signature on Gmail?

⚠️ Our Warning:

  • The recruiter is not your friend, be courteous and do not talk to him.
  • Do not interfere with his recruitment work: do not try to find out more about the response time.
  • Do not write an email that is too long, which would waste your recipient's time.
  • Do not send this email to a common address, to several people, or to a whole department: Choose the appropriate email address.
  • Do not talk about yourself, your strengths, or your professional background. This is not the place for a re-interview!

5. Follow-up Email post-interview tone/style

Adapt your email to the tone of the interview, the style of the email should reflect the time you spent with your recruiter.

Here 3 different tones:

A classic and formal email

A friendly and interesting email

A relaxed and spontaneous email

The difficulty is to find a good balance between the tone of the interview and the affirmation of your own personality.

6. Use case

👉🏻Case: You are a digital marketing specialist. You had an interview yesterday with the marketing director of the company of your dreams. You want to send the best follow-up email because you really want the job.

🗨️Follow-up email:

Subject: Post-Interview - Reiterating Motivation in [Position Name] Role - Follow-Up from [Your Name]

Dear [Marketing Director's Name],

I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to discuss the digital marketing specialist role at [Company Name] with you yesterday.

I really appreciate your insights during the interview about my resume. It was really helpful.

Our conversation further ignited my enthusiasm for joining your company. I look forward to the possibility of becoming a part of the [Company Name] work team.

Please feel free to reach out directly to me at [Your Phone Number] if there are any additional details you'd like to discuss.

Best regards,
[Your Name]

Clear / efficient / simple

In conclusion, I would add :

Always be yourself in your writing no matter what.

Why?

Because the recruiter wants to recruit YOU, not an actor😎.

Your follow-up email should be authentic, personalized, and match your personality.

If the recruiter doesn't like your email, then the matching will not work. And it might not be the dream job you imagined.

If your personality suits him (and obviously your skills too): he will hire you because it's you.

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