7 Reasons to Send a Follow Up Email After Your Interview
People often find multiple reasons not to send a follow up email after a job interview. You might be afraid to be considered a pest, or more interested in taking a wait and see approach. Some people merely forget to send a follow-up. Unfortunately, there's no good reason not to connect with a company after an interview. There are, however, several good reasons to send an email after your interview. Find out why you should make it a priority to reach out after you meet with a prospective employer.
1. Rest Your Mind
After your interview, the interviewer might tell you to expect to hear back from them by a certain time. But when the day comes around, you may not have an email or phone call from them. At this point, your mind is probably starting to go into dark places. You're likely to overanalyze things and fear that the company has no interest in you.
Instead of worrying, you can put your mind at ease. There are hundreds of possible reasons the company hasn't reached out to you. The hiring manager could be sick, or a recruiter could have forgotten to give you an update. By sending a follow-up email, you can put some of your worries to rest. If the company forgot to contact you, the email would remind them. And if someone was sick, your email could prompt them to send you an explanation.
Typically, you should wait four of five business days from the date they gave you before sending an email. If you send it too early, the hiring manager might think of you as over-eager or annoying. No one will think any less of you for sending an email four days after the date they told you to expect contact.
2. You Feel Productive
When you're applying for jobs, you're taking your career in your own hands. But waiting for a call back from an employer leaves you with no control. As you sit idly by, you waste precious time in the job search. You can avoid this by sending a follow-up email.
Sending the email lets you regain control. In doing so, you can feel better about your chances of finding a new job. You improve your confidence, which can help you in future job searches. The sense of productivity you get from sending a follow-up email could prevent you from going into a pit of despair. It's easy to give up while looking for work, and following up with your interviewer may be just what you need to move on.
3. Showcase Yourself
During the interview, you may not get a chance to say everything you wanted to say. You could have an idea for the company or an achievement that you wanted to highlight. Although you can't go back in time and change what you said, you can send a thank-you letter to say any forgotten information.
Your follow-up shouldn't be a novel about why you're perfect for the company. However, it should mention a suggestion or idea that you want to showcase. Keep it short and professional, and you can prove that you're an asset. Ask for your interviewer's opinion on your idea to show that you're open to criticism.
When you write this email, know that it is a balancing act. You don't want to come across as arrogant or a know-it-all. Keep a respectful tone and don't make it obvious that you care about their opinion.
4. Move Things Along
Sometimes, the hiring process gets stalled. There are many reasons for this, such as an overly competitive field or a sudden obstacle faced by the company. In any case, you could be left in limbo with no job offer or no rejection. As a potential employer, this is a bad place to be. If the position is your dream job, you might not want to move on with the job search until you know whether or not you will be offered a position.
By emailing the hiring manager, you can push the process along. While you don't want to pressure the company, sending a follow-up could be enough to get the ball rolling again. Your email reminds the hiring manager that they need to find a suitable candidate for the position.
Once again, you need to be cautious in the tone of your email. You're not entitled to a response, so don't be accusatory or come across as someone who was wronged. In your email, explain that you're eager to hear from them and are excited about the position.
5. Show Your Enthusiasm
It's challenging to show how passionate you are about a position. If you weren't successful in showing your passion during the interview, you could do so in a follow-up letter. In reaching out to the company, you show that you have a genuine interest in the position. Your enthusiasm may be what makes the hiring manager realize that you're the right fit for the job.
6. Stand Out
What sets you apart from other candidates for the position? Usually, candidates share many common qualities. They might have similar educational backgrounds and employment history. If everyone had a successful interview, you might not have made a lasting impression on the interviewer.
To set yourself apart from everyone else, you can send a thank you email. Because it's a step that most job applicants forget to take, sending the email makes you stand out. You'll get attention, and that attention could be enough to get you a job offer.
7. Get Closure
Humans have a need for closure, and this doesn't just involve relationships. To be able to move on to another job, you need to know whether or not you have a job offer. Until you hear that you were rejected for a position, you may not be able to move forward with the job search.
With closure comes a renewed sense of purpose. You can invest all of your time and energy into the job search, which will inevitably lead to a job offer.