Can weekly follow-up calls and emails after an interview help get you the job? Is it the best way to get noticed? Short answer: Noooooooooooo!
People wonder what to do after the job interview. Of course, that’s normal. You want to take action and help yourself. But you also don’t want to hurt yourself.
On that point, I just read a comment from one of my readers:
“I still haven’t heard back from them after my job interview and they stopped answering my weekly follow up calls and emails so I just assume they don’t want me. I think that’s rude not to respond to me, but oh well. I will continue applying for more things!”
Of course, my heart goes out to her. But I almost jumped out of my skin when I read how often she was following up with both phone calls AND emails after the job interview. I get that she was just eager to know “Did I get the job?”
But there’s good reason not to do what she was doing. What you do after an interview can count as much as before or during. And she was not helping her case by seeming so impatient and needy.
While I well understand the agony of waiting to hear back after the interview — and do love her positive attitude about moving on to look for the right job — I worry some of you, including this reader, may actually hurt yourself badly with an overly zealous approach.
Bugging a potential employer week after week, no matter how wonderful a hire you might be, is not going to get you the job. In fact, too many phone calls or emails can totally turn off the very people in the company you want to impress.
Avoid weekly follow-up calls and emails after an interview
Sending all those emails and making all those phone calls does not help your case with the company – and in fact only irritates HR folks and other hiring managers, many of whom have inboxes full of emails all demanding immediate attention.
An occasional polite post-interview email or phone call can be a good thing. But after that, believe me … if they are interested, they’ll remember you!
Unless you have something you absolutely need to tell them or maybe a new Pulitzer Prize you just won and want them to know about … less is more is a pretty good rule to follow when it comes to contact after the interview.
And if they aren’t getting back to you – as annoying as that can be – just assume they have a good reason and do your best to focus on other things … like continuing to look for a great job!
If you are waiting to hear back, you might find some helpful hints here:
⇒ 12 Ways to Stay Sane After a Job Interview
What about phone calls or email before an interview?
Speaking of following up … be wary of online career “experts” who tell you to aggressively call and email, especially before an interview. I can tell you from first-hand experience it can leave a bad impression before they even meet you.
Seriously … unless you have a contact there or a very good reason to call or are in an industry where this is ok, you are probably not helping yourself one bit by calling before an interview. Even just to follow up on your resume.
When I handled hiring, I knew which resumes caught my eye. Calling never changed my mind — but calling more than once might, since it showed a person who didn’t respect my time.
Employers can get a hundred or more resumes for one job posting!
And they may be handling more than one job opening at a time. Just imagine if they got a hundred or more calls or emails for each and every job they post!
Of course, there are exceptions. And I will admit I once helped myself get to an interview by initiating a contact beforehand. But then again, it may have been my particular circumstance. And the type of job.
And I also might have gotten there anyway, based solely on my resume and strong cover letter. (That’s what a good cover letter is for.) So please … if you do try this, just tread gently and respectfully. And take cues from the person you contact!
Nuff said.
So what’s your take on how often to follow up AFTER an interview? How have you handled your own post-interview follow-ups?
Waiting to hear back after a job interview?
How to Tell If a Job Interview Went Well
[Post updated in 2020]
About the author…
Ronnie Ann, founder of Work To the Wise and Work Coach Cafe, bases her real-world advice on her many years as an organizational consultant where she helped interview and hire people, added to a certificate from NYU in Career Planning & Development, as well as her many adventures as a serial job seeker.
Dear Susan,
I’m waiting for a Phone call/ email . I had first interview last Month with a Company, The second interview was last week Tuesday and presentation the same day. They did not say anything concerning getting back to me. I called the contact person yesterday, she said that, I will be contacted. That statement was confusing but am sure that I will get the job.
Kindly advice me on the next action
Best Regards
Chuks C.
At this point, the best thing for you to do is to NOT contact them for at least 1 week from you phone call to them yesterday, and 2 weeks would probably be better. You don’t want to be annoying by contacting them too often. Better to let them contact you next.
I hope you get the job, but don’t stop job hunting waiting for their call especially since they didn’t tell you when they would respond.
By continuing to job search, the worst case is that you will have two offers to consider and the employers might get into a bidding war for your services. The best case is that you’ll have made progress in getting another job.
On the other hand, if you stop job hunting and wait for their job offer, you are completely dependent on getting that offer — and it MAY not come. But, you will have lost time and momentum by waiting for it.
Keep looking, but don’t call them for at least 1 week.
Good luck with your job search!
Susan
Hi Everyone!!!
Could you please advice,
I had an interview in a private sector on the 3 March 2015. On the 9 March 2015 i got a call from HR requesting me to come over to take fingerprint for background check, i went there on the 10 March 2015 at 8:00 in the morning and i did it electronically. On the 11 March i got an e-mail requesting me to send them my payslip. I would like to find out if that means i am the best candidate or what? Can a company call a candidate for fingerprint and payslip after an interview if they were not interested?
Please friend assist, the waiting is killing me and i don’t know if that means i am the best candidate for the job. When can i make follow up with HR?
Hi,
I’m not sure exactly how the process works in your country, but, if this were the USA, I would assume that they are just collecting the information they collect from every candidate who has made it through the first round of interviews.
It could mean that an offer is pending, or it could mean that you’ve made it to the next step in the process. I wouldn’t count on a job offer yet.
Good luck with your job search!
Susan
Hi Friends!
Its been 1.5 yrs now since I landed in Canada & successfully completed 6 months working experience through a contract position offered in a freight forwarding company. I was expecting extension of contract by end of Dec’14. It was one bad news in a good one. They offered me a contract in a different role / department as they didn’t have their business expanded. With my 2 months unpaid co-op & 4 months contract which paid me a meagre, all my time & effort gained only 6 months work experience in canadian job market. With the confidence that I would be able to find a better opportunity, I declined the offer. In 1 month time after quitting & 20 jobs I applied I succeeded in getting 2 interview opportunities. One had gone out of my hand which I was lucky to get a reply within couple of days of interview. But the last interview which I attended on 28th Jan 2015 is still waited for my result. Driving me crazy with few follow ups I made & wondering why haven’t I received any response..not even an acknowledgement of receipt of my email. From the appearance of conversation I had with the interviewers I was confident that I impressed them. I was told to call the interviewer a couple of days after the date of interview. I didn’t miss to send a thank you letter as soon as I reached home after interview. I called him to check on the status on Friday 30th Jan 2015 for which i got a reply to wait for another 2 days after weekend..(which was this tuesday). Didn’t stop to follow up though was a bit embarrassing to bother him. Hence emailed this time to know the status. I should have waited or stopped following up after that one. I feel it a mistake now that I called him the next day (which is this Wednesday) as there was no reply to my email. I still remember few words of conversation we had..He was in a rush to even greet me in return but said that he was busy right then so would call me the same day afternoon. No call till now. My patience didn’t work this time so I had sent him an email to let him know I am still curious but that was only due to my interest in the position I have. This last email was against my husband’s advise & my daughter’s frank comment that it was sounding a bit rude but actually was not (to me). My intention was not to be rude but continue with my follow up until I knew my result. Can anyone here advise if my email would give my interviewer a wrong impression of me. I have copied the same below here. I am still having hope that they would contact me on a positive note. If not atleast to let me know the result so that I move on with my next. Be it positive or negative, it is just that, no response attitude holds our breathe that too with the one which we were too close.
I know I was a bit long here. Thanks for giving me space to share this with . I would like to take help of some friends here to know their thoughts & ideas on my situation.
Pasted below my last email to interviewer:
“Dear xxxr Good Morning,
Kindly refer to my follow up call I made last morning regarding the captioned position I was interviewed for
I was expecting your phone call last afternoon but looks like you are tied up with your busy schedules.
Hope you don’t mind me emailing this. I am just curious to know if I still have a chance of getting selected for the interviewed position. I will be happy if you kindly let me know on the progress of hiring process & whether I should still wait to know the result.
However be the result, I am eager to know the feedback of my performance at the interview so that I can work & improve on it.
Please excuse if any inconvenience being created by my follow up process. I wanted to let you know my interest in the position which am looking forward to work & be part of a great team.
Looking forward to hearing from you
Guys your opinion could bring down my anxiety level & cools me down.