Transition Insight

Making a follow-up call after an interview is something that makes a lot of people nervous. Not only can the call itself be anxiety-inducing, but there's often some uncertainty about if you should call after an interview at all!

This post will help you determine when you should call after an interview, and what to say when you do.

Should You Call After an Interview?

Following up after an interview is always a good thing. It reiterates your interest in the position and establishes an open line of communication with the key decision-makers.

But should you call after an interview?

Generally, hiring managers and interviewers prefer to receive follow-up emails. It's a more efficient way of communication and shows your appreciation for their time all the same. A quick thank you email after your interview can leave a positive lasting impression.

With that being said, calling can be a good move in certain situations. In general, the best time to call after an interview is one to two weeks after the fact. Emails are great for showing your appreciation for the opportunity immediately after the interview. But calls can come in handy.

You may feel like phone calls are intrusive or old fashion. However, these are your opinions and not necessarily true of the person you are following up with. Phone calls are a quick and easy way to touch base for many people.

A follow-up call after an interview is best when you've given the hiring manager the appropriate time to make their decision. You don't want to call too soon or too often.

Follow instructions and wait the stated amount of time. Once the deadline has come and gone, you can reach out.

If you didn't ask the question during the interview, usually a week after the interview is a good time to follow up and inquire about the position and hiring process. Sometimes, hiring managers run into issues that stop the process in its tracks. They don't always contact applicants, so a quick follow-up call can provide insight into why you haven't heard back since the interview.

While emails tend to be the preferred form of contact, calls are an excellent way to reach out if you feel the interview went well but haven't received information about a decision. It's also appropriate if you've received other job offers and need to weigh your options.

How to Make the Call & What to Say

Waiting to hear back after a good interview can be a nerve-wracking experience! And to make things worse, it sometimes takes a while to hear back about a job.

A follow-up call after the interview can clear your nerves and even increase your chances of getting a job offer. However, they'll only benefit you if you use this call strategically.

Here are some best practices to ensure that your follow-up call leaves a lasting impact.

Practice the Conversation

It's perfectly natural to be a little uneasy about making a follow-up call after an interview. The interview itself is hard enough. Reaching out to inquire about the results is enough to make anyone feel anxious.

Assuming you've determined that you should call after the interview, take some time to practice what you'll say. You want to come across confidently. Stumbling over your words and going through drawn-out awkward silences will have the opposite effect of what you want.

Consider creating a small script for the call. It doesn't have to be a full-on word-for-word script that you recite verbatim, but it pays to have the most important parts of the conversation in front of you.

Have all the basic elements memorized. That includes position title, names of the people you're talking to, and anything else you want to ask or mention. It's also a good idea to have your resume before you just in case they have follow-up questions.

If you have any questions or points you want to make, write them down. A list of subjects you want to cover can help you stay on track so that you don't forget important questions or points you want to make.

Once you have your script ready, practice the follow-up call a few times! There's no shame in calling up a friend and asking them for their feedback. Roleplay for a few minutes and get comfortable with the conversation before dialing the contact's phone number.

Introduce Yourself

It's important to remember that the person you're calling has likely met many people during this interview process. In the last week, they might have met another 100 people! Don't assume they'll remember who you are by voice or caller ID.

When calling after an interview, start by introducing yourself and letting the contact know why you're following up. State your full name and mention what position you interviewed for and when. Hopefully, those small details will jog their memory and put a face to your voice.

Speak confidently and with enthusiasm. While they can't see you over the phone, try smiling while you talk to help you sound positive!

Be Professional

This sounds like a given, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to forget basic professional decorum when you're speaking over the phone. Professionalism is a must. The hiring managers may not have made a decision yet, so there's still room to impress them.

Treat this follow-up call as an extension of your interview. Maintain a professional tone while being optimistic and friendly. It's always a good idea to flex your communication skills and exude a sense of warm positivity.

People love to be around people who are easy to get along with and brighten up the room. A follow-up call after the interview is an excellent opportunity to impress and put your professionalism on full display.

Avoid slang and keep things relatively formal.

Let Them Know You Enjoyed the Interview

Don't forget to mention that you enjoyed the interview. Use this conversation to express your interest and gratitude for the opportunity. Even if you've already said thanks in a follow-up email, talking about how you enjoyed the meeting can make a significant difference.

Hiring a new employee isn't easy for anyone involved. Hiring managers have to meet many applicants and often deliver bad news. Show a sense of empathy for their stress and extra workload during the hiring process. Expressing that you understand their situation during your follow-up call can leave decision-makers feeling warm about you and your candidacy.

If you want to stick out in their mind, you can even bring up something you talked about in the interview. That could be a similarity you shared or something positive in your resume you spoke about during your meeting. Whatever the case may be, bringing that shared experience up shows many things.

It shows that you're genuine and truly care about getting this job. Both of those details can improve your chances of getting a job offer.

Ask for an Update

One of the biggest reasons why you should call after an interview is to inquire about the status of the hiring decision (assuming enough time has gone by). So don't forget to bring that up!

Of course, you want to avoid sounding pushy or impatient. It takes time to make crucial hiring decisions. While one to two weeks is the general timeline, some companies may take longer. That's just the nature of the job market!

Don't be afraid to use this follow-up call to ask when you should expect to hear back. That's an easy way to inquire about the process without seeming like you're aggravated or trying to rush the hiring manager.

Limit this to a one-time question. Don't call every day for a status update. Doing that could take you out of the running entirely.

Don't Be Afraid to Leave a Voicemail Message

Finally, don't hesitate to leave a voicemail if no one answers. Don't worry, hiring managers are busy individuals. A missed call doesn't mean that they're ignoring you.

Instead of calling back repeatedly, simply leave a voicemail. You can cover all the points you need in a brief message.

Here's where having a script for your follow-up call comes in handy! Introduce yourself, thank them for the opportunity, and leave a callback number so that they can reach out to you if they need to.

Voicemails are just as impactful as a full-blown conversation. Just keep things brief and maintain that friendly, professional tone. Try to keep the message short and to the point.

Remember, you're likely not the only one trying to get in touch with the hiring manager. Other applicants may be doing the same thing as you.

Avoid repeat calls and multiple messages.

Sample Scripts

When doing a follow-up call after your interview, it pays to prepare long before you dial a single digit. Write down a brief script and create some bullet points you want to cover.

For the most part, these calls are straightforward, but you can form the call in a couple of different ways.

In this first example, we'll provide a basic script that you can leave as a voicemail message. It also works as an opener if you manage to get in touch with someone.

The follow-up call script below is to the point and covers all your bases.

This script is brief and hits all the marks. You instantly introduce yourself, remind the interviewer about who you are, express gratitude, and ask about the status update. It's as simple as that.

Here's another good sample script that will help you when calling after an interview.

Once again, this script for your follow-up call after an interview keeps things simple. It's brief and works well as a quick voicemail message.

Conclusion

As you can see, follow-up calls after an interview don't have to be scary. As long as you've allowed for an appropriate amount of time to pass after the interview, it can be a great way to get an update on the process.

Just prepare in advance, and your call will be just fine!

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Writing an effective thank you email after your second interview can give you some extra points when hiring managers are making their final decision. But unfortunately, many job-seekers struggle with this!

This guide will teach you how to write a great follow-up email after the second interview and provides samples to get you started.

Tips for Writing a Thank You Email After the Second Interview

If you're lucky enough to get to the second round of interviews, it likely means that you're at the top of the hiring list! But before you celebrate and rest on your laurels, the hiring process isn't over yet. There's still an opportunity to leave a lasting impression, and one way you can do that is with a thank you email after the second interview.

A well-written email continues to prove your professional communication and keeps the line of communication open. It could be the thing that sways the hiring manager's decision your way.

However, you'll want to approach this a bit differently than a thank you email after your first interview. Here are a few need-to-know tips on how you can write an impactful second interview thank you email.

Address and Thank the Right People

When starting your follow-up email after the second interview, remember to address the correct people. More importantly, address each person individually.

There's a chance that you might speak to multiple people during the interview process. The hiring manager may request that you talk with other decision-makers. Each person you meet during the second interview matters, and it's a good idea to provide separate emails.

It's tempting to simply "CC" everyone involved and stick to one email. However, that can come off as cold or disrespectful. Write separate emails for each person, addressing them individually. Ideally, you should send these thank you emails on the same day or no more than 24 hours after the second interview.

As always, follow best practices for business emails and keep your wording professional. If you spoke with the same person you did during your first interview, there's more flexibility with decorum. You can be slightly less formal if you have a good rapport. However, always maintain professionalism regardless of who receives the email.

The best way to start your email is by expressing your gratitude for the interview opportunity. Second interviews can take a significant amount of time, so it's always good to show thanks to the interviewers for taking time out of their day. You can also show appreciation for getting this far into the hiring process.

Taking the time to say "Thank You" is a professional courtesy and can leave a positive impression on hiring managers. But don't stop with "thank you."

Reaffirm Your Interest in the Role

A thank you email after the second interview offers a fantastic chance to show your enthusiasm for the job. Reiterate your interest and let the interviewer know why you believe your experience and skills would be a good match based on what you've learned during the second interview.

Ultimately, hiring managers want people who are both excited about their job and have the right set of skills. They tend to lean toward applicants who seem like they're in it for more than just the money. While you likely expressed your interest in many ways throughout the hiring process, driving that point home in your email goes a long way.

After the second interview, the company narrows down applicants even further before making a decision on who will move to the next round of interviews. Showing your interest once again could create that final push in your direction.

If you want to stand out further, consider bringing up a small detail about the interview in your letter. For example, you could mention something you talked about that is unique to you. Bringing up that small part of your discussion could jog the interviewer's memory and keep you fresh in their mind.

You can even talk about any recent news about the company. Before writing the follow-up email after your second interview, do a quick search to find any new tidbits of information while reiterating your interest. That shows that you're on top of things and eager to start working.

Mention Anything Important That Was Missed in the Interview

Did you forget to say anything important during your second interview? Your follow-up email is the perfect time to briefly mention it.

Ideally, it would be best if you answered all questions in person during the interview. However, small details get lost in the shuffle. It's easy to leave out crucial bits of information. Or you may just have the feeling that you didn't emphasize something enough during the interview.

If that's the case, use your thank you email after the second interview to mention something you missed. Before you do, make sure it's absolutely relevant to the hiring decision. Providing random information now will seem strange and irrelevant.

An excellent example of something you want to mention is a relevant achievement you had in a previous job or specific experience that could sway the decision in your favor. Alternatively, you can provide an answer that you weren't able to recall in person, such as previous sales figures or performance statistics you didn't have on hand.

Whatever the case might be, keep it relevant and brief. There's no need to dive too deep into the details. Mention what you need to and move on.

That brings us to our next tip...

Offer to Answer Questions and Provide Clarifications

When sending over your second interview thank you email, always offer to answer any more questions or provide clarification. If the hiring manager wants to expand on the new information you provided, they'll let you know!

This tip is about showing your transparency and openness to keep the lines of communication going.

Hiring a new employee isn't easy, and decision-makers often split hairs when they have multiple qualified applicants. A hiring manager might want more information. Express your willingness to do that in your email so that they feel comfortable reaching out should they need to.

Ask When a Decision Will Be Made

If you didn't already discuss when the company would make a decision, you should ask about it in your second interview thank you email. Knowing when to expect a call will help you gauge your next follow-up.

It's better to talk about the hiring timeline during the interview. However, things change, and some companies have even more steps after the second round of interviews. Plus, they could have multiple days of interviewing potential applicants.

Getting some clarification will let you know what to expect. Furthermore, it gives you a better idea of when to reach out for a status update later on.

Keep It Brief

It's important to keep things short when writing your follow-up email after the second interview.

Your message shows thanks, reiterates your interest, and provides additional information if necessary. It doesn't need to be drawn out. The in-depth conversation is for the interview!

Three simple paragraphs should do the trick. Anything more than that might come off as long-winded or simply a waste of time.

Proofread Before Sending

Our final tip is a critical one: Proofread everything!

Proofreading should be an integral part of any professional business correspondence. But you'd be surprised how people forget to proofread their thank you emails after the second interview. Just because the hard part is over doesn't mean you can slip up!

Sending a letter riddled with errors can have the opposite effect you want it to. Instead of creating a positive impression, it'll be seen as careless or unprofessional.

Run your follow-up email through grammar and spelling checks. There's no shortage of software out there to spot any potential issues. If possible, have someone close to you proofread it. This email is important to your job search, and you can never do enough proofreading!

Sample Emails

A simple thank you email after your second interview might not seem like a huge deal. But it's often the final piece of correspondence you have with hiring managers before they make a decision. A well-crafted email goes a long way and could potentially help you land the job.

Check out the following examples for some inspiration on how to write a thank you email after doing a second interview.

Sample 1

This email is brief, but it checks off all the boxes. It expresses gratitude for the opportunity while reinforcing your continued interest in getting the job.

The message is also kind and professional. While it's not over the top, it's certainly enough to leave a positive impression.

Sample 2

Here's another impactful example. Once again, it's professional and shows great appreciation for the second interview.

It also asks for clarification about a follow-up. However, it's not pushy or rude. It gets the point across and encourages continued communication.

Conclusion

Thank you emails after your second interview should be viewed as an opportunity to stand out and make a great impression on the individuals that interviewed you.

While it can seem a bit daunting at first, it's actually quite easy once you know how to approach the process.

Now get writing!

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