Follow Up Emails After an Interview. Templates

4 min readOct 30, 2018

Standing out from hundreds — sometimes thousands — of other candidates in the job search is tough.

If we want ultimately to get the job, though, we have to find a way. Question is, how?

Besides perfecting our resumes and doing well during the interview, there’s a part that we often overlook: the follow-up email.

We can actually use follow up emails after interviews, after submitting an application, after sending a resume, and after any step in the job search process in order to emphasize our value to employers.

While many people do send these emails, most don’t make the most of this valuable email real estate.

Follow Up Email Subject Lines

Part One

First things first: the subject line.

Our subject lines are what ultimately get our emails opened. And in case you’re stumped on how to write that subject line, we put together a list of the most effective subject lines for follow up emails after an interview or a job application that we’ve seen:

Follow Up Email Templates

Use Case: To A Recruiter

TEMPLATE 1

If you’ve ever been to a job fair, you’ve seen the swarms of people in attendance. Everyone is trying to make a lasting impression. Handing in a paper resume can get lost in the piles of others. So how can we actually stand out from the crowd?

Simple: with a follow-up email that further conveys our value to the recruiter.

Use Case: After Social Media Outreach

TEMPLATE 2

Contacting a potential employer through Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus or some other form of social media has become a great strategy for establishing the first contact and general familiarity before or after submitting a job application.

Use Case: After An Application

TEMPLATE 3

To demonstrate that we care about the position, the product, and the company, we can add a personal touch to our follow up email on an application.

Use Case: After Phone Interview

TEMPLATE 4

Phone interview? Complete. Time to sit and wait to hear from the team, right?

Wrong.

Recruiters often handle multiple phone screens a day. It’s important to follow up on our conversation with an email re-emphasizing the main talking points with specific details. It’s time to show them why we should continue in the hiring process.

Use Case: After Interview

TEMPLATE 5

We’re getting closer to hearing the final answer, but to increase our chances of getting an offer, let’s not lose sight of the continued importance of the follow up.

Now, we should re-emphasize why we believe we’re a great candidate for this particular role at this specific company and reinforce points that we brought up during the interview. Our potential employer is probably interviewing a pool of candidates, so it’s important to find a way to stand out.

Use Case: After Second Interview

TEMPLATE 6

Got invited back for a second interview? We know the drill. One approach below.

Use Case: After No Response

TEMPLATE 7

Okay, we sent the thank you follow up email immediately after our last interview, waiting in trepidation for a response. Now it’s been a few weeks … and still nothing.

We can now try sending this follow up email after no response template to remind the employer that we’re still interested in the position, but also to gently acknowledge that we can’t wait forever.

Use Case: Asking For More Time On An Offer

TEMPLATE 8

I did it! I got the job! I can’t wait to call my mom and tell her the good news.

Wait, hold the phone … I’m still interviewing with two other companies. Now I have to make an important decision: immediately accept the offer or ask for an extension to follow through with my existing interview processes. Here is an email template for the latter.