How to rightly follow-up after an interview

First off, start planning your follow up before you even enter the room. While job interviews offer employers a chance to ask important questions of potential employees, they also offer the opportunity for you to sell your abilities and experiences by asking questions yourself.

One of the best ways to stand out at interview is by arming yourself with interesting and intelligent questions that are directly relevant to the company, industry and individuals you need to get on your side. Doing this makes for a strong foundation to build upon when you follow up later.

Good interview questions to ask

Here are some examples of strong questions to ask at the interview stage:

• What skills and experiences would your perfect candidate have?
• What problems is your company trying to solve right now?
• What is your favourite thing about working here?
• Do you offer professional development and training opportunities?
• What are your plans for growth or new products in the near future?

There’s one more simple but crucial question to ask at the end of the interview: What happens now? Asking about the next steps for you as a candidate will help you gain insight into the company’s hiring process and help you shape your follow up accordingly.

Interview tips

When it comes to interview tips, there’s no better advice than making sure you’re relaxed, professional and well prepared – and the same applies for following up. Unless the employer’s answer suggests a different approach, keep the dialogue going by touching bases around 24 hours after the interview.

Often an email is sufficient enough, but sending a handwritten note or picking up the phone for a quick chat can be effective too. Reiterate interesting parts of the interview conversation and refer to the questions you asked (and the answers you received) to remind them why you stand out as a candidate.

The tone of your communication is an important component – you want to show you’re keen and interested, but not come across like you’re being overly demanding. While interview do’s and don’t’s do vary depending on the industry, this is an important piece of advice whatever position you’re applying for.

You might also decide to connect with your interviewers on LinkedIn and send them a personal message, showing that you’re an engaged and proactive candidate.

This approach offers the chance to keep in touch and monitor new openings within the company, as well as establishing a professional relationship with the person or people who conducted the interview. And that can be a positive regardless of the outcome of your application.