Following up after a job interview with an employer

Kate Southam, Editor CareerOne.com.au

Ask Kate Column – Employer Interview Follow Up

After you have interviewed with an employer it is important to send an email to thank the interviewer for his or her time and re-state your interest in the job or politely inform the interviewer that the role is not for you.

How you word the email will depend on whether you applied for the role to the employer directly or via a recruitment consultant. If you came via a recruitment consultant then you must have known enough about the job to want to proceed with meeting the employer. If you have discovered you don’t want to proceed further then be specific about why. You don’t have to labour the point – just a brief explanation will help you end things on a professional and positive note. Also ensure you let the consultant know what is going on.

I think a separate email to the consultant would be appropriate. While you don’t want to work with the employer you might want to continue your business relationship with the recruitment consultant – particularly if you work in a specialised role or niche sector.

If you remain positive about the role then use the email to re-state why you believe it is a good fit for you skills and end by saying something like, “I hope to meet you and again to further discuss how I could contribute to your team.” The employer may have already spelt out the next step in the process. Some employers have you meet with the immediate manager first and later with the HR Manager and Senior Manager while others have candidates meet with an HR Manager and line manager first. It really doesn’t matter. Just use teh detail in your email. Employers respond to enthusiasm but don’t over do it. You want to sound positive – not deseperate. Also, don’t write a book – just a few paragraphs is fine.

If you applied directly to the employer then a short email thanking the manager for his or her time and a sentence re-stating your interest or declining to move further with the recruitment process is all that is needed.

It is always best to ask about the ‘next step’ in the recruitment process when you are sitting face-to-face with an interviewer but if you didn’t ask then you could either wait a week after your thank you email and phone the employer to find out the next step or you could ask in an email. Either way, remain neutral and polite in tone.

Ask Kate, written by CareerOne.com.au Editor Kate Southam, is syndicated by News Limited newspapers around Australia.