How to Follow Up After a Job Interview (With Email Templates)

Most candidates either don't follow up after an interview or they send a generic thank-you that could apply to anyone.

If you haven't yet, read our guide on how to prepare for the interview itself — this article picks up where that one leaves off.

Your follow-up email is a chance to reinforce why you're a good fit, to show that you were paying attention, and to keep yourself top of mind. It matters more than you'd expect.

The Thank-You Email

Send this within 24 hours of your interview. Keep it short, 3 to 4 paragraphs.

Start by thanking them for their time. Reference something specific from your conversation, not something generic. This shows you were engaged.

Then, add one thing. Either reinforce a key point from your interview, mention how a specific skill you have applies to what they're working on, or share a follow-up resource that's relevant to your conversation.

Close by restating that you're interested and ask about next steps or timeline.

If you want a personalized version written for you, try our thank-you email generator.

Here's a template:

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Hi Chris,

Thanks for taking the time to talk today about the product manager role. I really enjoyed learning more about your roadmap, and the conversation about how you're approaching personalization at scale stuck with me. That's exactly the kind of problem-space I want to work in.

One thing we touched on but didn't dive deep into was how you think about metrics. I pulled together a one-page summary of how I approached success metrics at my last company. I think there's overlap in our philosophy. I've attached it in case you want to take a look.

I'm very interested in this opportunity and I'd love to move to the next stage. Do you have a sense of timeline for next steps?

Thanks again for the conversation.

Best, [Your name]

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If You Interviewed With Multiple People

Send a separate email to each person. Reference your conversation with them specifically.

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Hi Sarah,

Thanks for the engineering deep-dive today. The conversation about your API migration strategy was really insightful. I appreciated how you explained the tradeoffs between moving fast and building a robust foundation. It's clear that you care about long-term maintainability, not just shipping features.

I'm genuinely excited about what you're building and I think my background in building scalable systems would be a good fit for the team.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best, [Your name]

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Hi Raj,

Thanks for sharing your perspective on hiring and team dynamics. I was struck by how you talk about culture and the importance of psychological safety. That's something I've worked to build on my own teams and it resonates with how I think about leadership.

I'm very interested in this role and in being part of a team that takes culture as seriously as you do.

Thanks again for the time.

Best, [Your name]

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The Check-In Follow-Up

If it's been a week and you haven't heard anything, send one follow-up email. Keep it professional and brief.

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Hi Chris,

I wanted to follow up on our conversation last Thursday about the product manager role. I'm still very interested and wanted to check in on timing for next steps. Do you have a sense of when you'll be making decisions on this position?

Thanks, [Your name]

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That's it. If you send that and still don't hear anything after another week, it's time to assume you didn't make the cut and move on. For guidance on processing that outcome, see how to handle job rejection.

If You Get Feedback (Good or Bad)

If someone gives you constructive feedback about why they're passing, acknowledge it. Show you're listening.

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Hi Sarah,

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate the honesty about my lack of experience with Kubernetes. That's a gap I'm aware of and something I'm actively working to close. I'm already working through the Linux Academy course and building a small project in my home lab.

I'm still interested in the role and in your team. If it's something you'd consider re-evaluating down the line, I'd love to stay in touch.

Thanks for taking the time.

Best, [Your name]

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The point is simple: follow up quickly, be specific, be brief, and be genuine. You're not trying to change their mind with a perfect email. You're trying to remind them that they met someone thoughtful, prepared, and genuinely interested.

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