Follow-up email after interview with 45% reply rate + templates

Sifting through many profiles and shortlisting candidates for a multitude of roles already takes up much of your time as a recruiter. To top this off, stress from your business leaders to fill positions quickly can be daunting.

Any delay in bringing in the candidates leads to top talent slipping away in no time. Picture this: you’ve just conducted an introductory interview with a candidate you found on LinkedIn who’s perfect for an open role. You invite them to apply for it but do not hear back.

Waiting around can turn confidence into stress. You want to follow up but are wary of being too pushy.

But listen – follow-ups are the real deal! 

However, not all follow-up emails do the trick. That’s why we’ve formulated the best templates to help you qualify a candidate, the perfect time to send a follow-up email, what it should include, and how to put your follow-up process in auto-pilot mode.

Importance of a follow-up email after a job interview

Why do follow-up emails matter in general? The short answer is – people are forgetful. 

Open-to-work candidates interact with many recruiters for open roles. And it’s a common human instinct to forget about recent interactions. So following up with a well-crafted email puts you on top of the candidates’ minds and inboxes.

Here are more reasons to prove interview follow-up emails work:

• Improves candidate engagement 

Following up with candidates post an interview keeps them connected to your company or agency. Engagement through follow-up emails is particularly important if there are any delays in decision-making to ensure applicants don’t lose interest.

• A sign of professionalism  

Initiating the follow-up email is a reason enough to prove to the applicant that the company is professional in handling processes and serious about filling their open positions with the perfect talent.

• Increase in word-of-mouth recommendations 

A well-written, thoughtful follow-up email puts you in the candidate’s good books. They may also refer their friends to other open roles – thus easing your efforts.

• Smoother communication

Sending a follow-up email after interview clears up any confusion regarding the next steps of the hiring process and lays the foundation for transparent, smoother communication between both parties.

The best timing and strategy to follow while sending a follow-up email after interview 

Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to get post-interview email follow-ups right:

What’s the best time to send a follow-up email after a job interview? 

Considering candidates are busy with their day-to-day tasks at their respective companies, the ideal time frame to send the first follow-up email is within 24 to 48 hours of the job interview. 

And the best time could be towards the end of the working day, around 5 to 6 PM. This ensures candidates have finished their work-related activities and are free to respond to such follow-up emails before wrapping up their day.

What winning follow-up strategy increases the response rate by 45%? 

One word – personalization.

Personalization triples your chances of receiving a response. Over 72% of users prefer responding to personalized emails over generic ones. But what makes it so effective?

Personalizing adds uniqueness to your email text that recipients find most intriguing and engaging. Here are some follow-up email elements you can personalize:

• The subject line to increase the open rate.
• Email copy. For example, use the applicant’s first name to thank them for attending the interview and being prompt with their responses so far.

Tip: Visit the talent’s LinkedIn profile to learn about their achievements and interests. And tailor the email copy accordingly.

• Personalize the email body further by adding the interview’s context and thanking them for showing interest in your company and how you think they might be the perfect fit for the respective role.

Expandi lets you create a Smart Sequence where you can reach your talented candidates on LinkedIn through an automated flow.

Let’s say your candidate opened your follow-up email but failed to respond. Create a smart sequence with a custom condition that sends a personalized LinkedIn connection request or a message to your candidate that triples the chance of a response!

• Add a personalized greeting and signature toward the end of the follow-up email.

Things to note while crafting an engaging subject line 

The email’s subject line is the very first thing that pops up on our phones. So if it’s not relevant to the recipient, you may not receive a quick response or a response at all.

The good news is you don’t have to overthink subject lines for post-interview email follow-ups. Just refresh the candidate’s memory by adding your agency’s name, the interview name, the format, and the date/time it happened.

And don’t forget to keep the subject line precise.

For example, ‘XFactor Marketing Agency – Re: Marketing Manager Interview held on June 10, 6 PM’. It’s as simple as this!

Here are a few more follow-up email subject line examples you can steal:

• Thanks for your time today, Mary! (Can be sent on the same day the interview was held to keep in touch with the candidate.)
• Loved the chat we had last Thursday! (Can be sent within a week of the interview’s date.)
• Re: Marketing Manager interview – Do you have any questions about the role? (If you’ve waited more than a week for a response, use this subject line to clear any friction the applicant may have.)

Follow up on LinkedIn for unresponsive candidates 

No response does not always mean no interest. Your favorite candidate may be bombarded with work emails and didn’t find the time to open your email. Also, at times, outsider emails might end up as spam.

So how do you reach your candidates alternatively and still follow up professionally? Using LinkedIn. Many statistics suggest people respond only after several follow-ups, and multiple platforms could be used to increase the chance. 

Wait for a day or two after the follow-up email, and send them a LinkedIn connection request followed by a personalized follow-up message to know your interview status. 

Expandi’s Smart Sequences lets you automate this process. You can create a custom sequence where you can send an automatic follow-up message on LinkedIn and tie it with emails for more effectiveness. 

Crafting a compelling follow-up email – step-by-step

Confused about where to begin? Follow these steps one at a time to create a high-converting follow-up email after job interview:

Step 1: Write a short but engaging subject line 

As already mentioned, ensure you write a clear, to-the-point subject line to increase the chance of a quick response.  

Below are some subject line best practices for follow-ups:

• Use ‘Regarding,’ ‘Re:,’ or ‘Follow-up’ in your subject line to indicate the email is a follow-up.
• Add the interview name, date, and time to refresh the candidate’s memory.
• Keep it concise.
• You may add your agency/company’s name at the start of the subject line to help the candidate keep track of their application status. 

Step 2: Craft a hyper-personalized email body copy

A follow-up email body copy should easily flow through and be contextual. This way, you respect the candidate’s time and increase the possibility of receiving a prompt response about their interest in pursuing the open role.

Below are mini-steps that walk you through creating a personalized follow-up email:

• Start with a personalized but professional greeting. You use the candidate’s first name to make it sound more friendly. For example, ‘Hey Joe’ or ‘Hello Jane.’
• Instead of rushing into conveying things, express gratitude and thank them for attending the interview. For example, ‘Thank you for your time last Thursday! It was a great interaction.’ 
• Refresh the candidate’s memory by adding context and some background. For example, ‘We spoke about the current opening for a Marketing Manager position at X.’
• Ask your question. Get to the point by asking if they’re still interested in the role or their thoughts on growth opportunities at the company. For example, ‘Checking in to know if you’ve made the decision to proceed with the next rounds of interviews?’ 
• Express and reinforce interest. Doing so shows your willingness to recruit them and how you think they may be the right talent you were on the lookout for. For example, ‘As per our last conversation, I sincerely believe our agency’s goals aligns with your career vision.’ 
• Ask if they need more details to make a decision to proceed further. Push them to make a final call by asking if they need more clarifications on expected salary, position, or company benefits.

Step 3: Add a signature and a CTA

Sign off with a simple ‘Looking forward to talking to you soon!’, and a signature with a thank-you note. Provide other ways they can reach you, such as a personal phone number or LinkedIn profile link.

Adding contact details and signing off act as final calls to action can stir the candidates to take quicker action.

Step 4: Proofread thoroughly  

Typos or grammatical errors in the email text can hurt your chances of attracting the right talent, especially if it’s for a senior position. 

So avoid any typos, grammatical mistakes, or using incorrect candidate/company names at any cost. Proofread a couple of times before clicking the ‘send’ button.

Follow-up email after interview template for up to 45% reply rate

As promised, we’ve collected the best interview follow-up email templates you can use right away. Let’s get started.

Follow-up email templates based on different interview scenarios 

Scenario 1: Sample follow-up email after an in-person interview 

Subject line: [Interviewed role] at [Agency name] – follow-up to our discussion yesterday

Hello [Candidate’s first name],

Thanks for the chat yesterday. It was great talking about your ambitions and hobbies!

Here’s a quick follow-up and the next steps post the interview:

[describe the next steps as points]

Hit me up if you have questions regarding the position or company, and I can get them sorted.

Looking forward to your reply! 

Kind regards,

[Your name]

[LinkedIn profile’s link] and [Phone number]

Scenario 2: Sample follow-up email after phone interview 

Subject line: [Interviewed role] x [Candidate name] – a quick follow-up regarding our conversation

Hi [Candidate’s first name],

Thank you for the phone conversation last night. Loved how your career goals align with our agency’s business goals, which made me get in touch with you right away.

Happy to see your skills and education match our exact requirements.

Please let me know when I can set up a meeting to talk to our [hiring managers/leaders/etc.] to brief you the next steps.  

Meanwhile, feel free to ask any questions bothering you about your potential role at [company name].

Waiting to hear from you!

Thanks,

[Your name]

[LinkedIn profile’s link] and [Phone number]

Scenario 3: Sample follow-up email after panel interview 

Subject line: Re: [Role name] – Panel interview on [Date] [Time] – Next Steps

Dear [Candidate’s first name],

Glad to inform that the panel members loved your interaction with them on [Date] for [Position] at [Company]. They’ve shared a glowing feedback and are eager to brief you on the next steps to join the company.

We’re genuinely excited about you joining the company and awaiting your contribution to the [specific area].

Please send us a few timings to set up an interaction with our [decision maker] to go over the next steps. 

If there are any more details you need from my side, please let me know.

Best regards,

[Your name]

[LinkedIn profile link]

A general follow-up email template for any situation

Subject line: A quick check-in about [role] / [event] / [situation]

Hello [Recipient’s first name],

Hope you’re well. It was great connecting with you over [source of communication] recently.

Loved our chat about [specific topic]. You had some awesome insights, no doubt!

Just wanted to quickly follow up to see what you thought about [your idea] / [your potential role at the company]. I strongly believe your [skills] are a great fit to bring value to [company name].

Hoping to stay connected and hearing back from you super soon. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks a ton,

[Your name]

[Contact details]

Tips to customize post-interview follow-up email templates  

You can use the mentioned templates as is or inject your own variations. Whatever you do, remember to keep it precise and personalized. 

A few quick tips before we let you edit and drive action using our email templates:

• Add humor to the messaging, but don’t overdo it, as post-interview emails are more professional. 
• Add a touch of your unique personality. How? Personality is all about your unique voice and choice of words. It reflects your personality through the email post an interview. Candidates instantly recognize your company’s voice from the way you talk. For example, tell them about your company’s future goals and how it matches theirs.
• Keep a note of the key points you discussed during the interview. Doing so helps you add value, so your follow-up email is more like a continued conversation. For example, ask a question like – ‘Do you have any more questions about the company’s benefits?’
• Keep the email body well-connected, i.e., it should be conversational and easy on the eye with enough white spaces. And if anything in the template feels out of scope, consider removing it.

Wrapping up 

Good things come to those who wait? No! Good things come to those who follow up. Follow-up emails are not pushy but, in fact, fast-track recruitment. 

Recruiting top talent need not be a rat race. Use automation to streamline your repetitive tasks, such as follow-ups, and get more done in less time – more efficiently.

 Automate your follow-up sequence using Expandi’s Smart Sequences and drive action on auto-pilot. 

Sign up for Expandi’s free 7-day trial to know more!