A follow-up email after an interview is a short, professional message sent to the employer to thank them for their time, reinforce your interest in the role, and keep your candidacy top of mind. When done right, it shows professionalism, enthusiasm, and strong communication skills, and it can genuinely influence hiring decisions in your favour.
In this guide, you’ll learn exactly when to send a follow-up email, how to structure it, and what to say (and what to avoid). You’ll also find practical examples of how you can follow up after an interview that you can adapt to your own job search, so you never have to second-guess your wording again.
Key Takeaways
A follow-up email after an interview should typically be sent within 24 hours to demonstrate professionalism and genuine interest in the role.
Effective interview follow-up email templates are concise, personalised, and include a ‘thank you’ along with a brief recap of why you're a strong fit.
Timing matters—send your professional follow-up email promptly, but avoid appearing desperate by following up multiple times without reason.
Common mistakes include being overly casual, sending generic templates, or failing to proofread before hitting send.
What Is a Follow-Up Email After an Interview?
A follow-up email after an interview is a professional message you send to your interviewer after your meeting has ended. It serves multiple purposes: expressing gratitude for the opportunity, reiterating your interest in the role, and keeping you fresh in the hiring manager's mind as they make their decision.
A thoughtful post-interview ‘thank you’ email can strengthen your candidacy by highlighting specific conversation points, addressing any concerns that arose, or providing additional information that supports your application.
Additionally, the beauty of a well-timed follow-up email after a job interview is that it demonstrates key professional skills: attention to detail, communication, and genuine enthusiasm for the position. In competitive UK job markets, these subtle signals can tip the scales in your favour when recruiters are deciding between similarly qualified candidates.
When Should You Send It?
You should send a follow-up email:
After any formal interview. Whether it's your first interview, a second-round discussion, or a final panel interview, sending a follow-up is always appropriate. Also, send your email whilst the conversation is still fresh in both your mind and the interviewer's.
After receiving feedback or additional questions. In case the interviewer mentioned they'd be in touch with further questions, send a prompt follow-up once you've addressed their requests.
When the job posting mentioned a specific decision timeline. If you were told "we'll make a decision by Friday," and Friday passes without any update, it's acceptable to send a polite follow-up the following Monday or Tuesday.
After a particularly memorable interview. If your interview included unique discussions, office tours, or meetings with multiple team members, a follow-up helps you reference these specific moments.
How to Write a Follow-Up Email After an Interview: A Proven Tactic
Writing a professional follow-up email after a job interview doesn't require elaborate prose; what matters is striking the right balance between professionalism and personality, whilst keeping your message focused and relevant.
Let's break down the essential follow-up email tips:
#1. Master the Timing
The sweet spot is within 24 hours of your interview ending. This window ensures you're still prominent in the interviewer's mind whilst demonstrating promptness, which is a quality every employer values.
For example, if you interviewed on a Friday afternoon, Monday morning works perfectly well. Similarly, if you had an early morning interview, sending your follow-up later the same day is ideal rather than immediately afterwards.
#2. Craft a Compelling Subject Line
Your subject line is the first thing your interviewer will see in their crowded inbox. Therefore, it needs to be instantly recognisable and professional; following proper email etiquette after an interview starts here.
Good examples include the following:
Good Examples
"Thank you for the opportunity – [Your Name]"
"Following up: [Job Title] interview on [Date]"
"Grateful for our conversation – [Position] role"
Meanwhile, you should avoid:
Generic subject lines like "Thank you" (too vague)
All caps or excessive punctuation
Overly casual language
#3. Personalise the Email for the Interviewer
Generic follow-up email samples are easy to spot—and they rarely leave a positive impression. Instead, reference specific moments from your conversation to show you were genuinely engaged.
For example:
Good Example
I was particularly interested to hear about your move to Asana for project tracking. In my current role, I've successfully led a similar transition, and I'd be excited to bring that experience to your team.
#4. Keep it Concise
Brevity is your friend when writing a follow-up email after an interview. Your email should be scannable, so aim for three to five short paragraphs that can be read in under a minute.
Here's a simple structure that will emphasise your follow-up email writing skills:
Paragraph 1: Thank them for their time and mention the specific role.
Paragraph 2: Reference something specific from your conversation and restate why you're a strong fit.
Paragraph 3: Express continued interest and mention your availability.
#5. Include a Polite ‘Thank You’
Your email should open with genuine gratitude. However, don't stop at just "thank you"; use this as an opportunity to subtly recap your key strengths.
Good Example
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me yesterday to discuss the Marketing Manager position. Our conversation reinforced my enthusiasm, particularly given my experience managing similar launches at my current company.
#6. Offer to Provide Additional Information
Closing your professional follow-up email with an offer to provide further information demonstrates openness and confidence. You might write something similar to this:
Good Example
If you need any additional information or references as you move forward with your decision, please don't hesitate to reach out.
3 Powerful Examples of Follow-Up Emails
Here are three ready-to-adapt sample follow-up emails after an interview. Each interview follow-up email template addresses a slightly different scenario, but all follow the core principles.
#1. Short Follow-Up Email
Subject: Thank you – Marketing Coordinator interview
Email:
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for meeting with me yesterday to discuss the Marketing Coordinator role at BrightPath Media. I appreciated learning more about your upcoming rebrand project and how this position would support your creative team.
Our conversation reinforced my excitement about the opportunity. My experience managing social media campaigns and coordinating with designers aligns well with the collaborative approach you described, and I'm eager to contribute to your team's success.
Please let me know if you need any additional information as you make your decision. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Emma Thompson emma.thompson@email.com 07123 456789
The example works well because it's brief, hits all the necessary points, and doesn't waste the reader's time.
#2. Personalised Follow-Up Email
Subject: Following up: Senior Developer position – 8th April interview
Email:
Dear Mr Patel,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me on Tuesday about the Senior Developer role at TechForward Solutions. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion about your transition to microservices architecture and the challenges your team has been navigating with legacy code integration.
The technical problems you described are precisely the kind I find most engaging. In my current role at DataWorks, I led a similar migration project that reduced our deployment time by 40% whilst maintaining system stability. I'd be excited to bring that experience to your team.
Your emphasis on mentorship and knowledge-sharing particularly resonated with me. I appreciated hearing how you've structured your code review process to support junior developers.
If there's any additional technical documentation you'd like to review, I'm happy to provide it. I'm very keen on this opportunity and look forward to contributing to TechForward's growth.
Warm regards,
James Morrison james.morrison@email.com 07987 654321
In this example, the candidate demonstrates that they possess great listening skills, already thinking about how to follow up after the interview by addressing the team's challenges.
#3. Follow-Up Email After a Second Interview
Subject: Thank you – Finance Analyst final interview
Email:
Dear Rebecca and Michael,
Thank you both for meeting with me again on Friday to discuss the Finance Analyst position. It was a pleasure to explore the quarterly forecasting process in more depth and meet additional members of the finance team.
After our conversation, I'm even more enthusiastic about the role. The collaborative environment you've built, combined with the opportunity to work on strategic planning, aligns perfectly with where I want to take my career. I was particularly excited to hear about the upcoming ERP implementation—having been through a similar transition, I understand both the challenges and opportunities it presents.
Rebecca, your question about my experience with variance analysis prompted me to think further. I'd be happy to walk through a recent project in more detail if that would be helpful.
Thank you again for your time and consideration. I truly believe this would be an excellent mutual fit.
Best regards,
Priya Sharma priya.sharma@email.com 07321 987654
The candidate addresses both interviewers, references specific discussions, and circles back to an interview question that was asked.
Should I Follow Up After an Interview via Email or by Phone?
Whether they should follow up via email or by phone after an interview is one of the most common questions UK job seekers have, and the answer is straightforward: email is almost always the preferred method.
Here's why email works better:
It respects the interviewer's time. Hiring managers can read and respond to emails on their own schedule.
It provides a written record. An email creates documentation of your professionalism and continued interest.
It's less pressuring. A phone call can feel aggressive or desperate, particularly if you're calling to "check on the status" shortly after interviewing.
It's the professional standard in the UK. British workplace culture tends to value written communication for formal matters, and job applications certainly fall into that category, too.
The exception: If the interviewer explicitly said, "Reach out to us next week if you haven't heard from us," then a phone call is absolutely appropriate.
4 Critical Mistakes to Avoid in Your Follow-Up Email
It's easy to slip up when writing a follow-up email after an interview if you haven’t done it before, so here’s what you need to avoid:
Being overly casual or familiar. You might have had a friendly, relaxed interview, but your follow-up should still maintain professional boundaries. Avoid using slang, overly informal greetings like "Hey!" or treating the email like a text message.
Sending a generic template. Copying and pasting an interview follow-up email template without personalising it is worse than not sending one at all. Interviewers can spot these immediately. Always reference something unique from your conversation; a sample follow-up email should only serve as a starting point.
Following up too frequently. Persistence is admirable; pestering is not. If you haven't heard back within the timeframe they mentioned, one polite follow-up is acceptable. Understanding how to follow up after an interview means knowing when to stop.
Making typos or grammatical errors. According to CNBC, this error is one of the two biggest ones you can make in work-related communication, along with unclear messaging. So, before you hit send, read your email aloud and run it through a spell-checker. A single typo might not disqualify you, but it certainly doesn't help, especially if strong written communication is part of the job requirements.
Final Thoughts
A well-crafted follow-up email after an interview isn't just a polite formality; it's a strategic move that can genuinely influence your chances of landing the job.
By sending a timely, personalised post-interview thank-you email that expresses genuine gratitude and reinforces your fit for the role, you're demonstrating the kind of professionalism that employers value. Needless to say, this can only help you stand out and make the recruiters remember you!
Follow-Up Email After Interview FAQ
#1. How soon after a job interview should you follow up?
You should follow up within 24 hours after your interview, as this timeframe keeps you fresh in the interviewer's mind while demonstrating promptness and professionalism. If you interviewed on a Friday, sending your email on Monday morning is perfectly acceptable. The key is to avoid letting too much time pass—after 48 hours, your message starts to lose impact.
#2. Is it okay to follow up more than once?
Following up more than once isn’t okay, as it can come across as pushy. If the interviewer provided a timeline for their decision and it passes without any update, sending one polite follow-up email is appropriate. However, if you still don't receive a response, it's best to move on and focus your energy on other job search opportunities.
#3. Can I send a follow-up email if I had a phone interview?
Yes, you can send a follow-up email if you had a phone interview; it deserves the same professional courtesy as in-person ones. Because phone conversations can feel less personal, a thoughtful follow-up email is an excellent way to reinforce the connection you made. Apply the same principles: send it within 24 hours, personalise it by referencing specific parts of your discussion, and express genuine enthusiasm for the role.
