What to do if you don’t hear back after a job interview

After a job interview, it can be nerve-wracking waiting for a response. Usually, you will receive feedback after a day or two (sometimes even on the same day). However, not receiving a response can be confusing and often raises the question of whether the candidate should make contact. So what exactly should you do if you don’t hear back after a job interview?

First of all, you may not have heard back for a couple of reasons. Perhaps they still have more interviews to carry out, they are still reviewing the interview feedback or the person who interviewed you is out of the office i.e off sick or on annual leave. 

Some interviewers may tell you that if you don’t hear back after a certain time then you should assume you have not been successful. If this is not the case and it has been several days since you have heard, you may wish to consider contacting them. 

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Email the interviewer 

The best person to contact about your application is the person who interviewed you or the person in charge of recruitment. It’s best to do this by email as phoning them may put them on the spot. After all, you don’t want to end up rushing them into a decision. 

Keep your email concise with no more than 2 paragraphs. Use respectful and professional language and proofread it before sending it. 

Example email: 

Dear Mrs Smith, 

Thank you for taking the time to speak to me on [date of interview]. I’m following up to see if you have any updates regarding the [job title] position. 

I’m excited at the opportunity to join [company name] and I look forward to hearing from you. 

Kind regards, 

[your name] 

Contact the HR department or careers service 

If you don’t have the contact details of the person who interviewed you, contact the HR department or dedicated recruitment team if there is one. 

Explain that you recently attended an interview at the company and offer as much information as possible including the name of the person who interviewed you, the date/time of your interview, the job applied for and any other useful details such as an application reference. 

Ask any connections you have at the company 

If you know people who already work for the organisation you could ask them if they know anything about the job. Whilst it’s unlikely they will have access to information about your specific application they may know whether the role has been filled. They could also offer an insight into the reasons for the delay. Perhaps the interviewer is absent or there are more interviews scheduled. 

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