How to Ask if You Got the Job

Preparing to Follow Up

Ask about next steps at your interview. At the end of your interview, the hiring manager will likely ask you if you have any questions. This is a great time to ask more about the company or specific job, but you should also ask what happens next. For example, ask the hiring manager how long the post-interview process might take, if you can expect to hear from the company whether you got the job or not, and when you might hear something. You can also ask what the best way is of contacting the hiring manager if you have questions. EXPERT TIP Alyson Garrido, PCC Alyson Garrido, PCC Career Coach Alyson Garrido is an International Coach Federation accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Facilitator, and Speaker. Using a strengths-based approach, she supports her clients with job search and career advancement. Alyson provides coaching for career direction, interview preparation, salary negotiation, and performance reviews as well as customized communication and leadership strategies. She is a Founding Partner of the Systemic Coach Academy of New Zealand. Alyson Garrido, PCC Alyson Garrido, PCC Career Coach Our Expert Agrees: Before you leave the interview, ask when they expect to be making a decision. Then, you can follow up when it gets closer to that date.

Don’t ask if you got the job right away. If your interview goes well, you might be tempted to ask the hiring manager on the spot if you got the job. Don’t do this. It can make you look desperate, which can be a turn off for the hiring manager. It’s also likely that the hiring manager won’t be able to give you an answer right away. They may have more candidates to interview, or they might need to discuss all of the candidates with a larger group of people.

Send a thank you note after your interview. This isn’t directly related to asking if you got the job, but it will keep you on the mind of the hiring manager. In your note, remind the hiring manager of who you are, what you interviewed for, and something that excites you about the company or position. For example, you can say something like “Dear Jim, I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to interview for the assistant manager position at Jim’s Bakery. I really enjoyed the interview, and I’m so excited about the new products that Jim’s Bakery is innovating!” Don't ask for an update about the position in this note, just use it to thank the manager for interviewing you.

Crafting Your Follow Up Email

Time your follow up email. Give the hiring manager or recruiter some time to go over all of the interviews they did. They might also need to speak to other people in the HR department, and are often prevented from discussing the opening until they’ve been given the green light to hire someone. Give them about a week to deal with those issues before you write a follow up email. If the hiring manager gave you an actual date by which they’re hoping to make a decision, wait a few days after that to follow up. The dates they give are usually optimistic, and other things may have come up.

Remind the hiring manager who you are. Your email should include your name, the position you applied for, and the date of your interview. The better you can remind the hiring manager who you are, the more likely you are to get a response. You can say something like, “Dear Jim, I hope things are going well. I was wondering if you could provide me with an update on the assistant manager position I interviewed for on May 5, 2017] Please let me know if I can provide you with any other information; I look forward to hearing from you.”

Let the hiring manager know if you’ve had other offers. If you’re interviewing for a new position, chances are you’re in the middle of a job search. If you’ve received another offer while waiting to hear from your first choice, let the hiring manager know. This gives you a solid reason to need to know and increases the likelihood that you’ll hear back. You can say something like “Dear Emily, I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to check on the status of the coordinator position I interviewed for on January 10. I’ve since received an offer from another company, but I’m still eager to hear from you about joining ABC Consulting. Could you offer me any update on the position? Thanks for your time.”

Limit your check-ins. If you’re waiting to hear about a job you’re really interested in, it can be tempting to check in until you get an answer, especially if the hiring manager encourages you to continue to do so. You should, however, give yourself a limit for check-ins, usually no more than three. If you don’t get an answer by then, move on to the other positions. If you don’t hear after three check-ins, it doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t get the job. But it does mean that the timeline is definitely longer than you initially thought, and you don’t want to waste energy on it when you could be working on following up on other leads!