Job interview follow up is a great opportunity to show your enthusiasm and suitability. Most candidates neglect to follow up on their job interviews. Set yourself apart from the competition by following these five easy steps to follow up professionally on your interview.

Immediately after the Job Interview

Get the correct details of the interviewer. You need their full title, full name and contact information. Either get a business card or ask the receptionist when you leave the interview. Failing this, phone Human Resources for this information. Make notes about the interview straight after you are finished. Focus on all the important details of the interview. Note any problem areas that you need to consider. You will use all this information when writing your thank you letter and when following up later with the company.

If you have gone to the interview through a recruiter you should call the recruiter immediately after the interview to give feedback. Find out what the next step is.

Send a Thank You Letter

The reality is that very few candidates bother to send an interview thank you letter. Set yourself apart by sending a professionally written thank you letter within 24 hours of the interview. Use the correct contact details and check the spelling of the interviewer's name. Find out the best way to reach the recipient - email, by hand or by post.

If you had a panel interview write individual letters to each person who interviewed you, keeping the essentials the same but briefly personalizing each one.

Use good quality paper and envelopes. Use plain paper as colored stationary usually looks unprofessional. If you have letterhead stationary use it.

Contact your References

Let your references know that they will probably be contacted soon by the company. Provide them with details about the job and company so they have an opportunity to think about what they can tell the company to provide evidence of your suitability. Use your post interview notes to check if there are any areas you want to brief them on.

Make the follow up call

At the close of the job interview you probably found out what happens next in the interview process. If you know approximately the time frame for the hiring decision you will have a better idea of how soon to follow up. If they told you they expect to make the decision within the next week you will need to follow up more quickly, probably after a couple of days. If it is a longer time frame or they were not specific it is generally advisable to wait about a week before contacting them.
Whatever the time frame do not wait for the interviewer to contact you. You need to make contact to know what is happening and to keep yourself in contention for the job. Use this follow up call or email to thank them again for the opportunity to interview and to restate your enthusiasm for the job. Ask for more information on the status of the hiring decision.

Continue with your Job Search

Even if you are convinced this is the position for you it is never a good idea to rely on one opportunity, there are no guarantees that you will get the job. Exploring other job opportunities will help you when making the final decision about taking the job if you are offered it. You will be in a better position to evaluate the job offer in terms of the current job market.

You never know when a better job opportunity may come up if you carry on searching while waiting for the hiring decision! An alternative job prospect puts you in a position of strength when asking for interview feedback and when negotiating a job offer.

The successful candidate does not sit back once the interview is over. Proactive job interview follow up shows both your commitment and your professionalism to the company and helps to set you up for success.

For free sample interview thank you letters and emails.

Julia Penny has many years experience interviewing and placing candidates across a wide range of jobs. She offers her expertise to help job seekers prepare for and succeed in job interviews at her free website Best Job Interview http://www.best-job-interview.com/.