Should You Email Your Interviewer With Questions After?

Landing an important interview is an exciting moment for any job hunter. After meeting with a recruiter, it is customary to send a thank-you note to the interviewer. After a set period of time elapses, an interview follow-up is also appropriate. Some recruits take things to the next level, sending an email with an extensive list of follow-up questions. Unfortunately, this form of interview follow-up can have unwanted consequences.

Following a job interview, your first course of action should be to send a well-written email or handwritten note to thank the recruiter for his time. This form of interview follow-up etiquette is non-negotiable for the modern job hunter. Carefully weigh your words and make certain to emphasize your interest in the job opening and your desire to work for the organization. Communicating with a recruiter via this channel gives the interviewer an opportunity to experience your professionalism firsthand.

The specifics of the interview should be taken into consideration when you send your follow-up communications after an interview. For example, if the recruiter asks you to contact him with any concerns, it is appropriate to address any relevant information in the follow-up email. In most cases, however, follow-up questions are unnecessary. At worst, badgering a recruiter with questions about the position and an eventual decision may cause you to lose out on a job opportunity.

Instead of using the interview follow-up as an opportunity to ask several additional questions, you need to prepare yourself adequately for the interview itself. These questions should be relevant to the position at hand and demonstrate your mature and professional perspective. For example, it is entirely appropriate to ask about the evolution of a position, the qualities the organization is looking for in a new recruit and what objectives the company has for its new workers.

In all reality, most questions about a position can easily wait until you receive an offer from the company. If the organization chooses to extend an offer to recruit you, any concerns or questions about the position can be answered at that point in time. Sending an unsolicited email message with several questions as a form of interview follow-up often drives away recruiters. If you have performed well in the interview, it is important to wait for the company to make the next move.

Waiting for the response of a recruiter takes incredible patience, but you must resist the urge to contact the company prematurely. Most experts recommend sending a short email follow-up one week after the initial interview. This interview follow-up reminds the recruiter about you, and it demonstrates your continued interest in the position. If the job is ultimately meant to be, the company takes the necessary steps to engage you.

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