The interview day is a big day having the power to fulfill your dreams and put you on the path of glory and triumph. If you are able to perform exceptionally well on your own big day, there are high chances that you will soon become financially independent and would start leading a professional life. The charm and excitement of an interview session are undoubtedly surreal and we recommend every employee to enjoy it to the bits.
Why Do We Need A Follow-Up Call?
After an interview session is concluded, it is common for the business organizations to hire the employees or at least update their status within one to two weeks of the conclusion of an interview session. You might succeed in getting a job or it’s better luck next time, whatever the case may be, you would surely love to get an update. However, maybe forced by work burden and circumstances, the business organizations are not in a habit of regularly updating the status of interviewed candidates, which arises the need for a follow-up call.
What Is A Follow-Up Call?
A follow-up call is made after one to two weeks (unless specifically instructed) by any interviewed candidate who aims to know about his or her status of employment. The curiosity to know about your status might increase with every passing day, but you are requested to at least give a week’s time to your hiring manager or agency. This is primarily because of the fact that there are several candidates getting interviewed simultaneously, and it takes time to conclude each and every interview session.
Step By Step Guide To Make A Follow-Up Call
For better awareness and information about your employment prospects with the company, it is necessary to follow up using a call. Below is the step by step guide enabling you to become aware of the entire process:
1. Note The Date
As mentioned earlier also, timing plays a crucial role in deciding the effectiveness of a follow-up call. In order to do so, you first have to get yourself acquainted with the rough idea of the number of candidates that appeared during the interview session for that particular job opening. In case the numbers are too much (no exact calculation, can only be perceived or assumed), it is advised to wait for 15 days, otherwise, it is better to make a follow-up call after at least 7 days.
Further, it is also recommended to never make a follow-up call after thirty days from the date your interview session was concluded. In case you have not received any response from the employer yet, it could be deemed as a failure and it is advisable that you keep searching as well as applying for other job opportunities.
2. Prepare The Speech
The hiring managers are busy personalities and have little spare time, which they would not love to spend, attending your imperfect or non-rehearsed follow-up call. During the time period which you will get after giving an interview, say 7 or 15 days, you are advised to utilize this time period to its core. In this period, you can prepare a follow-up speech and can rehearse it at least three times so as to avoid any unexpected stuttering or delays. Moreover, by preparing your speech you can compile all the relevant thoughts and ensure that nothing is left behind.
3. Content Of The Speech
The speech or the words that you would say to your hiring manager in a follow-up call would matter a lot. Your tone, content, as well as way of speaking, can enable the hiring manager to may be re-consider your application in case the result is negative. Thus, the content of the speech is highly relevant, and below are some of the essential elements that you must always consider:
- Start the conversation by bidding a Good Morning/Evening.
- State your complete name, the date on which you were interviewed along with the name of designation.
- Now, ask from your hiring amnager, about the status of your job application and whether or not you have made it to the next round.
- There are two possibilities now:
- The manager would reserve the decision and would tell you that he or she would give you a call back after confirming your status
- The manager would declare the result
- You might succeed or fail, whatever the case may be, just be thankful for getting interviewed.
- Conclude with a thank you and communicate your hiring manager that you are really interested in the organization and would love to apply again.
4. What To Do If You Get A Voicemail?
There are high chances that you will not be able to talk with your hiring manager as the phone is set to receive voice mails. In this case, you must not try again, rather recite the entire speech prepared by you earlier. Post this, you must never make a call again, and wait for the reply for at least 15 days. In case there is nothing, it is better to move on and keep applying for other job opportunities.
5. Keep The Tone Professional and Soft
Maybe you have not heard from the organization for say 10 days. You might be frustrated as well as anxious to know about your employment status. This can affect your speech and your choice of words to a great extent. Hence, we advise you that, while preparing your speech for the follow-up call as well as while making a call, you are advised to maintain decency as well as professional and soft voice at all times. Failure is a part of life, and there will always be circumstances and situations in life which might be not in your control. Thus, control your negative emotions and focus on the bright side of life.
6. Display Soft Skills
It might be true that you are not selected for the job you have applied for and even gave an exceptional interview performance. But that is not the end of life. There will always be more job opportunities with the organization and you will surely get more interview calls. Not all days are the same and given your rising learning curve, there are high chances that you will secure a job the next time. Hence, always put on display your soft skills, such as respect, valuing opinions, flexibility, etc. while making a follow-up call. This will not only improve your future selection chances but also frame a positive opinion in the mind of the hiring manager.
References
- https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-3-12
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964339718301800
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Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.
All the team management, content creation, and monetization tasks are handled by me. Together with the team at PrepMyCareer, the aim is to provide useful and engaging content to our readers.