Appropriate way to follow up after an interview?

[Miskatonic]

Hey folks. Hoping I can get your sage advance on what my next steps should be in this situation:

I interviewed for a new position within my company a week and a half ago. The interview seemed to go well and I was told they would follow up sometime the following week. Heard from my references that they were being contacted and were giving me glowing recommendations. Late last week, one of the interviewers stopped by my office with another person from the department. This other person is someone I would be working closely with if I were to get the job. They hadn't been able to make the interview and wanted to meet me in person. The three of us had a pleasant conversation, including some talk of the position, and they left.

Well, last week has come and gone, and I haven't heard a peep! I'm usually the calm and collected type, but this has me on pins and needles. This position would be a significant pay bump for me and I would be doing really engaging and interesting work. Is there an appropriate way to approach them at this point, or should I sit on my hands and resist the temptation?

Thanks for reading.

[VaCPA]

I'd wait at least a week to follow up, as difficult as it is. So if you had that 2nd meeting late last week(Thurs or Fri?), then follow up with an email this Thurs or Fri. Following up is fine you just don't want to do it too often.

[Papa bear]

Agree that waiting a week for a follow up for an internal interview would be prudent.  However, following up with a thank you email should be done within the first 48 hours. 

If you do follow up by email, express your genuine interest and excitement for the position. Restate your position on why you are a good candidate and that you hope to hear about next steps soon.


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[VaCPA]

Agree on the thank you note.

OP, I can sympathize with you. I actually had an interview about 1.5 weeks ago at a different company. Really cool position. Heard back last Wednesday from the staffing agency that they liked me but I was the first person they'd interviewed so sit tight. Followed up with the recruiter today and evidently they've been working on filling a different position and haven't been interviewing for my role, so they said continue to sit tight. The waiting really sucks but it's part of the game unfortunately. Even though potential jobs are the first thing on our mind a lot of times the it is the last thing on the hiring managers minds because they may be busy with other things.

[Fishindude]

Email thank you for the interview within 24 hours.
If you didn't determine a follow up date earlier, follow up with a phone call in about 2-3 days to see where they are at on the decision making process.  Nothing wrong with being aggressive when trying to land a new job.

[Miskatonic]

Thanks all. I now have a second interview lined up. Fingers crossed.

[sonjak]

I know this is a late response (congrats on the second interview!!) but considering others might read: I work in HR and I currently have 15 open positions I'm working on.  I want to fill them all yesterday but I just don't have the bandwidth since recruiting is only a part of what I do.  I work through them as quickly as I can but if you applied a week ago and haven't heard it doesn't necessarily mean you've been screened out.  I just might not have had the chance to review your app yet.  Really, lots of things can slow the process.  (OP, you obviously understand this so I'm just reinforcing.)

Keep this in mind when you check in too.  One phone call or email is fine but if you do it repeatedly, you're just adding more work to the person's plate and they won't think happy thoughts when your name comes up.  Mostly I don't care if you send me a follow-up thank you email but if you do, make sure to use proper grammar and spelling - READ IT AGAIN BEFORE HITTING SEND - so that you don't do more damage than good.  (This is especially important for professional positions where you are representing the company when you communicate.)

Also, this is OT, but there are SO many reasons that you might not get a job.  Only a few have to do with you.  So don't take it too personally if you don't get a call.  On the other hand, if you keep not getting called/back, ask for input from someone professional on your interview prep/skills/outfit/resume.

[Miskatonic]

Thanks, sonjak. Very useful insights!

In case anyone is curious about how I followed up - I emailed one of the people who interviewed me, and I didn't even mention the job. Instead, I sent an article I had been reading that related to the department's main function and said "I ran across this and thought you might find it useful" etc. That was yesterday, I had the next interview lined up this morning.

Full disclosure: I didn't send any thanks yous after the first interview. I will definitely do it this time!

[Choices]

Agree completely with the Thank You--email within 38 hours or send a hand-written card after that. Mail takes a long time in today's busy world, so drop this off with the secretary.