# Follow up after interviews when I haven't heard back

Well-timed follow-up messages for silence, delays, or rejection, including how to ask for feedback.

- Topic: Career & Job Search
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: HR & Hiring, Plan, Fill-in Template, Step-by-step
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/follow-up-after-interviews-when-i-haven-t-heard-back

## Prompt

```text
Help me follow up after my interviews. This is step 5 of my interview prep; it follows the thank-you notes from step 4.

**Role and company:** [DETAILS]
**Last contact:** [DATE, who, what they said about timing]
**Current situation:** [silence / delayed decision / rejected / I have another offer and need an answer]
**Deadline I'm facing, if any:** [e.g. "other offer expires Friday"]
**Contacts available:** [recruiter, hiring manager, internal referrer]

Give me:
1. A follow-up timeline: when to send each message and when to stop.
2. A polite first check-in to the recruiter (under 70 words).
3. A second check-in that adds value (a relevant idea, article, or update on my availability).
4. If I have a competing offer: a message that creates honest urgency without sounding like an ultimatum. Only use this if the offer is real.
5. If rejected: a gracious reply that asks for one or two pieces of feedback and keeps the door open for future roles.
6. A short note on reading the signals (what silence usually means and doesn't) and how to keep my search moving in parallel.

Tone: confident and patient, never needy or passive-aggressive.
```

## What to fill in

- DETAILS
- DATE, who, what they said about timing
- e.g. "other offer expires Friday"
- recruiter, hiring manager, internal referrer

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.