How To Write a 'Waiting To Hear From You' Letter

After attending an interview, it can be helpful to write a 'waiting to hear from you' letter to the interviewer. This shows your interest in the job and helps you stand out in the interviewer's mind. Learning how to write a 'waiting to hear from you' letter can increase your chances of succeeding during your next job application. In this article, we discuss why writing a 'waiting to hear from you' letter is important, what to include in your letter, tips for writing your next letter and some templates and examples.

Why is a 'waiting to hear from you' letter important?

A 'waiting to hear from you' letter is important because it re-expresses your interest in the role, making you stand out from other candidates who didn't choose to send one. This process can also remind the interviewer you're a strong applicant who would be an excellent addition to their team. By sending a follow-up letter, you can also add any additional information which you may have forgotten to mention in your interview.

Related: How To Ask For Feedback After an Interview

What to include in a follow-up letter

It's helpful to include the following pieces of information in your follow-up letter to make it as successful and persuasive as possible:

• Address: Include the interviewer's work address in the top left corner and your address in the top right corner. This is standard formatting for formal letters.

• The interviewer's name: It's a good idea to personalise your follow-up letter, and showing that you know your interviewer by name is an easy way to do this. It also demonstrates that you're interested in the position you're interviewing for in particular and not sending out mass letters that could relate to any job.

• Gratitude for the interviewer's time: Expressing your gratitude for the time the interviewer took to interview you is an important step in a follow-up letter. Recognising that the interviewer has selected you from numerous other candidates for this process is helpful in persuading them that you'd be a great addition to the team.

• Follow-up line: To help set you apart, you can remind the interviewer of when and where you interviewed, including the time, date and job title you applied for. Interviewers may see many candidates in a day, so a gentle reminder of who you are can be useful.

• Information about the interviewer: Consider including a sentence expressing that you enjoyed hearing about a piece of personal information that the interviewer shared or an aspect of the job role that you found most interesting or appealing. This can help demonstrate to them that you're an active listener and have a genuine interest in what they were saying during the interview.

• Information about the company: It can be beneficial to include some information about the company that you hope to work for and explain why you're excited to work for them in particular. This could be about the working environment that has been described or the benefits they provide, like cycle to work schemes or flexible hours.

• Interest in the job: Letting the interviewer know that you're still interested in the position is useful because other applicants may have decided to move on or accept offers from other companies. Expressing that the role you interviewed for in particular is perfectly suited to your skills, experience and interests can help you stand out.

• Ask for an update: One of the main reasons for sending a follow-up letter is to request an update about the recruitment process. You can politely note that you're waiting to hear from them regarding your application.

• Sign off: Close the letter by inviting the interviewer to ask any further questions if they would like to. Finally, add a sentence expressing that you look forward to hearing from them soon before signing off with 'yours sincerely' or 'thank you.'

Related: How To End a Letter

Tips for a successful follow-up letter

Here are some tips for writing a successful follow-up letter:

Keep it brief

It's not necessary to write a long follow-up letter. Instead, make it formal, polite and concise, demonstrating your continued interest in the role and gratitude for being interviewed. Include the most important points that you want the interviewer to notice, such as your specific skills, qualifications or previous experience.

Be formal

During the writing process, keep in mind that this is a formal letter. Even if you reached a first-name basis with the interviewer during the interview, keeping the follow-up letter as formal as your original cover letter can help make a good impression. It could be read by your future management team, so writing a professional letter can increase your chances of impressing them.

Send it promptly

It's ideal to send your follow-up letter within 24 hours of your interview. This way, the interviewer would have seen you recently enough to remember you and could be making decisions about offers or the next stage of interviews. Sending your letter promptly so it arrives before or during the decision-making process can help you stand out from other candidates. This leaves a lasting impression in the recruiter's mind and can influence their decision.

Proofread

Make sure that your follow-up letter is well written and there are no grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. Sending a letter with these errors could have a negative impact on the interviewer's impression of you. Particularly for highly competitive roles, or for jobs that require a strong attention to detail. To proofread effectively, it can be useful to leave enough time to write the letter, have a break and then check it later when you've had some time away from it. It can also be helpful to use a grammar checker tool or ask a friend or colleague to look at it.

Consider other methods of communication

If you've been made aware that the turnaround time for selecting a successful candidate is short, then sending a letter may not be the most efficient way to follow up. This is because there is a good chance that it might not arrive before decisions have been made about the next steps. Instead, consider sending an email to the interviewer as they're likely to see it sooner.

Read More: How To Write a Follow-Up Email (With Examples)

Template for your follow-up letter

Here is a template for writing a formal follow-up letter:

Dear [Interviewer's name],

Thank you for interviewing me on the [date] at [time] for the [job title] position. I enjoyed hearing about [information about interviewer]. [Positive aspect of the company] makes me excited to learn more about your organisation and hopefully have the opportunity to work for you.

I am still interested in the [job title] position. I was wondering if you have any updates on your selection process?

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

Examples of well-written follow-up letters

Here are some examples of well-written follow up letters:

Example one

Dear Ms Rachel Long,

Thank you very much for taking the time to interview me on the 17th of September for the accountant position. I was very interested to hear about your work in Johnson and Smith Ltd, particularly your role in setting up the accounting department. From what you were saying, it sounds like Johnson and Smith Ltd have an excellent working atmosphere, and I would be excited to take up a position in such a friendly and accepting company.

I am still very interested in the accountant position for which I interviewed and wondered if you could provide me with an update on the selection process?

I'm excitedly waiting to hear back from you.

Yours sincerely,

Phillipa Greenhouse

Example two

Dear Ms Hously,

I interviewed with you on the 13th of February for the general manager position. I want to thank you for selecting me to take part in the interview process. The Good Books Company sounds like an exciting and energising place to work, and I was fascinated to hear about your role in redesigning the layout and atmosphere of the franchise in your shops.

I was wondering if there has been an update in the candidate selection process? I am still very interested in the general manager position and would love the opportunity to demonstrate the skills I described in the interview yesterday.

Looking forward to hearing back from you,

Yours sincerely,

James Benson