Follow up without chasing

5 min read · Updated 30 October 2026

A follow-up is a short, useful note at the right time. Done well it reminds someone you exist without making them feel chased.

When to write

• After applying. About a week, if you have a named contact.
• After an interview. The same day: a short thank-you.
• After a quiet spell. If they gave a date and it passed, a few days after it.

Who to write to

The person you last spoke with. If you only applied through a portal, a recruiter at the company is fine; a cold note to the hiring manager is also fine if it's short and specific.

Three notes to adapt

After applying: "I applied for the Product Designer role last week. The onboarding work in the posting is close to what I did at my last job; happy to share examples."

After an interview: "Thanks for the time today. I enjoyed the question about the checkout drop-off and have been thinking about it since."

After a quiet spell: "Checking in on the Product Designer role. I'm still very interested and happy to answer anything that would help."

When to stop

Two follow-ups with no reply is a reply. Move the job on in your tracker and spend the time on the next one.