Follow Up Email Subject Lines

PART ONE

First things first: the subject line.

Our subject lines are what ultimately get our emails opened. And in case you’re stumped on how to write that

subject line, we put together a list of the most effective subject lines for follow up emails after an interview or a

job application t

hat we've seen:

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Use Case: To A Recruiter 

TEMPLATE 1

If you’ve ever been to a job fair, you’ve seen the swarms of people in attendance. Everyone is trying to make a

lasting impression. Handing in a paper resume can get lost in the piles of others. So how can we actually stand

out from the crowd?  

Simple: with a follow up email that further conveys our value to the recruiter.  

Excited to explore opportunities with [Company Name]

Hi [First Name],

My name is [your name], I am [details about yourself or your current position], and we met today at the recruiting

event. I just wanted to thank you again for sharing your experience at [Company Name] with me and for providing me

with information about the ______ position.

Hearing about your success with ______ and learning more about the fast-paced [unique characteristic] culture made

me very excited to further explore opportunities with the team at [Company Name]. I really appreciated your time and

advice.

I've also attached my resume for reference, and a few of the projects that I mentioned as well. Please let me know if

there’s anything else you need on my end. I look forward to talking again soon!

Best,

[Signature]

Use Case: After Social Media Outreach

TEMPLATE 2

Contacting a potential employer through Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, or some other form of social media has

become a great strategy for establishing first contact and general familiarity before or after submitting a job

application. 

Application for _____ position at [Company Name]

Hi [First Name],

My name is [Your Name], I reached out to you earlier today on Twitter. I found the [job listing] for [Company Name]

and had to get in touch with you.

I also went through [Piece of Company’s Content]] and recently read [Hiring Manager’s Content] about [topic]. It's

great. I believe I would be a great addition to your team for the following reasons:

1. I'm always learning, whether it be through books or articles (currently reading [Book Title] by [Author]).

2. I focus on [Your Unique Value].

3. The thought of helping [Company] accomplish its goals  gets me excited.

Attached is my resume and cover letter explaining why I would be a great addition to your team (it's much easier to

read than an email). I've also included [Example Work Samples Related To Your Field] in case you wanted to review

my work.

Looking forward to hearing from you, [First Name]!

Best,

Use Case: After An Application 

To demonstrate that we care about the position, the product, and the company, we can add a personal touch to

our follow up email on an application.

Excited about [Company Name]'s future

Hey [First Name],

It looks like things are going well for you guys at [Company Name] right now. I saw the blog post from last month about

the upcoming new features, and I can’t wait to try them out myself! I hold my breath a little every time I log into my

account, hoping they’ve rolled out early.

I also liked the article [Industry Publication] wrote about the news. I think some of the ideas they came up with for

using some of the new features were really unique. It definitely had me thinking about different ways I could set up my

account.

I’m coming up on [Graduation or End of Current Role] in a few months, and would love the opportunity to be on a team

that creates such great stuff. Do you know what the [Relevant Department]’s hiring situation may look like around

[Start Month]? I just submitted the application on the site, but wanted to reach out as well.

Thanks,  

[Signature] Use Case: After Phone Interview

TEMPLATE 4

Phone interview? Complete. Time to sit and wait to hear from the team, right?

Wrong.

Recruiters often handle multiple phone screens a day. It’s important to follow up on our
conversation with an email re-emphasizing the main talking points with specific details. It’s
time to show them why we should continue in the hiring process. 
Thanks for your ti me today!

Hi [First Name],

Thank you again for talking with me today, I really appreciated learning more about your work
as [title of position] and your experience at [Company Name]. Working with such an
autonomous [quality] team within a company that I truly admire would be an incredible learning
experience, and I would love the opportunity to prove that I'm a great fit for the role.

Attached is a [title of project] that I created while working for [previous company]. I've also
attached my resume as well as a cover letter to demonstrate why I want to work for [Company
Name] and how I align with the culture. Finally, below is a link to my website where you can
see more of my publications and projects.

Let me know if you have any questions about anything or if you'd like me to send anything else.
I look forward to hearing back from you!

Use Case: After Interview

TEMPLATE 5

We’re getting closer to hearing the final answer, but to increase our chances of getting an
offer, let’s not lose sight of the continued importance of the follow up.

Now, we should re-emphasize why we believe we’re a great candidate for this particular
role at this specific company and reinforce points that we brought up during the interview.
Our potential employer is probably interviewing a pool of candidates, so it’s important to
find a way to stand out.

Thank you, [Name]!

Hi [First Name],

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk yesterday. It was a pleasure to learn even more
about [Your Company] and how you approach [Industry] with innovative [strategy]. I’m very
excited about the opportunity to explore a potential career with the [specific team].

I couldn’t agree more with your philosophy on surrounding yourself with incredible people
[specific detail discussed during interview]. For me, [Company Name], is about developing
meaningful relationships [company value]. I think it’s rare to find a company whose [asset] truly
reflect its values and mission so closely.

Again, I appreciate the opportunity to have shared my background and interest in [position] with
you. I think my experience with [industry, skill, or product] aligns perfectly with what your
team is looking for, and I hope to prove that. I thought I would share a few links to projects that
I mentioned during our conversation as well [insert hyperlinks or attachments]. Thank you, and I
hope we’ll be in touch soon!

Best,

[Signature]

Use Case: After Second Interview

Got invited back for a second interview? We know the drill. One approach below.

Inspired.

Hi [First Name],

Thank you for the opportunity to come and chat a second time. I didn’t think I could be any
more enthusiastic about working with your team after the first interview - but I was wrong. The
whole package sounds incredible, from working on [detail about position that excited you] for a
high t [industry or product] to the chance to make a real impact on the team’s success and learn
at such a fast pace.

In fact, we discussed [project] and I had a quick idea around making it successful. Attached is a
quick explanation of what I was thinking. Whether this is on point or completely off base, I
hope to get the chance to discuss it.

Please let me know if there’s anything else you need moving forward, and I look forward to
hearing from you. Thanks again.

[Signature]

Use Case: After No Response

Okay, we sent the thank you follow up email immediately after our last interview, waiting in
trepidation for a response. Now it’s been a few weeks ... and still nothing.

We can now try sending this follow up email after no response template to remind the
employer that we’re still interested in the position, but also to gently acknowledge that we
can’t wait forever.

Hi [First Name],

It has been two weeks since we last spoke about [title of position]. At the time, you mentioned
that you were looking for a hard-working, organized salesperson and a [qualities required in
role]. I’m still very interested in working with your team at [Company Name], and I would love
to prove to you that I not only meet those qualifications, but also exceed them.

My [list of specific qualities] are just a few of the qualities that define me. Perhaps we could
meet again to chat more about how I can help [Company Name or team] reach [objective].

I understand if the position has already been filled, but I wanted to reiterate my enthusiasm
about working with such an incredible group of people at [Company Name].  If the role is no
longer available, would you mind providing feedback on what I can improve upon in the future?
And if you’re ever looking for help with ______, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you,

[Signature]

 
 Use Case: Asking For More Time On An Offer
 

TEMPLATE 8

I did it! I got the job! I can’t wait to call my mom and tell her the good news.

Wait, hold the phone ... I’m still interviewing with two other companies. Now I have to
make an important decision: immediately accept the offer or ask for an extension to follow
through with my existing interview processes. Here is an email template for the latter.

Extension on my off er?

Hi [First Name]

Thank you so much for your time yesterday, and for the opportunity to work for the team this
summer! I'm very excited about the position. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for: fast-paced
web development for  [details about company/ position] and the chance to make a real impact on
the team's success.

I hate to delay my response to your offer, but I still need some time to respond to competitive
offers. I want to reiterate, though, that I am honored to be qualified for the position, and I really
appreciate the opportunity to learn from such an inspiring group of individuals. I just feel it
would be imprudent of me to commit before considering all my options.

With that said, I do recognize that you have time constraints as well, so I completely understand
if you need a more immediate response. Can I touch base with you early next week with an
update?.

Thank you again for the time and consideration you put into reviewing my qualifications and
into my interview.

Again, I am honored to have been extended this opportunity!

Use Case: Declining An Offer

TEMPLATE 9

Thank you for the opportunity

Hi [First Name],

I was ecstatic when I heard back from you yesterday following up on the [position] with your
team; it's an incredible opportunity and I'm honored to have been extended an offer. I had been
daydreaming about working for [Company Name] for quite some time. Unfortunately though, I
have decided to accept a competing offer.

It was a very tough decision for me because I've had such a great experience talking with you
and everyone else on the team. One of the main reasons I chose to accept the other offer is
[explain reason].

That being said, I want to thank you for being so accommodating with my circumstance. I can't
tell you how much I appreciate all of your time and how much I enjoyed learning more about
your team and the culture at [Company Name]. I would still love to keep in touch, I just hope
you and the rest of the team understand my situation.

Thank you again for your time and consideration. I wish you all the best, and I hope to talk
again soon.

Take care,
 

Use Case: Accepting An Offer

TEMPLATE 10

Excited to join the team!

Hi [First Name],

I would love to accept the offer as [title of position] for [Company Name]! This is an amazing
opportunity and I'm honored to have been extended it. I can't begin to convey how appreciative I
am of the time and thought you put into my interviews and throughout the whole process.

Please let me know about next steps.I'll be awaiting my start date in anticipation in the
meantime. I look forward to working with you and the rest of [team]!

[Signature]

Follow Up Email Tools

This web app sends us updates whenever our connections are mentioned in the news. Use
these mentions to send meaningful follow ups to recruiters and employers.

LinkedIn Company Pages

Similarly, the company’s recent updates feed helps us find industry news, marketing
campaigns, events, blog posts, or new products to reference in the body of our emails to
spur real conversations.

Email Tracking

With this tool, we get real-time updates on our contact, including their Twitter feed and
links to various social media pages. We can see when they opened our emails or
attachments, and even when they clicked on our links.

Landing the job is about distinguishing ourselves from every other candidate.

We can do this in many ways: articulating ourselves well, an outstanding resume, relevant
experience, a personal connection, and meaningful follow up emails that convey our
value and passion.