Use This 4-Word Phrase to Stand Out After a Job Interview: ‘It Can Be Really Powerful,’
By Sarah Jackson
Sending polite but persistent follow-ups after a job interview can boost your chances of getting the role, says career coach Beth Hendler-Grunt. What you do after a job interview can be just as impactful to your candidacy as what you do during the interview.
Sending strong thank-you notes and follow-ups is “a big differentiator of people who get the job versus don’t get the job,” says Beth Hendler-Grunt, founder of career coaching firm Next Great Step, which has advised over 1,000 college students and new grads on landing internships and early career jobs. This post-interview diligence is particularly important in today’s tough job market for entry-level workers. Many employers have scaled back entry-level hiring; between December 2025 and February 2026, the average seasonally adjusted hiring rate of entry-level workers in the U.S. fell 6% compared to the same period a year prior, according to LinkedIn data.
In a March report from employee testing company Criteria, 53% of job candidates reported having been ghosted by a recruiter or employer in the past year, up from 38% in 2024. In some cases, candidates have reported having conversations and even multiple rounds of interviews for a position but never hear back about the hiring decision. Building relationships and staying top of mind goes a long way toward getting the job, especially when there’s stiff competition.
It starts with a thank-you note. Send one within 24 hours of a job interview thanking the other person for their time, recapping one or two things you learned from your conversation, reminding them how your skill set would be a good fit, and reiterating your enthusiasm. Many candidates stop there but you should plan to send additional follow-ups after your initial thank-you note. They’re a good marker of a candidate’s “tenacity and grit.” You can even mention in your thank-you note that you’ll follow up again shortly; this way, the person knows to expect to hear from you again.
If a recruiter says they’ll share an update in, say, two weeks, make a note to follow up if you don’t hear by then. Otherwise, Hendler-Grunt recommends checking in on a weekly cadence. After one or two follow-ups, especially if you haven’t received a response yet, she suggests starting subsequent messages with a phrase like, “Please pardon my persistence.” It strikes the right balance, showing that you’re self-aware and respect the other person’s time but also that you’re diligent and interested in the position. “It can be really powerful,” she says.
Your follow-ups shouldn’t just ask if you got the job. The note should first show you’ve been thinking about the company’s work: You can reference a podcast you listened to or an article you read, for example, that was relevant to your conversation, the business, or the role. Then, offer your thoughts or ask for theirs before finally seeking an update on your candidacy.
Similarly, candidates should consider putting in their thank-you note three or four sentences on how they’d tackle the company’s business problems. The same logic applies in the follow-up: The key is “adding value along the way,” Hendler-Grunt says.
Politely following up after a reasonable amount of time shows you’re proactive, Lorraine K. Lee, author of “Unforgettable Presence,” wrote for CNBC Make It. And introducing new information in each message “keeps the conversation active and gives the recipient a clear reason to re-engage.”
If you don’t hear back at first, don’t be discouraged. But if you don’t get a response after around four emails, it might be time to redirect your focus elsewhere, Hendler-Grunt says. When it comes to follow-ups, “a lot of young adults feel like they don’t want to bother” their interviewers, but often “that inbox is overflowing, and sometimes you need people to be persistent.”
Stay Sharp – Chill Out
Reducing stress and building mental resilience is vital, and it was the Dalai Lama who suggested analytical meditation. Instead of thinking about nothing, think about something very specific, like a problem or issue you’re trying to solve. Other ways you can practice R&R daily: checks out Netflix’s Headspace Guide to Meditation, which showcases a different mindfulness technique each episode or get artistic with a custom Paint by Numbers.
Did You Know…
- A comet’s tail always points away from the sun.
- If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.
- Everything weighs 1% less at the equator.
- In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed.
- Strawberries and cashews are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside.
- Mickey Mouse is known as “Topolino” in Italy.
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
George Eliot
Success can make you go one of two ways. It can make you a prima donna, or it can smooth the edges, take away the insecurities, let the nice things come out.
Barbara Walters
Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.
Emily Post
How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.
George Washington Carver