Recruiter Follow Up Email Templates

Whether you work in-house at a large conglomerate or you operate from an agency, recruitment is a relentlessly fast-paced field.

With so many targets to hit and non-negotiable deadlines to meet, it can be hard to catch your breath – let alone craft perfect follow up emails.

While follow up emails don’t always need to be sent to move recruitment processes forward, it’s good practice to send them.

Sure, you might not see immediate results, but in the long run follow ups will boost your numbers, keep top candidates engaged with roles, and – most importantly – build your reputation as a good brand to work with.

Try out Right Inbox’s email sequences today.

That said, we know you’re busy.

To save you some time, here are 7 follow up email templates for messages that recruiters frequently need to send.

1. Post-Interview Follow Up Email

Use the post-interview follow-up email soon after a candidate has had their interview to show your appreciation for their time and to show them you’re interested in keeping them engaged. 

Subject line: Thanks for coming in for your interview [today/yesterday]

Hi [candidate name],

I just wanted to drop you a line to thank you for coming in for your interview [today/yesterday]. I’ve since spoken to the team and they really enjoyed meeting you – we hope you enjoyed the process too.

We will be spending the next [day/week/X weeks] considering who the successful candidate for the [job title] role will be, and should have an answer over to you by [date].

In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out by email or phone if you have any questions about the process or the role.

Otherwise, I’ll be in touch soon.

Many thanks,

[name]

2. Candidate Cold Email Follow Up

Use this template for potential candidates who have not responded to cold emails. 

Subject line: You have until [date] to apply for [company] opportunity 

Hi [name],

I sent you an email regarding an opportunity at [company name] on [date] and was just looking to get an answer on whether you’re interested in the [job title] role.

As I mentioned in my last email, I believe this could be a fantastic opportunity for you as [reason 1], [reason 2], and [reason 3].

The opportunity will be closing at the end of [today/this week] and I just wanted to make sure you don’t miss out because you’d missed my last email.

With this in mind, please let me know if you’d like me to send over the full brief by email, or whether you’d prefer a briefing by phone.

With the deadline approaching, I need to know whether you would like me to register your interest in the role by [time and date].

Many thanks,

[Name]

3. Candidate Nurture Email

Use this template after the interview, when the decision making process is taking longer than expected, and you need to ensure that candidates don’t lose interest and start to look elsewhere. 

Hi [name],

Hope you’re well! Thank you again for taking the time to come in to [company name] for your interview – the team said it was great to meet you.

I just wanted to update you on the recruitment process for the [job title] role.

As I’m sure you understand, we want to make sure that we choose the person who is the very best fit for the job, and as we had so many applications, the decision making process is still ongoing.

We aim to have made a decision by [date] and will inform you immediately as to whether your application has been successful or not.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the process or the role, please don’t hesitate to contact me by email or over the phone.

Many thanks,

[name]

4. Invitation for Another Round of Interviews

Hi [name],

Thank you for taking the time to come in to interview for the [job title] role with [company name]. The team said it was great to meet you, and the interview went well.

As such, I’m delighted to invite you to a [second/third] interview, scheduled to take place at [time] on [date].

For this interview, we are asking candidates to prepare [task]. Furthermore, the feedback from your last interview is that the hiring manager is interested in finding more about your [experience with X, Y, and Z].

Please let me know by [date] if you’re available to attend the interview.

Many thanks,

[name]

5. Interview Follow Up for Unsuccessful Candidate

Hi [name],

Thank you for taking the time to meet with the team at [company name]. The team said it was great to meet you.

Unfortunately, your application for the [job title] role has been unsuccessful at this time, as there was another candidate who they felt was better suited to the job.

I have attached a feedback doc to this email, but please feel to get in touch if you would like further feedback from our team and I’ll do my best to get it to you.

Thank you so much for your interest in [company name].

Many thanks,

[name]

6. Feedback Request for Hiring Manager

Hi [name],

Hope you’re well! I’m currently in the process of sending out feedback to the unsuccessful candidates for the [job title] role.

[Name], [name], and [name] have requested further feedback on how their interviews went and why their applications were unsuccessful.

I’d love to get this over to them by [date] to close the process – would you be able to send a few sentences over on each for me to forward?

Really appreciate it.

Thanks,

[name]

7. Recruitment Sales Meeting Follow Up Email

Hi [name],

Hope you’re well! I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to meet with me the other day about our potential recruitment partnership. It was great to finally meet in person!

As I mentioned in our meeting, we have achieved [impressive stat]. We also [another impressive stat]. I have attached more information to the email.

It would be great to set up a follow up meeting to discuss the next steps. I have availability on [date] at [time] or on [date] at [time]. Do either of those options work for you?

In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to get in touch for more information, or if you have any questions.

Many thanks,

[name]

Additional Reading: 12 Cold Recruiting Email Templates