Despite how tempting it may be, after an interview, it is typically best to just wait, be patient, and not reach out to the interviewer until they have made a decision about hiring you. However, there are a few exceptions.

Writing for the Harvard Business Review, Art Markman shares various situations where you are fine to reach out. And that starts with the one everyone should know, which is to thank the interviewer.

Regardless of how well the interview went, it is expected that you will still email them within the next day to thank them for meeting with you. Some interviewers take this so seriously that they will see it as a sign of disrespect if you don’t.

It is also permissible to touch base if the interviewer gave you a specific date when they would get back to you to inform you of their decision, but that date has passed. Don’t pounce on them the very next day, but a few days after it is reasonable to ask if there have been any updates.

And lastly, if you have gotten a rejection you might think it best to just move along. But for an interview that you believe went particularly well, it can be worth asking for some feedback.

You might get a simple fix about an area where they wanted more information. Or they might inform you that the line of work you are pursuing typically has applicants with education in an area you are missing. It is a nice way to catch your blind spots.

Barring these situations, it really is best to just focus on other applications to fill your time. Unless something momentous happens in your career before the interviewer reaches out to you, whatever you are thinking of adding is probably not going to make a difference.

Sometimes you did your best and you just have to learn to bide your time.

For more details on how to handle following up, be sure to check out the article from Harvard Business Review here.

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