While the U.S. economy is currently humming along, getting a new job in any economy can be challenging.

Having a well-written resume get the attention of a potential employer is just the start. Even if you do well on a subsequent phone interview, you still have a lot more steps in front of you. You can’t just kick back after an interview and wait for the job offer to come to you. Sometimes it takes a friendly reminder to move things along.

Sending an email can be the little nudge needed to move the process along. Consider the following five situations where you should send a follow-up email.

After the phone interview

With many job seekers sending in their resumes for any given job, many companies have a tendency to conduct phone interviews to focus on the best of the heap.

Even if you’ve crushed the phone interview, you can’t just wait for the hiring manager to call you for an in-person interview. An email can act as a reminder you’re very interested in the open position. This email should bolster your credentials by mentioning anything that appears to impress the interviewer during the phone screen.

After the first in-person interview

After interviewing and giving it your best shot, send a follow-up email, not only to show your appreciation for the opportunity, but also to remind your interviewer about your top qualities.

A follow-up email after the in-person interview is also a chance to address any minor concerns, like a lack of experience with a specific software tool.

After the second interview

A company will often hold second interviews to determine potential fit based on personality type, compensation and working conditions. A follow-up email after this interview should restate your interest while reinforcing the common ground between yourself and the company.

A follow-up after no response

Hiring managers are busy people and sometimes other responsibilities get in the way of their process. A follow-up email after a period without hearing anything should reiterate your interest and inquire about the status of the open position.

If you were given a timeline for hearing a response, wait until this timeline has passed. If you don’t have a time line, you should wait at least a week but no more than two weeks to send this email.

After getting an offer

If you get a job offer and decide to accept it, your response email should mention your appreciation and excitement to get started. It should also ask about next steps in the process.

If you decide to reject an offer, your email should politely decline and give a general reason for your decision. For instance, you could say you decided to go with another offer.

If you need time to think about an offer, send an email that asks for a specific amount of time to think, ideally from 24 hours to one week.

At Action Group Staffing, we regularly help professionals with various parts of the job-seeking process. If you’re in need of job-seeking assistance, please contact us today.