On this topic, my general philosophy is “If they like you, they will contact to you.”
Based on my experience as a hiring manager I can tell you; if the employer is impressed by your resume and they think you’re the ideal fit after the interview they will not need a reminder to get in touch with you about moving forward.
Unless someone inside the organization advises you to reach out for a specific reason, I don’t think an unprompted followup is all that useful.
However, I do understand that feeling when you want the job so bad and you haven’t heard anything and you just can’t wait. In those cases, here’s my advice on creating the perfect follow up email.
DO
Be polite: You don’t want to burn any bridges.
Be brief: Three to four sentences should do.
Be grateful: They put time into carefully considering your candidacy. Thank them again!
DON’T
Re-pitch yourself: They’ve had plenty of time to evaluate you and if they want more information to help them, they’ll ask for it.
Sound entitled: Yes, it is inconvenient and painful that they’re making you wait; however, getting upset at them about it isn’t going to help your candidacy.
Pressure them for a response: You’re not emailing to ask if you got the job. You’re just politely checking in to see when you can expect to hear back.
EXAMPLES
Dear Ms. Shah,
Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me last week about the Marketing Manager position at ABC Company. I enjoyed talking with you and your team about the workplace culture and your upcoming projects.
I am reaching out to inquire about your timeline for further steps in the hiring process. I know you are very busy so any information would be greatly appreciated when you get the chance.
Thank you,
Greg
———————
Good Afternoon Angelo,
I appreciate you and your sales team taking the time to interview me last Monday for your Customer Service Representative opening. It was great getting to know more about ABC Company and the work you do.
I am hoping you might be able to give me an idea as to when you will be communicating next steps to candidates.
Thanks again!
Greg
Feel free to lift any of the lines from my examples word-for-word. If you need some insight about whether or not to follow up in a situation, ask away!