You just applied to your dream company and had a successful interview. Congratulations!
However, this is just the start of one of the world’s longest and most frustrating processes – the hiring process. And the first step is always the hardest – waiting. One, two, three…five days go by, and your anxiety levels start skyrocketing.
You start reassessing every step you’ve made so far – Did you give off a good impression during the interview? Did they notice that you were nervous? Was your cover letter compelling enough? Did your application land in the rejection pile? Well, when this happens, you have two choices: either you continue waiting or you send a follow-up email.
While follow-up emails were previously frowned upon, nowadays, sending a follow-up email to a hiring manager is more than OK. But, if you choose to do this, you need to walk a fine line. Remember, job interviews are about fit. Therefore, if the hiring manager does not think you are qualified for the job, they will either send you a rejection email or nothing at all, and your application might have gone into the CV black hole for good.
But more often than not, the hiring process takes time, so you don’t want to start hounding the employer’s downfall just yet. Instead, you need to plan your approach carefully and professionally. To help you with this, here are a few tips on how to follow up in a way that will enable you to strike the perfect balance between nudging and pestering.
But first things first…
When should you follow up?
Before firing off an email, you need to double-check and see if following up is the right thing to do.
Reread the job description
Give the job description a comprehensive reread. When doing this, ensure you pay attention to the timelines that might have been included in the listing. In the job description, a company might mention when the application window closes. Once you submit your CV, you do not want to follow up before that date.
Instead, use this opportunity to continue with the job-hunting process.
Heed to instructions indicated
In some scenarios, the job description explicitly advises applicants not to send follow-up letters. If that is the case, you need to abide by the company’s instructions and refrain from reaching out.
Ignoring this request can fuel the recruiter to think you did not read the job posting or that you did not follow directions. However, after rereading the listing and ensuring that no instructions were given concerning following up on the application, you can now go ahead and start making preparations for a follow-up email or phone call.
7 Tips to follow up on a job application like a pro:
Following up on an application can be downright scary. You are treading on very thin ice and do not want to mess up your chances of landing your dream job. It does not matter how you cut it; you are about to ask the recruiter an annoying question: “When do you plan on making up your mind?”
You do not want to seem brash or disrespectful. However, not following up means another candidate might fill up your spot. Fortunately, there are recruiter-approved ways of following up on a job application. Play your cards right, and you might boost your chances of being hired!
There is no set rule, but a good rule of thumb is waiting about a week or two before sending a follow-up letter. This will offer the hiring team ample time to review the sent applications.
All right, now that two weeks are over and you have not received an answer, what is the next step? It is time to put your game face on!
Picking the perfect day is essential. “Why” you ask?
This is because you need to avoid sending a follow-up letter on a bad day, like Sunday or Thursday (or generally the first and last days of the business week).
Sunday is typically a transition day as personnel get into the work mode. As for Thursday, you risk the chance of the hiring manager not seeing your email, which will result in it being buried in the weekend’s mountain of emails.
Instead, stick with Tuesday or Wednesday as your ‘following up on applications’ days.
Unless the job description says otherwise, the most professional mode of communication for a hiring manager is email. A phone call might seem too forward if you are not close with the recruiter, and snail-mail is obviously a no-go zone.
While you might impress the hiring team by sending carrier pigeons to deliver your follow-up mail, you want to stick to your keyboard…
You should also use a professional email address to send the follow-up email – something with your name in it. No one wants to hire the beatskiller25 or meatball77!
Perhaps your high school best friend or your cousin is friends with an HR officer at your dream company. If that is the case, go through your business or personal contacts to see if you can get a foot in the door – or perhaps get your application placed on top of the pile.
Don’t have any contacts in said company? Well, do not worry. You can always get the recruiter’s contact information. To do this:
No luck? Do not fret. There is always another trick.
You can use online networking platforms like Bayt.com People and search for the recruiter’s profile. If you find them, you can easily reach out to them and follow up with them there.
About that follow-up email – keep it polite, short, and straightforward.
Always include your job title and name in the subject line. Remind the recruiter who you are by highlighting or mentioning a topic or subject you mentioned in the interview and briefly reiterate your interest in this professional opportunity.
That should not take more than 1 page; recruiters do not have time to peruse through your autobiography.
You have a higher chance of getting a response if you add a polite call-to-action like asking two follow-up questions about the position, asking about the hiring process’s timeframe, requesting additional information, or saying you look forward to hearing back from them.
Always make sure to include your contact details, including your phone number, so that the hiring manager can get in touch.
Bombarding the recruiter with several follow-up emails will, no doubt, make you look desperate and bothersome. Moreover, it will ruin your chances of getting the job (even though they might have considered you for it). Therefore, once you send one follow-up email and don’t receive a response, it might be time to let go and move on to the next opportunity.
Even though you think you are the perfect candidate for a specific job opportunity, do not give on the job-hunting process just yet, as you wait for a response. Remember that there are plenty of fish in the sea.
So, do not be too caught up with one job opportunity. It does not matter how many certificates you have, your level of education, or how many connections you have in your dream company. You might not get that opportunity for reasons beyond your control. So, be flexible.
Do you have more tips and tricks on following up with recruiters? Sound off in the comments below.
