(Newswire.net — November 5, 2018) — It’s part of life: you apply for a job and give your employers time to review your application, then if you check all the boxes, you get that much-awaited call back telling you when to report to work. Easy, right? Sure, except most hiring managers don’t get back to you right away. Bristol Associates mentions that it is sometimes necessary for you to follow up on your application. This article will go over how to follow up after an application to ensure that you’re considered for an interview.
How to Follow Up After An Application
As awkward as it may seem, following up after you apply for a job is encouraged unless explicitly forbidden in the job listing. Of course, this doesn’t make it any easier to ask if the hiring manager is going to hire you or not.
Following up after an application is not an easy task because a poorly communicated follow up might portray you as rude or impatient, possibly crushing your chances of ever getting that vital callback. However, if you don’t follow up on some jobs, your position might be given to someone more incentivized to do it.
So, how do you follow up after an application?
Step 1: When to Follow Up On Your Application
A survey conducted on hiring managers in Canada back in 2017 revealed the following:
• The majority of human resource managers, 43 percent of the total test group, preferred job seekers to follow up at least a week after they submitted their resumes.
• 30 percent of hiring managers preferred follow-ups that come two to three weeks after the application.
• Only 19 percent encouraged job seekers to follow up after less than a week.
• 8 percent believed that job seekers should wait at least three weeks before following up.
• None of the hiring managers encouraged job seekers not to follow up on their application.
At least one thing is clear: almost all hiring managers expect a follow up of some sort from job seekers, and according to the stats, the best time to do so is after a week has passed. Though this is not an established rule, your chances of getting hired might increase if you give the company enough time to deliberate. Now you know that “enough time” might be a week or two, so this is the best time to start following up after an application.
Step 2: How to Follow Up
Here comes the tricky part. Following up after you’ve applied for a job takes different forms. The most important part of it is to communicate with the people concerned with the recruitment process, and not just anyone from the company.
Getting the hiring manager’s email address and phone number is one way of going about it correctly. First, write a personalized follow-up email to the manager. The tone should be humble and polite, but not supplicatory. Ask whether your application has reached his/her desk, then inform them that you are still interested in the position. You can quickly reiterate what you bring to the table, but keep the email short and to the point.
If you’re wondering why we’re using emails in the follow-up, it is because emails are faster and if sent directly to the relevant parties, there is a higher chance that they’ll receive it on time. Even so, some hiring managers don’t check their emails often (or are bombarded with hundreds of them each day), and so your daintily crafted email might go unnoticed. When that happens, it is time to place a follow-up phone call.
Observe phone etiquette when calling. First, inquire whether they are in a position to discuss your application and if they’re not, ask whether you can call back later. Like the email, get straight to the point of why you are calling. Ask whether your application was received and inform them of your continued interest in the position.
A phone call might be appropriate for most managers who get several emails daily. Just remember to keep it short and to the point.
Following up isn’t as hard as you pictured, is it? This article went over how to follow up after an application and as you can see, it does take a certain amount of tact to carry out, but it is totally worth it in the end. If there is still no response after a few weeks have gone by, move on, and find greener pastures. You can only do so much to influence a company to hire you after all.