How to Follow Up On a Job Application

So, you’ve been looking for a job and have been applying for a few. Maybe it’s been a while since you made an application and you want to follow up.

How do you follow up without annoying your potential employer? It’s important not to seem pushy or desperate, but research shows that hiring managers do indeed expect follow-ups from job applicants.

A study found that 43 percent of hiring managers expected a follow-up within one to two weeks, with a further 30 percent expecting communication from two to three weeks after an application has been made. Zero thought applicants shouldn’t follow up, so it’s something you really should do. Read on for what to do!

Contact the Hiring Manager

First of all, you should have gone through the official channels when applying for the job. This will probably have meant sending your resume and perhaps an official application form to a specific person within the company. The company’s hiring manager might not have been that person. Find out who the hiring manager is and send them an email to tell them that you’re following up on your application.

Make sure you say that you applied through the correct channels. And only contact them when at least a week has gone by. Don’t bug them; contact them once. Say that you’re just checking they got your application and reiterate your interest in the job. To send more than one email will make you look desperate and will only aggravate the recipient. If you do land an interview, you can follow that up with one more email.

Google!

Google can be a best friend in these circumstances. Check the company’s website for names of people who work there and search online to see if any of them have blogs. Following a company blogger will give you an opportunity to establish rapport if you ask genuine questions.

Once rapport has been established, you could mention that you’ve applied for a job at the company and ask what it’s like to work there. Once again, it’s important not to come across as desperate or pushy but reaching out like this might land you an important introduction. It’s worth the effort.

Check LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be extremely useful to you. You’ll be surprised at how small the world is. Check if anyone in your network has a connection in the company to which you’ve applied.

Through a connection, depending on who they are, you could find out more about the company and the job or even land an interview. It’s worth spending a bit of time finding potential contacts. It might be the difference between getting the job and not.

Don’t stop looking

This is definitely not the time to stop searching for your dream job. Don’t pin your hopes too much on one application. Once you’ve done your due diligence in terms of an application and follow-up, turn your attention to looking for other opportunities.