Follow-Up

Don’t Forget To Stay In Touch
Many job seekers forget what can be the most important part of your job search; following up after you’ve sent in a resume or had an interview. When you are trying to land a job, you need to use every possible opportunity to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Of course, you don’t want to be seen as a pest by the person doing the hiring, so it’s probably not appropriate to call or email every day for updates. But it is perfectly appropriate to follow-up after you’ve dropped off a resume or gone in for an interview; better yet, you should ask for permission to follow-up when you have the opportunity. There are a number of ways to follow-up, including by email, letter, and phone.

Follow-Up by Email
Email is probably the least effective way to follow-up on a job opportunity; the email can be perceived as a throwaway or a nuisance, and it’s very easy for the person receiving the email to simply hit the delete key. Nonetheless, it’s a great way to get a quick note out after an interview perhaps asking one or two brief questions, and in some cases it may be the preferred form of communication for some people doing hiring.

Follow-Up by Letter
A personal letter is the most effective way to follow-up after an interview; it’s the perfect way to show your appreciation for the time an interviewer spent with you. Letters are more difficult to throw away than emails, and they show your interest and enthusiasm for the opportunity. At their best, they are brief, with a polite but personal tone.

Follow-Up by Phone
Following up by phone can be effective, but you have to be careful not to antagonize the person who is doing the hiring. It’s best to use a phone follow-up after you have already sent a thank you note; in your note, you can say something like ‘if I don’t hear back from you by the 25th, I’ll give you a call. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to get some feedback from you regarding my interview with you.”

Before you make the call, prepare a script of what you want to say. If you don’t get in touch with the person the first time, leave a message with your name, phone number, when you met, and the job you were applying for. Wait a few days for a response; if you don’t get a return call, leave one more message saying that you’d like to know whether you are still under consideration for the job before you consider offers from other companies. If you still don’t get a response, take it as a no and move on. If you need additional information on following-up, check out the links below.

Career Perfect: How important is it to follow up after the interview?

Monster.com: Follow Up