Most job applicants believe that once they send in their application for employment with an organization, it is sufficient for them to be considered for the applied position. This is a wrong impression and must be dispelled immediately. You should keep following up with the organization to know the status of your application.
You must understand that a large number of candidates would have applied for the same job. By remaining in constant contact, you send a clear message to the company that you are very keen on the job. This will give you certain additional points and an edge in a competitive field.
Give Some Time Before Following up on Your Job Application
There is a process involved in any organization in scrutinizing all the applications and doing the first-stage elimination. You must, therefore, give them some time before establishing contact with them after you have sent in your application.
You should realize that if the vacant position is to be filled urgently, the organization would have moved fast and made the phone calls within a week.
In all other cases, the average time taken is between 2 to 3 weeks. As many as 75% of HR Managers have conceded this. We share the best practice on “how to follow up on a job application” below.
How to Establish the Contact?
Having waited for a couple of weeks after you sent in your application, you can get back to them to know that you are very interested in the assignment and to check if they needed any additional information from you. The three ways you can do this are:
- Sending a letter through regular mail
- Sending an email
- Making a phone call
1. Sending a letter
The first one may sound a little old-fashioned. Emails are read more quickly by executives these days. If you are not sure who exactly is to be contacted, making a phone call directly may prove to be counter-productive. You may have to handle this with some forethought and not rush into it.
2. Email is the Best Way to Contact
After you have waited for two weeks, now you have decided to send an email to the company. In all probability, you had sent your application to a dedicated mail ID created by the company just to receive the applications. Yours follow up email to the same ID may not work.
Do some searches to find out the mail address of the HR manager. Many organizations share these details on their websites. Choosing and writing to the correct mail address is important if you want a quick response from the organization.
Now, the email you are sending must be constructed in a professional manner. The points to be kept in view are:
- The message must be brief and to the point
- Express your interest in the job applied for
- You can highlight one or two aspects of your background that directly match their requirement
- Be polite and thankful for the consideration
If you are not very familiar with doing such stuff, you can draft the mail and read it a few times before clicking on the “Send” button. There is no need to hurry.
3. What if You Decide to Make a Phone Call
Making contact with the HR department of the company you had applied for a job, to follow up, is also a solution. However, you must consider a few aspects before making that call. You should avoid trying to reach these busy executives in the morning hours. They may be involved in meetings or interviews and won’t take your call.
The ideal time to call maybe a little after the lunch break. If you manage to get connected to the right person who knows about your application, appear interested, but not over-enthusiastic.
Ensure you don’t spend too much time since the other person may have work to attend to. You must come through as a positive person bubbling with enthusiasm. Keep the conversation to the point and don’t forget to thank the person for sparing the time to speak to you.
Conclusion
Remaining in touch with a company where you applied for a job is essential but it has to be done methodically. You need to wait for at least 2 weeks before you get back to them. While you have options available for the channel of contact, an email or a phone call is suggested as the best way. Whichever option you choose, handle it in the best possible way.
