How Do I Follow Up on an Application When I Haven’t Heard Back for 2 Weeks?
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
So I applied for a job and hasn’t heard back for 2 weeks. How do you successfully follow-up?
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I’m answering a question from someone that asked, “are there any successful ways of following up on an application when you haven’t heard back for two weeks?” Good question and it’s a question that tends to be asked of less experienced people rather than more experienced people. And I say that because more experienced people tend to be resigned to the fact that they’ve been rejected whereas less experienced people tend to be a little bit more eager and want to pursue the application.
So the first signal that you’re not qualified– there’s two weeks and you haven’t done anything and the firm hasn’t done anything. Then
why is that happened? Now, even, “applied for a position” which tells me that you’ve gone in through the applicant tracking system and the probability is your resume didn’t make a case for your candidacy or, and this is the second variable, or the recruiter who is directed to review applications has been sufficiently busy with other things that they haven’t gotten to it.
Big companies have more resources so the probability is there was an opportunity for them to follow up and the fact that they haven’t tells you that they’re not interested. Small company? It’s more likely that you know it may have gotten lost along the way. But the first thing is before you start looking at your resume and the job description. How do they match up?
If they don’t match up, stop wasting your emotional energy and stop wasting their time spamming resumes because that’s what you’re doing.
Spamming resumes is a useless exercise. Don’t bother. File it/chalk it up to experience. If they miraculously are interesting even though
the background doesn’t fit, consider what a minor miracle it is. But if the probability is, with a large font, you’ve been rejected with a small front (you’ve probably been rejected) but there’s the possibility that maybe the recruiter has gotten so busy that they can’t follow up, are there successful ways to do it? I can introduce you to your mobile phone and have you call them. But there’s no guarantee.
Answering Behavioral Interview Questions The Right Way
The reality is we’re going to call up their numbers say “Hi! I applied for a position? Who in HR can I speak to?”
“I can connect you.”
They connect you with that department. Put you on permanent hold. Eventually you talk to someone who has no idea what you’re talking about. The administrative person you say “I applied for a position two weeks ago for such-and-such.” They say, “Hold on. I’ll transfer you to that person
or and this is where the person would say or this individual would say, “you see, you look at it and if we’re interested they’ll contact you.” They may say this more nicely “if we’re interested, we’ll be in contact,” and we’re not going to interrupt our day to go looking for your application online when the probability is you just spammed another useless resume.
A story from my own career. I was working in recruiting. I often got follow-up calls from individuals whose resumes did not fit the job at all–the only thing that fit from the job requirements to their resume was having one or two words in the resume. These people were indignant that they hadn’t gotten an interview and they would scold me. They felt rebuked. Sometimes, I’d have to say that if you try and bully me, it’s going to take me away from the time I can spend helping you and others like you. You’re better off
Use your resume to demonstrate how you fit the requirements of the position and preferably how you also fit the functionality of the job that they’ll
ask you to do. That’s really the key.
If your resume demonstrates how your background, qualifications and ideally, the functionality of the position fit, you’re very likely to get an interview. Otherwise, don’t waste your time. Seriously, you’ve been rejected.
How to Discuss Gaps in Your Resume During a Job Search
[svp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tak8WqGP_Lo[/svp]
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. His work involves career coaching, as well as executive job search coaching, job coaching, and interview coaching. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2300 episodes.
Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
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