Following up on jobs

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Each time you submit a job application there is the wait to find out if they're interested. Patience is required but it's not always easy to sit there without any idea of what going on. Eventually you're going to want to follow up with the employer to find out whether they received your application, or if they've made a decision based on your interview. After you've initiated the job application process, what are the best practises regarding following up on your application's progress with the employer.

It can take weeks or months to complete the hiring process and throughout this process you're going to be out of the loop when it comes to decisions. Unfortunately it's not uncommon for employers to never get back to you. With the amount of people that apply and the amount that get interviewed, it's not surprising they don't take the time to contact each and every one. It is however still annoying to be left in the dark about how you went and this is why people often follow up with the employer.

You may have the best of intentions and you don't mean to be a bother, but constant attempts to get information out of people can become a problem for the potential employer. A problem it can become easier to ignore rather than respond to. A single email isn't going to be a problem, but a daily phone call can be. Don't harass a potential employer. I know you're probably really excited at the possibility of getting the job and it sucks not knowing what's going on. If you haven't been told anything, frequent contact isn't going to make them more forthcoming with information they're not ready to give out.

It can feel like forever when you're waiting to hear back, you wonder what they are doing that's taking so long. But decisions have to be made, and approval has to be sought, it takes longer than you think. In addition to this the staff have other tasks that need to be completed as well.

At the end of an interview ask the interviewer when they expect to make a decision about the next step in their hiring process and when they think they'll get back in touch with you. You may be the final person to be interviewed for the position and they'll be making their decision in the coming weeks. But there could also be weeks of interviews planned and you won't know the decision for a while.

The time frame they give you is an estimation. For some it will be spot on, but for others it will be way off. Don't think of their guess as a guarantee that you'll be contacted on the day they've said. Use the time frame they give you as a guide and if you haven't heard anything a week or two after this date, send them a follow up email.

While you're waiting to hopefully hear back about a position you've interviewed for, the best thing you can do is make a note of the time frame they gave you but don't obsess over it. You should still be applying for other jobs in the meantime, and it will make it easier to get things done if you're not constantly thinking about when they'll get back to you.

Unfortunately, when you do hear back from an interviewer it might be to inform you that you were unsuccessful. At this point arguing why you should get the job or begging for any work at all with the employer won't get you anywhere. It’s no longer about you trying to convince them that you're the person for the job because they've made up their mind. Trying to change the interviewers mind will come across as if you think you know better than they do about what they're looking for and what they need.

When it comes to following up on job applications you've submitted or on the decisions made after an interview, don't harass the employer. Keep your correspondence professional and don't let your eagerness for an answer cause them to change their opinion of you.

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