Don't Be an Annoying Job Seeker

The follow-up – it's one of the most touchy and subjective areas of your job hunt. Everyone has a different opinion on the best way for a job seeker to show enthusiasm about a job without being overbearing – just as every person has a different threshold for annoying behavior. I happen to have a very low tolerance for dealing with annoying or overbearing people, so keep that in mind when reading this brief timeline for following up before and after an interview:

1. After you submit your resume online, wait at least one week before your initial follow-up. That first follow-up should be in the form of a brief and polite email. Simply state when you submitted your resume and for what position.

2. If you get an interview, listen to what they tell you about the hiring timeline. An interviewer will often tell you when to call. If they do tell you, WRITE IT DOWN and follow their instructions exactly.

If they DON'T give you a timeline, again wait one week, then make a phone call.
TIP: You'll most likely be a little nervous when you call, if you write down what you want to say first, you'll sound well prepared and professional.

No matter what, you must send a brief thank you email or letter to each member of the interview panel immediately after the interview. Thank them for their time and emphasize your interest and excitement about the position.

3. If you receive no reply to your after-the-interview follow-up call or thank you note, send an email approximately three days later and politely ask where they are in the hiring timeline.

If you DO receive a reply to your after-the-interview follow-up call, pay attention to subtle hints like tone of voice. If the interviewer sounds annoyed – she probably is, so lay off!

Then, you should probably cool it for a while and wait to hear back from the company before intializing contact again. There's a large difference between being resourceful and being annoying. Resourceful means doing some digging and getting the name of a company's hiring manager. Annoying is calling the company's president and falsely using that hiring manager's name as a referral. Read this great article by Joan Lloyd about this exact sitution and learn the unspoken rules of getting your foot in the door.

If you have a more specific question about how or when to follow up on an interview, ask the jobhelper.

Cross posted from JobHelper.com

Comments

[Louise Kursmark]

Sure, repeated follow-up can be annoying, but recruiters and employers could do a lot to minimize it by:

- Acknowledging resumes (simply good manners)
- Sharing timelines (and sticking to them)
- Following up with people they've interviewed (after taking everyone's time for the interview)

Improve the etiquette and everyone will be happier! Job seekers will be in the loop (thus following up less annoyingly).