How to Follow Up on a Job Gracefully

Over the past six weeks, we’ve pulled back the curtain on the hiring process inside corporations — from how jobs get approved and how employers find potential candidates, to frequent setbacks in the process that lead to re-posting of jobs and hiring delays. In our most recent post, we shared strategies that you can use to increase your chances of getting the job when you apply or if you encounter road blocks along the way — from not getting a follow-up after an interview to seeing the job re-posted.

We conclude our series with strategies on how to walk through the awkward stage of a hiring process– especially the silent periods. You know, the part after you apply for a job — or interview for one — and then hear nothing. So often, we hear from job seekers: “I had a job interview. I thought it went great. I haven’t heard back. Now what?”

Here’s how to handle this uncomfortable period of frequent silence when you wait for the phone to ring, and then it doesn’t ring when you want it to…

As in daily life, there are aspects of the hiring process that you can control, and aspects that you can’t. Let’s  start by addressing what you can control:

1. The thank you note. If you get an interview, always make sure you follow-up. Get your thank you notes (or e-mails) out within 48 hours of your interview. Here’s how to make your letter(s) shine:- Always address them to a real person (ask for business cards during your interview)- Write separate notes for each person you talk to- Resist the temptation to “go vanilla” — always say something specific about your interview, what you learned about the company, and why you remain “even more” interested in the job after meeting your potential co-workers.- Never assume — or write — that you are “the best” candidate. Let the employer decide that.  Instead, quietly spend a sentence or two demonstrating how your skills and experience fits the job.
2. Your level of engagement with the company and the job. It doesn’t always feel like it, but companies care just as much about hiring good employees as you do about finding the right job. The easiest way to show them you care is to talk about things they care about. Read company press releases, research websites, scour Google News for press mentions or community involvement. Let them know you’ve seen public accolades, ask questions about new facilities, and demonstrate your enthusiasm and interest in their work.
3. Your attitude. Yes, the process of applying for jobs is not fun. But even if you don’t get the first job you apply for with a company, it doesn’t mean that you won’t get the job when you apply for it later. Want proof? Check out our exclusive interview with the head of Global Talent Acquisition for Adidas. Note how he didn’t get the first job he applied for with the company — he came in third! But they hired and promoted him later.
4. Be gracious even if you don’t get the job! Send a “thank you for interviewing me note” and ask that the employer keep your file active and under consideration for other positions.Follow up with anyone you felt that you hit it off with — and send them helpful news articles or congratulatory notes when they receive recognition. (On a personal note, I once got hired for a job that I applied for a year after I applied! They hired someone else the first time; they contacted me again almost a year later.)

In most cases, you can’t control how or when an organization extends an offer, whether you’ll be notified if you are out of the running, or influence an employer to hire you simply by following up. You can, however, gain some degree of control over the process and reduce your frustration with these two simple actions:

1. Continue to search for other jobs as you wait to hear back. It may take more effort to apply for more than one position, but it’s always better to have multiple offers to choose from than it is to simply sit back and wait. (If the job doesn’t go your way, you have more options.)
2. Follow up. (When you interview, it’s always good to ask “do you have an idea of when you’ll make a decision on this job?”) If you did not receive a confirmation e-mail of your application after you applied for a job, follow up by phone within one week to ensure that it was received.

   If you haven’t heard back within four business days of the day they said they’d have a decision, follow up with a phone call or e-mail. (Why wait? Even after employers decide who to hire, organizations frequently have an internal sign-off process that can take days.) If you don’t know the hiring timeline, wait two weeks after your interview to follow up. After all, most companies interview more than one candidate for a position — give them time to finish all of the interviews. Whenever you decide to follow up… make sure you reiterate your interest in the company, and offer to provide additional information and contact addresses of references if needed.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared many frequent challenges that occur inside companies. As we’ve shared — the hiring process sometimes gets as murky to employers as it does to job seekers. But there’s a lot you can do to make sure that employers see a clear picture of a great potential employee (you!) as they peer out and take a look at potential candidates for hire.

We hope you’ve found this series to be helpful, and don’t forget to login to StartWire to watch “Inside the Machine,” a free 20-minute webinar on this topic presented by StartWire CEO Chris Forman. (If you haven’t created a StartWire account, we encourage you to do that — it’s free!)