Jul 24, 2013

10-15 years ago, when the economy was booming and companies were hiring at a rapid pace, job hunters would often receive calls for interviews within days or even hours of an application being submitted. Not so anymore. Because there are often dozens if not hundreds of candidates applying for jobs both in person and online, only people who are being selected for interviews are contacted. This often leaves everyone else wondering what their status is.

Some firms have sophisticated online systems that allow candidates to log in to websites and see the status of their applications but if you have applied for a position that does not have this luxury, what can you do once you’ve submitted your résumé?

Give the employer some time after your submission, but make sure you follow up with them. Find a contact name or phone number on the company’s website or networking site such as LinkedIn. Call the number you find and ask to speak with someone in Human Resources regarding your application. This will often force the HR representative to pull out your application and look at it if they haven’t already. Sometimes it can take more than one call to get to the right person, but stay persistent. Give the company a few days between calls so they can see that you are being persistent, but not pestering them.

Lastly, once you do reach someone, be sure to pay attention to what the timeline looks like for the hiring process. If they say that it will be 2-4 weeks before you hear something back, don’t call them three days later looking for an update.

Don’t forget to read part one.

Continue on to part three.