You have sent a company your resume and cover letter, it has been a week or two, and you haven't heard back from them. Is there anything else you can do apart from twiddling your thumbs and waiting? Actually, there is. You can send a follow-up letter.
Typically, a follow-up letter is sent between 1 or 2 weeks after you send in your resume, if you haven't heard from them yet.
This serves two major purposes.
- It jogs the memory of the recruiter, in case your resume has got lost in the pile.
- It shows your enthusiasm and your ambition, and that you are seriously interested in this job.
You could also make a follow-up phone call, but that can be a little dicey. On one hand, you will probably get an instant reply,. But on the other hand, a call is more intrusive or pushy than an email. An email can serve to remind the person gently, whereas a call can catch a busy person at the wrong time, and you wouldn't want that, especially if she has been getting calls repeatedly from all candidates asking for the status of the application!
There are some recruiters who feel that a follow-up email or call isn't necessary at all. But it depends upon you – are you willing to take that extra time and effort for a follow-up? Is the job worth it? It is your call. But of course, there are a number of instances where a person has got the job mainly because he stayed on its case!
Here are some guidelines on how to write the right follow-up letter:
- Mention your name and the position for which you sent in your application.
- Ask politely about the status of the application, or whether all the candidates will be contacted. You could also ask what the next step is in the hiring process.
- If there have been changes in your career, or if you have received the results of an examination during this time, or if you want to add some more information, then this is your opportunity to convey what you want to.
- You could also ask them to contact you if they need some more information.
- Reiterate that you are interested in the job.
- Keep it short.
- If you don't hear from them even after this follow-up letter, you might want to consider giving up. But if you feel that you are a strong contender for the job, then you will probably not lose anything by sending another letter in another two weeks, but you probably should draw a line at that!
A follow-up letter is also an excellent opportunity for additional contact after you have met someone in a business meeting or at a networking event. If you had not been looking for jobs at the time you met that contact, you can now mail, reconnect and tell him about the developments in your career, and then sound him about job availabilities.
This kind of a follow-up letter needs to have these elements:
- Show that you remember and appreciate your first meeting.
- Tell them about developments in your career, and that you are now looking for a job.
- Tell them exactly what help you require from them.
Also, if you have spoken to a contact over the phone about a job opportunity, it is a good idea to send a follow-up letter after the call, which sums up everything that you spoke about, and takes it forward from there. If you send your resume along with this letter, and also provide additional details about yourself in writing, it will help the other proceed with aiding you in your job search.
The rules of a follow-up letter are the same as those of other business letter. It has to be short, polite, and free from errors. Most importantly, in the case of follow-up letters, you must get the tone right – avoid sounding pushy and complaining, and remain positive. If you are stumped, get help!
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