Attention Job Seekers: Follow Up Matters!

95% of candidates DO NOT bother to make a follow-up call—but the ones that do, always stand out. 

You spot a job that appears to be a great match for your skill set and ambitions, AND it happens to be with a company you would really like to work for.

Excitedly you make sure your resume and cover letter are tailored to the position (yes, you really should be doing this). You upload your materials, say a little prayer and click “Apply.”

Now you wait. And you wait and you wait and you wait some more. And nothing happens. Disappointed, you continue your search elsewhere.

If this is your job search strategy–you give up way too easily and you may be missing out on a really great career opportunity. Many different things could have happened that prevented the company from giving you a call.

Here is a list of ones that I’ve personally experienced–so it’s not hypothetical!

  • An email server was down or a job board went down – your resume legitimately never got to the intended recipient.

  • Someone was on vacation and your resume got lost in the shuffle when they returned.

  • Your resume ended up in a spam folder.

  • Your resume went to the “Maybe Interview” pile (and a phone call would have shown just enough initiative to get you to the “Yes Interview” pile).

  • For some reason, your resume would not open and the HR Rep or Hiring Manager was too busy to email you about it.

  • You applied via Indeed and what got sent  to the employer was the blah Indeed template of your resume instead of your real (and awesomely formatted resume).

  • Someone reviewed your resume, but failed to process it properly and it got “lost” 

Due to the volume of applicants, many companies only respond to the candidates of interest. However, if it’s a job opening that you are truly excited about, a follow up call to the employer is definitely a smart move.

Your goal with the call is simply to introduce yourself, confirm that they received your resume and cover letter, briefly express your sincere interest in the position and in the company and ask if they have any questions about your qualifications.

You don’t want to tie up the HR Rep or Hiring Manager for terribly long, but you do want show initiative and passion about their role and company.

In my experience, 95% of candidates DO NOT bother to make a follow up call and the ones that do, always stand out!

Always make that call!

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