You’ve sent in your job application or resume, and have been anxiously checking your email or voicemail every day since, hoping to hear back from the potential employer.
The work that goes into filling out and submitting a job application can be tedious, time-consuming and stressful. Following up, the key to staying at the top of the hiring manager’s mind, is one more item on the list of things to do.
However, following up on your application doesn’t have to be a drain on your time. You don’t have to send a boring email asking the company to share the status of the position or letting them know that the purpose of your email is to follow up on your application.
If you consider this aspect of your application as a way to market yourself, along with your skills and experience, try approaching the situation from a new perspective.
Adding Value Through Job Application Follow-Up
Make your follow-up useful and different, by including information that will actually be of value. Here are some ideas to achieve this:
Send them information that you may have forgotten to share.
Many people have experiences talking to someone and then, hours later, remembering something that would have fit well in the conversation or been helpful to the other person. This also happens often in job interviews.
For example, the interviewer asks you about a few of your achievements and you forget to talk about 2 important ones.
Wait a few days before sharing the information, and if you haven’t heard anything, send over details of the 2 achievements.
Send an employer new information.
If you’ve earned any recognition or awards, published an article, or completed a significant project since you met with or spoke to your contact, consider sending the information to them.
Let them know the new experience you’ve gained, new skills you’ve learned or the honors you’ve received.
Send them an article.
Think about the communication you’ve had with your contact at the company, and if you see/find an article with information that you think would benefit the company’s growth or make an impact in their operations, send it to that individual.
The article will show your interest in their company and your understanding of their business.
Companies receive a ton of application follow-ups. Remember to not bombard them with follow-ups, and use the opportunity to add to your interview or conversation.