How to Follow-up with People during the Job Search

How to Follow-up with People during the Job Search

As a job coach, I am often asked how and when to follow-up with people following an interview or with someone who has said they would get back in touch. There are some basic guidelines I always give and want to share with you to increase your job search success.

        1. They said they would get back to me. Should I follow-up?

It is the job seeker’s responsibility to follow-up.  Even if the other person said they would get back to you, YOU are responsible for following up.

        2. How soon after should I follow-up?

There is no simple guideline that can address that question; the answer is “it depends.” It is based upon the facts and situation. I always have to ask questions such as “what exactly did the other person say?” and “how did you leave it?”

Do not, however, follow-up before the timeline they set. There is a reason they gave the timeline that they did.

          3. When should I follow-up?

The guideline I share with my job search and business clients is this:

NEVER follow-up on a Monday or Friday and NEVER the day before or after a holiday.

You probably surmised the principle behind this guideline. On Mondays or the day after a holiday, people are busy getting caught up with correspondences that have come in since the last work day and planning out their week. On Fridays or the day before a holiday, people are looking to wrap up their work so they can get out of the office.

          4.  Should I email or call them?

I always suggest paying attention to and using the form of communication that the other person prefers. Personally I prefer e-mail communications because I’m either working with clients and can’t take incoming calls, or I’m speaking at night and I can’t get back to returning a call until it is very late at night. Using email allows me to reply and move the communications along regardless of how late it is. Each person is different so make note of their preference ex. if you email them and they call you back, they prefer a call.

         5.   What do I say to someone who was supposed to get back in touch with me?

It is very important to be sure you do not make the mistake of pointing out to them their failure to contact you as promised. I call this blaming and shaming. Do not say “I didn’t hear from you” or “you didn’t get back to me about”. You do not know what has transpired in the life of the other person since the last time you talked, they could have had something terrible happen and blaming or shaming only makes you look bad.

Instead of blaming and shaming, always start communications with what I refer to as the “nice, nice” such as asking about their holidays. Then ask the question you want the answer to or, as in the case of an interview you are waiting to hear back from, re-express your interest in the job.

The way you handle follow-up reflects on your level of professionalism and is considered in the hiring process. Apply these simple but sound guidelines to be sure you are not eliminating yourself from consideration.

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