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Five Tips on Following Up On your Job Application

Five Tips on Following Up On your Job Application

by | Dec 25, 2014 | Resume

Your resume is perfect, you’ve attached a great cover letter and you’ve sent it across to the people concerned. Now you are waiting to hear from the hiring company. We do agree that this is the most trying phase of all when it’s a dream job you are chasing.  It is quite frustrating sometimes to have to just wait for people to get back to you. However, we have some tips for you to get through this waiting period successfully. Here are five simple things to keep in mind on following up on your job application:

  1. Patience:

    Be patient. If that job is meant for you nobody is going to take it away from you. Recruitment processes are generally long and complicated and the company scrutinizes many aspects of your profile before rejecting or selecting you. It is a standard practice for prospective employers to contact previous employers and people who know you to validate what you have written about yourself. So things can take a while. But if you think the process is taking too long and want to remind them about your application, you can send a polite mail to the organization.

  2. Do not Spam:

    If you want to follow-up, be sure not to spam! The person you sent the resume to is not necessarily the person you have to follow-up with. Find out about the recruitment process if possible and contact the person who is in charge of your application at the moment. It will save futile attempts of following up on your part as well.

  3. Be mindful in your language:

    Phrase your mail carefully. It sends across a bad sign if you sound desperate or impatient. Be very polite. Also, stating your previous interaction along with the date and asking for the status of your application helps.

  4. Help from the Referee/Third Person:

    If you know someone in the company, try to find the status of your application unofficially. If someone has referred you, they can generally check the status of your application. So do not waste your time in that case and get in touch with these people instead. Even then, be sure not to show impatience or desperation. Be polite and courteous. Also, be sure that the source you are using is credible, i.e., if it is a particular acquaintance you are asking to help you follow-up, do so only if you are sure that they are going to be efficient about it and the whole process wouldn’t cause damage to your reputation. It usually become messy when a third person is involved.

  5. Networking:

    Try to connect with other people who have recently applied to the same company. Getting in touch with them, if possible, is a good idea. Ask them how long their recruitment process took and if they had to follow-up. If yes, who did they contact and how the response of the management was.

Bonus Tip – KEEP CALM! And keep your options open (i.e keep looking and applying for other dream jobs). After a point you just need to let go and hope for the best! Remember, if not this job then something else – something bigger and better!

Before You Click ‘Send Your Resume’! Cover Letter Basics

Before You Click ‘Send Your Resume’! Cover Letter Basics

by | Dec 25, 2014 | Resume

You might spend days and even weeks preparing that perfect resume. However, the manner in which you send it over, which includes the cover letter, is very important. This determines if the prospective employer is even going to get to the stage of reading your resume. In this post we have tried to put together most of the things that you need to tick off the checklist before you send in your resume for the dream job.

Cover letter basics while emailing your Resume

1. Pay attention to the guidelines –

Most companies have detailed guidelines about how to send them a mail. Find and read these instructions carefully to avoid getting rejected despite having a great resume. If you know someone who works in the organization, get in touch with him and take his advice. If there is a referral system in place, see if you can get your resume submitted through it.

2. Address your email to a specific person-

Find out the name of the person you are mailing your resume to. Even if the organization has a generic email to send resumes, they sometimes mention a contact person who handles all recruitment requests. It is your job to scour the organization website to find out the person and address the email to him/her. It gives the reader a sense that you genuinely care about joining the organization.

3. Be thorough with your cover letter –

The mail should have a cover letter stating your interest in the organization and your intent behind applying for the job. Introduce yourself briefly and clearly state why you are writing the mail. In case the person you have sent it to is not the right person, then he/she can forward it to the person in charge instead of having to read all of it.

4. Be VERY thorough with your cover letter –

The rest of the cover letter needs succinctly describe your skills and experiences, as required by the organization. Be careful not to copy as is from your resume: it shows you are lazy. Try to include important experiences and skills pertinent to the position you are applying for. Write in complete sentences. You also have to explain briefly why you would be a valuable asset to the organization if they hire you.

5. Find out about their referee policy –

If required by the organization, mention the name of your referees and how they are related to you. Give correct contact addresses for these people and make sure you notify them in advance regarding your application. Also include your own contact information at the end of the cover letter as well as in the resume so that the recruiters can easily get in touch with you.

Make sure the cover letter is not generic. The reader should feel that you have read about their organization before mailing, and not simply sent a generic mail to all companies that you are applying to. Browse the organization website and get to know about their work culture, ethics and history. You should write how these qualities match your own beliefs, and how this would help you thrive in the organization. Customizing the cover letter according to the organization grabs the reader’s attention and gives you a definite edge over other applicants with generic letters.

And finally, before you click “send”, send it to yourself first so that there is absolutely no margin for error. This would be your final step in proof reading!

All the very best!