The Pushy Jobseeker's Guide to Follow-Up

Published December 27, 2009

You wrote the perfect cover letter and sent off a sparkling resume and heard nothing back. What next?

To make an impression on hiring managers follow-up is essential, both after applying for a job and after interviews. Follow-ups should always be courteous and respectful, but jobseekers must be clear on the purpose of their call: to sell themselves.

Never follow-up more than once a week and always be professional in doing so. Never demand an interview," says Randall Hansen, founder of Quintessential Careers, a Deland, Fla.-based Web site for jobseekers. "Jobseekers can also follow-up any time they have something new to add to (their) credentials, such as a new certificate or degree."

But jobseekers are always looking for new and innovative ways to attract the attention of potential employers. Use the Internet as a tool for not only to look for jobs but also to attract and keep the interest of employers.

Social media is a way for employers to get to know prospective employees better, says David Kord Murray, author of "Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others," (Gotham, 2009). He suggests that any jobseeker looking for work should set up a MySpace.com or Facebook.com account and tailor it to fit the type of job they're looking for.

"Follow-up with e-mail (including) links to your sites so people can learn more about you," says Murray.

He says jobseekers should use social networking Web sites and YouTube.com to highlight skills and show the things they've done.

"Set up a camera and do your own interview," Murray suggests. "You could use that to follow-up, kind of sending messages into the HR department or wherever your contacts are."

Stick to a timeline when following-up Murray says. Wait at least a week before following-up with a potential employer so as not to look too desperate. "It's kind of like dating," Murray says. "You don't want to call the next morning." Murray warns against letting it go longer than a week.

"resumess pile up on hiring managers desks and it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. "If it sits longer than that it's dead wood," Murray says. "You have to bring it higher up on the pile again."

Murray, like Hansen, says to follow-up at least once a week, but to find reasons to follow-up.

Use Google alerts to keep in touch with news from a particular company and follow the company's press releases, Murray says. When you talk to a contact, "Reference the news that's coming up," Murray says. Your knowledge will help strengthen your image as a qualified and eager candidate.

E-mail is a good way to follow-up on job leads. Jobseekers who insist on using regular mail should use Fed-Ex or express mail, since "Those get handed (to the hiring manager) and will sit higher up on the pile," Murray says.

Jobseekers may not want to seem pushy to the employer. Murray describes tactic as aggressive, not pushy.

"If I were to err on one side or the other, I'd err on pushy," Murray says.

- Written By Tim Bearden