After submitting your resumé to employers, you finally got the phone call you’ve been waiting for. A prospective employer sets up a time for you to come in for an interview, and you are beyond prepared. About an hour later you emerge from the interview and you know that you nailed it.
Finally, you get home and draft a great follow up email to the hiring manager and await a response. Every couple of hours you click refresh to see if any communication from the company came through. A week passes, and you have been checking obsessively, but you still have yet to hear a response.
Does this sound familiar?
According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, 75% of workers who have applied to jobs said they never heard back from the employer. This happens very often in the job search, and can leave candidates frustrated, discouraged and unsure about what to do next. If you find yourself in this all-too-common situation, here are four things that you can do to upgrade your efforts:
Make a schedule of follow up and stick to it. Come up with an action plan on how you will follow up. If you fail to follow up enough, you may communicate a lack of interest, but if you follow up to much you could come off as desperate and annoying. Set a specific amount of attempts you will allow yourself to make over a specific period of time. If you get feedback after two weeks, perfect, but if not move on. Do not waste time.
Step up the courtesy a notch. There could be multiple reasons that the employer has not got back to you post interview. They could still be interviewing other candidates and have not made a final decision yet. Your level of professionalism is critical even if you believe that the communication has not been transparent. Be sure to give ample time, be polite and follow up without being pushy.
Check your network. Maybe a friend or former colleague who currently works for the company can provide you with the status of the hiring process. If you have a great relationship with someone within the organization who has a connection with the hiring manager, don’t be to shy in requesting an endorsement or insights. Check Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter for a connection that you may have, and remember, don’t be too pushy. Keep it polite and genuine.
Throw fear to the wind and make the first move. Sometimes you have to initiate the dialogue even if you do not get the response that you are looking for. Grease the wheel a little bit to get things moving. You don’t want to hassle people, but you also want the gig.
Daron Pressley (@daronpressley) is an entrepreneur and former Fortune 500 sales and marketing executive who has been featured on outlets including Fox45 News, Black Enterprise magazine, and The Washington Post. Knowledgeable in marketing and branding, Pressley works with professional athletes, organizations, and individuals to develop strategies to create, build, and grow brands. As a speaker Daron has reached over 20,000 students, and provides dynamic insights on leadership and branding via his Website, DaronPressley.com.