The wait between when you send a job application and when you receive the answer from the company, can seem endless and daunting. Communicating in the right way with the company to follow up on your question can set you apart from the competition.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Find the contact
Step 1. Do your research
Being prepared is the most important part of the job search process. Contact the Human Resources Department and ask who received your application so that you can contact the right person.
- If it is a very large company, the Human Resources Department is often unaware of the status of the process until the hiring manager tells them to contact candidates. It is important to get to the heart of the process.
- If the company is small or you already know the name of the person to contact, we can move on to the next step.
Method 2 of 3: Write an email
Step 1. Address the e-mail
In the cover letter, if you know the manager's name, use it. Use the phrase To whom of competence as a last resort, as it is very impersonal and your purpose is to make direct contact.
Always check that the name is spelled correctly. There is nothing worse than making a mistake in spelling a name and thus giving a negative impression
Step 2. Write the e-mail
Start with a quick explanation of why what you are writing is important. Explain that you are following the progress of the application you sent for the job they published. Point out the qualities that make you the ideal candidate. Close by saying that you are waiting for their kind reply as soon as possible; ask if it is necessary to return the attachments if they have not received them and underline your contacts again and above all remember to thank for the time they will want to dedicate to you.
Step 3. Reread what you wrote
Don't look at it for a while and then go back to reading it. Check that there are no grammar or spelling errors and that the text runs smoothly. Doing this email well is just as important as doing the cover letter and CV well. So give it the attention it deserves.
Method 3 of 3: Send and wait
Step 1. Send the e-mail
Once you have made the necessary checks and when you are satisfied with your email, send it. But be careful not to send it more than once - the last thing the hiring manager wants is to receive 50 emails from you because you made a mistake by clicking the send button.
Step 2. Retire
Now that your e-mail is completed, give it some breathing room. Do not call immediately after 30 minutes to make sure they have received it, do not write another e-mail the next day. The communication that follows a job application is like a bottle of good red wine: give it time to breathe, let the aromas expand before consuming or postponing it.
Advice
- Evaluate your e-mail address and what it says about you. Do you believe that "hotsurferdude" or "shopaholicgirl" really communicates what you want to your potential employer? Maybe it would be better to create another account using your name or something more professional. The whole process is based on communication and the image you give to the manager and this requires attention in every respect.
- Remember that the hiring manager often has to do their job and go through the hiring process at the same time. Being respectful and brief in your communications is the best way to get heard.
- Choose a standard font, the bold pink font may be suitable for an email to friends, but in this type of communication you need to look professional, so use Arial, Times New Roman or any other easy-to-read font.
- Take the opportunity to reiterate the best quality you have to offer; this can help the research manager to fix your question in his mind if he has not already read it, or to reflect on it if he has already done so.
- Check the email signature and make sure it looks professional: sometimes we have settings in the inbox that are good only for communicating with our friends, such as the short name, or joking texts or drawings after the name. Remember, if you want them to take you seriously, you have to take yourself seriously first, so make the most of your chances.
Warnings
- Never be pushy, demanding or overbearing. Try to be polite in correspondence with the recruiting manager because the decision is up to him. He knows that the selection process is important for you, but this is only a fraction of his working day, so being aggressive or intrusive only gives a negative image of yourself.
- Be careful who to address the letter to. Often in large companies, the person who sends the confirmation of receipt of your application is not always the one who takes care of the selection: it can be someone from the human resources office who works with the selection office. Always check the title of whoever contacts you and the position you applied for. If it seems to you that an employee of the human resources office is contacting you, kindly ask for the name of the selection manager and how to contact him.
