3 Reasons To Follow Up After Job Application With A Phone Call

Did you know you can/should follow up after job application?

Many of my clients repeat the same mistake. If they don’t hear from the recruiter or hiring manager, they just assume that they weren’t successful and plod onto applying for the next job. This then continues and continues, and truth be told is a recipe for disaster.

Here are some reasons as to why you should follow up after job application during your job search:

1) Recruiters Make Mistakes Too

When for each role, hiring managers can receive up to 500 applications with resumes and covering letters, there are bound to be mistakes and mishaps. And there have been many a time that I’ve seen candidates get through to interview, simply because they called and made an effort to speak to the person who was taking care of the role.

When there are that many applications to go through, sometimes even the good applications get thrown into the trash by mistake. Or, at other times, there may not be time to go through all the applications.

By calling and having intelligent questions to ask regarding the role that you’re applying for, this can not be seen as anything but a good thing (and if anyone tells you otherwise, I wouldn’t be dealing with them – recruiter or hiring manager).

2) Follow up After Job Application and Be noticed

Real contact with the hiring manager or recruiter adds a personal touch to your application.

Most of the applications end up looking like a bunch of names on paper to the people screening them.

By picking up the phone and talking to them, you will immediately stand out as someone that they now know who is a part of the process, and if you communicate well, they are more likely to put you into the ‘YES’ pile, even if your skills aren’t completely a match.

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Communicating builds rapport, and rapport will have you favoured in the process.

3) Be The Kind Of Person An Employer Is Looking for.

All employers are looking for people who care about what they do. They want to see someone who is passionate about their work, who wants to add value to a team, and who is proactive rather than reactive in the things that they do.

By follow up after job application, you can be that kind of person even before you land the job, by showing them that you care enough to do more than the average Joe would do.

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I guarantee you, not many people will follow up with a phone call, so use this knowledge to your advantage!

So now that you know this, is there something still stopping you?

If you ask most people who are applying for a job, the ‘not following up’ bug stems from fear.

Candidates are afraid of so many things during this process:

• they’re afraid to potentially ruin any good chance that they would have had by not coming across the right way over the phone;
• they’re afraid of annoying or bothering recruiters or hiring managers with their follow up phone calls, when they don’t want to be contacted;
• they’re afraid of coming across as desperate, which the hiring manager will use to make a decision against them.

If any of these sound like you, it’s time to stop thinking about it, and in the wise words of Nike, “Just Do It”!

Know you know, why you should follow up after job application.

Irene Kotov is the founder of Arielle, and helps job-seekers with Resume Writing Services and Interview Coaching, allowing them to stand out during their job search.