Re: That Job I Want

June 14, 2008 10:43 AM

Job applicant reminder emails: Nuisance or Necessity?

I'm applying for a bunch of jobs that prefer email submissions or have form apps on their website. I realize the job market's tight right now, but I've gotten few responses in the three weeks I've been looking.

Most listings say things like "no calls, please" or "we'll contact you if we're interested." Is it still worthwhile to send a reminder email, say, a week or so after I applied? Traditional wisdom says yes, you should call, but it seems online etiquette would suggest differently.

I'm a little worried I've been doing something wrong, as several of my former M.A. classmates have been getting jobs and interviews with little problem. I'm going to talk to them, but I'm wondering if any of you had advice. Thanks!

FWIW: Recent graduate with an M.A. in new media/politics, applying to entry-level communications/nonprofit jobs mostly in DC and other east coast cities.

posted by landedjentry to work & money (7 comments total)

I say ask away. Keep it short and polite, and phrase it along the lines of "just following up to make sure that there isn't anything I left out or that you need for my file." Only do it once. Keep in mind that some organizations are disorganized or convoluted, and it may take a month. DC nonprofits are infamous for this.
posted by pandanom at 11:48 AM on June 14, 2008

I hire people at a nonprofit and I find those emails a nuisance, myself, but I think I might be in the minority. What happens where I work is that we get fifty to a hundred resumes for every opening - I imagine it's a lot more in DC - and it takes me some time to sort them into the Yes, No and Maybe pile, go over those piles with my colleagues and then reply. I send out the initial No, sorry emails first, by the way, so not getting a reply right away can be a good thing. Then we set up interviews and so on; frankly, it can be three weeks between the initial ad and the first interview. Phone calls and emails in the interim make me feel guilty and thus, irritated.
posted by mygothlaundry at 11:49 AM on June 14, 2008

Traditional wisdom says yes, you should call

I would disagree, regardless of the application medium, I would say that conventional wisdom says, if they don't reply you didn't get the job. IMO its unnecessary (if not a little rude) to 'remind' the person dealing with these applications that they haven't responded. If this is an open application process then they could have hundreds of applications to deal with and they're not obliged to reply to you just because you applied. Its hard enough sorting through applications without hundreds of 'reminder' emails from everyone who didn't make it though the first pass. In the early stages of applications, when theres a high volume of applicants, any little thing can get your application tossed in the bin.

If this were a post interview follow up it would be different but you appear to be talking about phase 1 application process.
posted by missmagenta at 1:48 PM on June 14, 2008

Just to follow up - if you really do need to know whether or not you're still being considered for the position, for whatever reason, I would say minimum 2 weeks before you 'remind' them, unless its listed as an urgent position. 1 week is no time at all, some applications will be rejected straight away but some go in the maybe pile (especially if its decided that the n best applicants will go on to the next round)

Also, under no circumstances should you call/email if the listing says 'no calls, please' or 'we'll contact you if we're interested'. Those messages are both quite clear, inability to follow simple instructions is not the kind of thing any employer is looking for in an applicant. I can't count the number of times I've rejected applicants because they can't follow a simple set of instructions.

3 weeks is no time at all in job hunting, especially for new graduates, you've all graduated all at once but there are only so many jobs. If you're having trouble getting to the interview stage and you believe you're at least as qualified as your classmates, it might be worth getting some resume advice. Your university careers office might provide a free consultation/tutorial.
posted by missmagenta at 2:16 PM on June 14, 2008

From my HR/hiring perspective: nearly always a nuisance.

You might, however, want to ask someone more experienced to look over your resume/cover letter to make sure thee are no glaring red flags, typos, etc which would cause potential employers to drop you in the No pile every time.

And if it keeps happening, someone who rejected you may (if you're very lucky and they don't have an overly cautious risk-averse approach) be willing to tell you why you didn't make the cut.
posted by quinoa at 3:38 PM on June 14, 2008

agree with quinoa that when i've been in a hiring position, it's annoying to have to deal with followup phone calls. however, i did one time give a job to an applicant who just. wouldn't. go. away. it turned out to be a bad decision, but he convinced me that he at least had the tenacity the position (reporter) required. depending on who's doing the hiring, they're fitting the filtering, contacting, and interviewing applicants at the same time they're doing their regular job, where they're already overworked or they wouldn't be looking for someone, so it can be stressful as well.

three weeks really *isn't* a lot of time, but on the flip side, what do you have to lose by sending a brief email? (pandanom's suggested wording is a great one.) if you're in the 'keep' pile, it might be the nudge they need to pick up the phone & call you; if you're in the 'no' pile, they weren't going to hire you anyway. the tricky part is if you're in the 'maybe' pile, because that can push you into the running or solidly into the throwaway zone.

truth is, many places you apply to will NEVER contact you again, which i happen to think is beyond rude. (i work in i.t., and lots of times companies will advertise for a position they think *might* be coming open at some unknown point in the future, but they never tell you that. essentially they're resume farming, and in some instances will keep your resume on file and submit it with proposals/bids and NEVER even let you know they got it.)
posted by msconduct at 4:09 PM on June 14, 2008

I've had to hire a few people, and each time we explicitly requested no calls, etc. The people who did call usually seemed too pushy, and it implied that they don't follow direction well.

A well-crafted cover letter and resume did more for applicants than anything. It's amazing how it'll make you stand out. Most open positions are answered with literally hundreds of applications. It's hard to respond to each, except with an auto-responder or to only contact the people in which the HR/hiring manager is interested in seeing.

However, in my experience both hiring and seeking positions, it's much easier to get the job if you have an in at the organization.
posted by sadiehawkinstein at 10:09 AM on June 15, 2008