How to Follow Up on a Job Application (With Email Examples)

You found a role that fits. You spent an evening on the application. You hit submit.

Then nothing.

A week passes. Then two. You check your email more often than you would like to admit. You wonder whether to follow up, or whether that will make you look desperate.

Following up is reasonable. Done well, it can bring your application back to the top of the pile, show genuine interest and sometimes get you a conversation you would not otherwise have had. Done badly, it can annoy the person you are trying to impress.

Here is how to get it right.

Why applications go quiet

Before you follow up, it helps to understand why you have not heard back. It is usually not about you.

• The role attracted far more applications than expected

• The hiring manager is busy or on leave

• The process has been put on hold or the role is being reviewed

• An internal candidate is being considered first

• The recruiter is waiting on feedback from the client

• The application system did not send an update

As a recruiter for 20 years, I can tell you that silence is far more often about process than about the candidate.

When to follow up

After applying online: wait about a week, or until a few days after the closing date if one was listed.

After a recruiter call: wait until the date they mentioned. If they did not give one, wait about a week.

After an interview: send a thank you email within 24 hours. Then wait until the date they gave you for a decision. If that passes, follow up a couple of days later.

After a final interview: if you have heard nothing within a week of the expected decision date, a short follow-up is fine.

Following up too soon can look impatient. Leaving it too long risks the decision being made without you.

Who to contact

If there is a named contact on the ad, use them. That might be a recruiter, an HR person or the hiring manager.

If you applied through a recruiter, contact the recruiter, not the employer. Going around them can damage the relationship and your chances.

If there is no named contact, you can sometimes find the hiring manager or recruiter on LinkedIn. Be careful here. A short, polite message is fine. Multiple messages across channels are not.

How to follow up: email or phone?

Email is usually best. It lets the reader respond when it suits them and gives them something to forward.

A phone call can work with recruiters, especially if you have already spoken. Keep it short and have a reason for calling beyond “just checking in”.

Email examples

After applying online

Subject: Financial Controller application, Jane Smith

Hi Sarah,

I applied for the Financial Controller role at ABC Group on 12 May and wanted to confirm my application came through.

I am very interested in the role, particularly your plans to bring the New Zealand entities into one reporting system. I led a similar project at XYZ last year and would welcome the chance to talk about it.

Happy to send anything else that would help.

Kind regards,

Jane Smith

0400 000 000

After a recruiter call

Subject: Following up on the Finance Manager role

Hi Tom,

Thanks again for your time on Tuesday. I wanted to follow up on the Finance Manager role with DEF Logistics.

I am still very interested and happy to provide anything else the client needs. Is there an update on timing for interviews?

Thanks,

Jane

After an interview, when the decision date has passed

Subject: Head of Finance interview, Jane Smith

Hi Michael,

Thank you again for the chance to meet with you and Priya last week. I enjoyed hearing about your plans for the finance team.

I understand you were hoping to make a decision by Friday. I wanted to check whether there is any update, and to let you know I remain very interested in the role.

Kind regards,

Jane

For more on what to send straight after an interview, see thank you emails after an executive interview.

What makes a good follow-up

• Short. Five or six lines at most.

• Specific. Name the role and when you applied or interviewed.

• Positive. Confirm your interest.

• Useful. Add one detail that reminds them why you fit.

• Easy to answer. Ask a simple question about timing.

What to avoid

• Following up more than twice without a response

• Contacting several people in the business at once

• Sounding frustrated or impatient

• Asking “Why haven’t you replied?”

• Attaching a new version of your resume without explanation

• Following up the day after you apply

How many times should you follow up?

Once or twice. If you have followed up twice and heard nothing, it is time to move on. You can still keep the door open by connecting with the recruiter or hiring manager on LinkedIn, but do not keep chasing.

Silence after two follow-ups is an answer, even if it is not a polite one.

When you get a “no”

If the answer is no, reply briefly and thank them. Ask if they have any feedback, and say you would like to be considered for future roles.

This small step is often skipped. Recruiters remember candidates who handle rejection well. It is not unusual for the same recruiter to call months later about a different role.

Keep the rest of your search moving

The biggest mistake people make is waiting. One application, one interview, and everything else stops while they wait for an answer.

Keep applying. Keep talking to people. Follow up on each opportunity as it needs it, but do not let any single role hold up the rest of your search. If things are moving slowly, read when recruiters go quiet for what is usually happening behind the scenes.

Following up through LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be a useful second channel, but use it carefully.

If you know who the hiring manager or recruiter is, sending a connection request with a short note is reasonable. Keep it professional:

“Hi Sarah, I recently applied for the Financial Controller role at ABC Group and wanted to connect. I would welcome the chance to discuss how my experience could help with your New Zealand expansion.”

Do not send long messages, attach your resume or follow up repeatedly through LinkedIn. If they do not respond, leave it there.

LinkedIn also lets the employer check you out. Make sure your profile tells the same story as your resume. If your profile is out of date, update it before you reach out. See the LinkedIn profile checklist.

When you have another offer

If you receive an offer from another employer while waiting on a role you prefer, that is a legitimate reason to follow up.

“I wanted to let you know I have received another offer and need to respond by Thursday. ABC Group remains my first choice, so I wanted to check whether there is any update on your timing.”

Be honest. Do not invent an offer to speed things up. Recruiters and employers talk, and it can backfire.

Following up after rejection

Sometimes the most useful follow-up comes after a “no”. If you are unsuccessful after an interview, a short email asking for feedback can give you insight you cannot get anywhere else.

Not every employer will give feedback, and some will only give general comments. But even a line or two can help you prepare for the next interview. Thank them for their time either way.

Keep a simple tracker

When you are applying for several roles, it is easy to lose track of who you contacted and when. A simple spreadsheet or note solves this. Record:

• The role and business

• The date you applied

• The contact person

• Each follow-up and the date

• The next action and when

It takes a minute to update and stops you following up too soon, too late or twice by accident. It also shows you patterns. If most of your applications go quiet at the same stage, that tells you where to focus.

When follow-up becomes a problem

There is a point where persistence starts to count against you. Signs you have gone too far include calling the main switchboard to ask for the hiring manager, messaging several people in the same business or following up more than twice in a fortnight.

If you are not getting responses, the answer is rarely more follow-up. It is usually a stronger application, a better match of roles or a warmer route in through your network.

Your next step

Look at your last three applications. For any that have passed the one-week mark with no reply, send a short follow-up today using the examples above. Then add at least one new application to your list.

If you want help running a more focused search, my career transition support covers strategy, applications, interviews and offers.

If your applications keep going quiet, book a complimentary Clarity Session and we will look at why.