Image courtesy of xJason.Rogersx's photostream
If you’ve read my last 2 blogs, they were focused on the cover letter and resume. Now that you’ve submitted both your cover letter and resume, what is the next step? Well folks, that’s easy…it’s all about communication and follow-up.
One of the most frequent questions I receive from job seekers is about follow-up after submitting a cover letter and resume. Your follow-up shouldn’t be as long as your cover letter. It should be short and to the point. In the follow-up, you should focus on six topics:
• Address it to the same person you sent your cover letter and resume
• Make it obvious that you applied for a specific position on a specific date
• Highlight your qualifications and mention how they make you a good fit for the position
• Attach another copy of your resume
• Include a call to action
• Be sure to maintain a positive tone
A sample follow-up letter is below:
“Dear John Smith,
On August 15th, I applied to your job posting for a (insert job title) that I saw on (insert website where you saw the posting). I want to confirm that you received my cover letter and resume and would like to reiterate my interest in the position.
I think I would be a good fit for the (insert job title) position. I have experience in:
• List experience that is relevant to the position
• List experience that is relevant to the position
• List experience that is relevant to the position
I have attached another copy of my resume. Is there any other information I could provide regarding your requirements and my qualifications? I would be glad to send any other information you might need. Please feel free to contact me at (111) 222-3333 or jsmith@abc.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
John Smith”
There you have it! Short and to the point. If you haven’t heard from the employer, I recommend sending a follow-up letter a week after you applied for the position. Don’t worry if you forgot about it and 2 or 3 weeks have passed, send the follow-up anyway!
I want to point out that if it specifically says in the posting not to call or there is no phone number listed, DO NOT CALL! The HR person may get annoyed and most likely, take you out of consideration. Be sure to follow the application procedure listed in the posting.
Next time I will cover how to follow up once you have had an interview! I hope my blogs on the cover letter, resume and proper follow-up before the resume are useful. Good luck with your job search!
One comment