When should candidates follow up?
I advise candidates to follow up after a first and second interview, but with permission only. Ask the interviewer’s follow-up preference when exiting the interview room. Anytime a job candidate deals with an interviewer, they should cater to his or her preferences as much as possible.
In your opinion, what is a better follow-up method: phone calls or e-mails?
There has been little done to determine the most preferred method of follow-up among HR managers and recruiters. In my opinion, I prefer phone calls as email can be unreliable at times.
Is a handwritten thank-you note OK, or out of style?
I’m still a huge fan of written notes, but giving thanks by email is fine too. In fact, I wrote a small book called Don’t Forget to Kiss the Toes, which explains how to optimize the use of a thank-you note, methods for submission, and even includes sample intro, body, and closing sentences.
What should you say or ask when following up? What should your message be?
What’s great about follow-up is that it’s painless and easy. Simply state your name and why you’re calling, it’s just that simple. Of course, you could ask a multitude of other relevant questions*, but be careful. The amount and depth of questions you ask should be led by the willingness of the interviewer.
*When will you start interviewing? Have you reviewed my resume? Can I clarify anything about my skill set, employment history, and education? When are you expected to make a hiring decision?
How long should you wait to follow up?
The golden rule for follow-up has always been to wait a few business days. This way, you give the hiring company ample time to receive and review your submission. Of course, there are exceptions to rules. For example, follow-up 24 hours after submitting a resume isn’t necessarily frowned upon, nor is a 2-3 week follow-up a crime either.
How do I know when I have crossed the line from being persistent to being annoying to a potential employer?
Repetitive follow-up conducted by jobseekers is a common complaint of hiring professionals. Recruiters and HR managers are people with busy schedules too — the state of the current job market means there are often hundreds of applicants for one job opening. Although jobseekers would love for the hiring process to move much faster, the truth is there needs to be an adequate amount of time allocated to sourcing and prescreening resumes before the interviewing process can begin.