What to send a hiring manager after applying (+ Sample Email Templates)
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The hard part is over — you've applied for the job. Great! Now all you need to do is sit back and wait for a response, right?
Well, maybe not. While a lot of conventional job advice — like always handing in resumes in person, or tracking down recruiters' personal details to contact them at home — can be a bit outdated, following up on an application is still a good idea. The recruitment process is often a long and drawn out one, and while hiring managers have the best of intentions, things do sometimes fall through the cracks. If you don't want your application to be one of those things, a simple follow-up can help keep you stay in the loop.
Why a Quick Follow Up Is a Good Idea
A well-crafted follow-up email can help prompt a hiring manager to keep you in mind during the early stages of the application process. Keeping your name fresh in their mind means that they may be able to prioritize your candidacy as they're looking to fill an open spot on their team or moving to the interview stage. It also shows a genuine interest in the role and a willingness to go above and beyond — as long as you don't overdo it.
How to Follow Up on a Job Application
Be patient
Being proactive isn't the same thing as being pushy or impatient. In other words, don't follow up on an application before the hiring manager has even had a chance to open it, don't send multiple follow-ups during the same stage of the application process, and don't pressure the hiring manager for an accelerated time frame or quick response. Hiring managers are busy people, so a healthy dose of patience is key.
Contact the hiring manager directly
Also, make sure you're sending your follow-up to the right place. Generally, job postings will contain the name of the contact person for the job; if not, you can do a bit of sleuthing yourself to find out who the hiring manager is. Sending an email to the first contact address you can find for a company — or, worse, to every contact address you can find — is likely to be a waste of time at best, so take the time to ensure that you have the right email address.
Have a purpose
Your end goal might just be to keep your application fresh in the hiring manager’s mind, but that doesn’t mean you should admit that! Recruiters are busy, so having a clear purpose for your email — like asking a specific question or requesting a quick chat — makes it easy for them to respond to and makes it feel less like you’re wasting their time.
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