employeeze

A lot of candidates ask the questions:
I sent my resume for a job that I’m perfect for; how do I find out if they received my resume? I submitted my resume, spoke to the recruiter but haven’t heard back from them. What is a reasonable amount of time to wait before I check in? How often is too often (ie I don’t want to bug the recruiter but I really want to know what is going on?)

These questions are going to vary widely from person to person and organization to organization.

First question. Just because *you* believe you are perfect for a position doesn’t mean the company agrees. It is unrealistic to assume that every resume submission you make is going to generate a personalized followup.  It is safest to assume that your resume has been received and that the company will contact you if they are interested in you as a candidate. Calling a company to see “if they got your resume” is usually futile and does nothing more than antagonize the HR/Recruiting department.

 If you have already spoken to/emailed with a recruiter directly, and are waiting to hear back on the next steps, it is a different matter. Regarding *how* you contact the recruiter for an update, I would recommend you follow their lead. Did they first approach you by email or phone? Have you received more communication with them via one mode or the other? The advantage of the phone is that perhaps you get a chance to talk to them and get an update. Email gives you a tangible record, for example if you need to keep track of your efforts for UI.  I would suggest you drop an email or wait for the recruiter to get in touch with you regarding a phone screen or interview, but give it at least 2-3 days after your conversation with the recruiter. Remember, the recruiter’s job is to identify candidates; the hiring manager has dozens of other priorities and may not get back to the recruiter immediately with feedback. Don’t assume that at any point in the process that the recruiter is the stopgap.

If you have already interviewed for a position and are waiting to hear back on the outcome it is vital to remember that you are probably not the only candidate. Most organizations will keep their first and second tier candidates viable until they have an acceptance and a start date so that of their first candidate doesn’t work out, they still have their second tier available. This process generally takes a week or more. In that instance, I would recommend one check in a few days after your interviews, and then if you don’t hear anything inside five more business days, a call or email is appropriate. After you have interviewed, follow up with thank you notes as appropriate. Reiterate your interest in the position, thank your interviewers for their time. You’ve already sold yourself. Don’t go overboard trying to continue selling yourself. Refer to the conversation you had with them, but keep it brief.

If you are entertaining other offers but this is the position you really want, be transparent with the recruiter. Tell them, “I just wanted to let you know that this opportunity is my first choice, but I have been offered a position at another company and they need and promised them an answer by Tuesday.” Some candidates try and use this tactic to pressure a recruiter when they *don’t* have a competing offer. It is your decision, but if you do this and the recruiter isn’t able to either speed up the process or make you a “counter offer” you must be prepared to walk away from the opportunity.

The best advice I can give any job seeker is to *not* pester the recruiter. Don’t bombard them with email or call them every day. Your recruiter is your biggest ally in a job search; you do not want to antognize them. You can get a reputation as a high-maintenance candidate, and the recruiting community is *not that big.* If you do not hear within a reasonable amount of time, you should probably assume that you are no longer in the running. It is not professional, it is the biggest complaint of candidates, but it is a reality that recruiters don’t always have time to get back to you. I, myself, have sent email withdrawing my candidacy to organizations that don’t treat me as a valued professional resource. My rationale is that if a company’s recruiting/HR department cannot extend me professional courtesy as a candidate, that tells me about their recruiting culture and I wouldn’t want to represent such an entity.

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