Balancing the art of following up without being overly aggressive or appearing desperate can be tricky. That said waiting too long or not following up at all can make one appear as if they are not really invested and lead to lost opportunities. There are many follow-up's needed throughout the job search cycle, both at the beginning with networking contacts and referrals to working with recruiters and hiring managers during the interview process and up to offer negotiation. To help answer the question of when to follow-up, here are some best practice suggestions:
If you are expecting an action or follow up be sure to set an expectation of when you plan to follow up if you haven’t yet heard back. For example at the close of an interview, ask about timeline. If the interviewer says to expect to hear in a week, for example on a Wednesday. Your response might be something like “Great, I look forward to hearing from you. If for any reason I haven’t heard from you by Wed/Thur of next week, I’ll reach out on Friday to check in.
Follow up every interview or networking meeting with a thank you. Don’t send it immediately, rather send it within 25-48 hours after. This gives you time to reflect and digest the information which then allows you to customixmze your thank you based on your conversation- this makes it more meaningful.
If you happen to be one of the first candidates interviewed in a longer hiring process, be sure to also follow up one to two weeks out to keep yourself at the forefront of the hiring manager's mind after they have met with other candidates.
For additional tips and strategies, consider career coaching during your job search. It can be extremely helpful to partner with a coach to help you navigate today's job market. Please feel free to email info@jlmcareers.com for more information.