The wait between clicking send on your application and hearing back from the hiring manager can leave you feeling in limbo. Taking control of furthering your chances at interviewing can be done be simply following up.

Following up in a professional manner can make you stand out by highlighting to the recruiter or employer just how interested you are in the role.

We would recommend leaving one week before making contact with the hiring manager. Consider the likelihood that they have been inundated with applications and the time it takes to read through and shortlist candidates to contact, it is common not hear back straight away.

Following up by email
Both recruiters and employers usually prefer candidates to follow up via email. This way they have a record of the correspondence, and can respond at a convenient time.

What to say?
When sending a follow up email, ensure to put the title of the position that you applied for and your name in the subject line. In the body of the email be sure to keep it short, to the point and polite.
For example:
Dear (hiring manager)
I have recently applied for (position) and wanted to follow up with yourself to find out the next step.
I am keen to learn more about the position in your company and should you require any further information to support my application please let me know.
Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
(Signed full name)

Following up by phone
Once again, we recommend leaving a week between following up. When calling the hiring manager, try early or late in the day as people are less likely to be in meetings then. Similar to an email, it is important to be brief and to the point.

Introduce yourself and follow up asking if you are calling at a convenient time. This is important for two reasons. Firstly, if they are in the middle of something you won’t receive their full attention. This leads to reason number 2. If they aren’t available at the moment, ask them for a specific time for you to call back. Gain the commitment, therefore when you call back and reintroduce yourself, pinpointing the previous time you called, you automatically gain their attention.

Once you’re introduced and have explained the position you have applied for, ask the hiring manager what the next steps are and clarify a time frame for when to expect to hear back about interviewing. Ask them about the position, if they feel you have the necessary skills and attributes and if there is anything they would like you to clarify or any additional information they need. Finally, Thank them for their time and finish the call highlighting to them you are very keen and look forward to hearing from them.