I applied for a job about a week and a half ago but have not heard back.

20 Comments

1. Liz GrayJune 15,2023 at 4:16PM UTC

   I’m doing the same thing for an open role today. My plan is to first try to find someone on LinkedIn from their HR team I can send a direct InMail to. Otherwise I will send a note to one of the Regional Sales Directors (not knowing which Director works in my region, but they will more than likely pass it on to the correct person.) Sending a follow up email before being contacted shows a sense of personal accountability and willingness to step up and take control of a situation.

   It should be as simple as letting them know you are contacting them about the open xyz position (or requisition number if it’s posted on the job) currently on abc website. Let them know you’ve already submitted your resume through the appropriate channel but wanted to reach out directly to let them know why you’re interested in the role and why you would be an excellent fit for both the job responsibilities and the team/company culture. Check their website and be sure to specifically mention how your passions/experience/personal values align with something in their mission or vision statement to show them you’re a great cultural fit.

   Then let them know you are excited for the opportunity to speak with the hiring manager regarding your experience. End with a request for a time you could potentially connect with someone on the team. (I know the last one may sound uncomfortable if you’re not in sales, but it’s worked brilliantly for me in the past even before I moved into a sales capacity. Tell them that you want it!)

   Good Luck!!

2. AnonymousJune 15,2023 at 7:00PM UTC

   Step back for a second, I think you're being a little hasty here - it's only been a week and a half, which is really just a week of business days. The company might not reach out to potential candidates until they have a chance to review the entire applicant pool, or at least the people who applied in a certain time period. If hundreds of people applied, this will take some time. If you applied through LinkedIn, you can see how many people applied through that platform, and it's probable this is posed multiple places. So have some patience!

   By the way, I am also an attorney, and I don't know how much experience you have in job searching in our industry, but I have heard back about my applications anywhere from days to months later. So I recommend giving it more time. You need to balance your interest with not seeming desperate for the job.

3. AnonymousJune 15,2023 at 7:43PM UTC

   Despite technology, any resumes WORTH reading take time!

   I respect -- totally -- your need to find out what's up. So been there. Often.

   As positive a person I am, I send the resume, CV, etc and assume I hear nothing -- ever. Not being negative, it's being practical. Keep looking until you hear "yes". Don't need to be desperate -- it shows ( learned the hard way there too)

   If you need $$$ yesterday, get a temp job (sometimes doors really open) and you don't have the feeling of commitment. $$ is $$ until a good opportunity pops up

   Hang in there

4. AnonymousJune 16,2023 at 12:35AM UTC

   Yes, try to find an actual human being affiliated with the role and tell them how are you excited you are about havinapplied and how you hope your résumé doesn’t get lost in a virtual pile because you have very unique and special credentials which they can use and list a few of them .if you don’t hear back from the person that you targeted then forget it and apply for the next job

5. Heather (she/her)June 16,2023 at 8:31AM UTC

   I tend to send a follow-up email after about two weeks, and try to find a real human to send the email to (you can usually find an HR leader on LinkedIn). I essentially use the email as a cover letter and (briefly) reiterate why I'd be great for the role.

6. AnonymousJune 16,2023 at 11:04AM UTC

   That is not a long time. There's a posting period of positions that needs to complete, review process on who to reach out to, then depending upon the company's processes they may first need to review with hiring manager of what they're seeing in their candidate pipeline and get thoughts and assess what the needs of the business are for this role and connect to what candidates are displaying. Dude, this is NOT a quick process. AND, and, they have multiple positions as recruiters they are working on at the same time even with prioritizing, because ALL leaders say theirs is a priority. Sit tight, your email may not be the impactful hope at this point. What I would do, is see if you can connect on LI and send a message that way, THOSE typically stand out better than an email.

7. AnonymousJune 16,2023 at 12:55PM UTC

   A week and a half isn't a very long time, so a follow-up email may not help at this point, and may hurt.

8. G MicheleJune 16,2023 at 1:07PM UTC

   Send the email asking for an update and let them know you’re excited for the opportunity to work for abc company. I will usually ask in my interview the next steps in the interview process and when they’ll be making their decision.

9. G MicheleJune 16,2023 at 7:45PM UTC

   My apologies, I mistakenly thought you had interviewed with them. Resumes can fall into dark holes for the many reasons people have posted here. I’d continue on the search and if they do come back to you great!!

10. AnonymousJune 16,2023 at 1:34PM UTC

    There’re so many possible causes for why they haven’t replied back, really.

    -They ‘re swamped with resumes, so they haven’t gotten to yours yet

    -The recruiter or hiring manager for the position has been laid off. Thus, they’re searching for a new person to take over this job opening. .

    -They already hired someone else, or they have an internal candidate/referral in mind. They just need the person to accept their job offer, and they may be using you as backup in case that person says no.

    .-The job doesn’t start until months later, so the need to hire isn’t there yet.

    -They don’t have the budget to hire at this time, so it’s possible that they’ll cancel the job opening.

    -They’re not hiring at all. They’re just fishing for resumes or they’re keeping the opening up to make their overworked employees think they’re hiring.

    I’ve had employers whose jobs that applied to 3+ months ago contact me for an interview, and they’ve hired me. But, I’ve also had companies reject me after no answer for months. You never know what the heck is going on with these hiring types. All you can do is apply to other jobs in the meantime.

11. AnonymousJune 16,2023 at 2:47PM UTC

    There are jobs I applied for in *February* that I haven’t heard back from. It’s just how the market is currently.

12. AnonymousJune 16,2023 at 4:21PM UTC

    I once got an email (somewhere in 2020), for a position I applied for in May 2018. Well, I declined. For such a company, I don't want to work.

13. AnonymousJune 16,2023 at 3:38PM UTC

    A week and a half isn’t that long. Sometimes they put the post up for a few weeks and then do all their interviews in a short amount of time. I usually expect at least a few weeks before I’ll hear back.

14. AnonymousJune 16,2023 at 5:29PM UTC

    As a manager who is usually doing the hiring, a week and a half after the initial application is nothing. Sometimes the recruiter sits on them for a while or is busy with other positions that are further along. Sometimes the manager takes a few days to review and get back to the recruiter. It usually takes longer than it should because of a variety of factors. I would wait until 3 weeks to ask about it.

15. AnonymousJune 16,2023 at 6:01PM UTC

    Thank them for their time and reiterate the main points on why you are a fit. Ask for some feedback and a timeline for when you can expect their decision. Keep it simple.

    FYI- in future when in the interview ask them to share this so that you are not in this position going forward. Most companies know what their process is, how many steps timeline to fill etc.

16. lyn johnsonJune 17,2023 at 12:38PM UTC

    considering it's summer, many folks tend to take time off for graduations or to reset themselves. A week isn't a long time. Send the f/u email to reiterate your interest but give the hiring team a bit of grace.

17. Jessica MezzettiJune 17,2023 at 12:50PM UTC

    I just got a rejection email from a company I interviewed at a year ago so a week and half isn't bad.

18. Peggie Arvidson * Career Consultant | Adoptee Advocate | RecruiterJune 17,2023 at 1:31PM UTC

    "Dear ....whomever you met with " (and cc the recruiter if you worked with one)

    I'm excited about the ways my background in XYZ will align in helping ABCompany meet their SPECIFIC goal/s that we discussed on DATE OF INTERVIEW.

    You mentioned when I left that you'd like to have the position filled by DATE. (Pick whatever is applicable here: As that date has passed I'm curious if it's still on target for this quarter? || As that date is approaching I'm eager to hear what your next steps are."

    Kind Regards,

    YOUR NAME

    Good luck

19. AnonymousJune 18,2023 at 2:43AM UTC

    Sounds like there wasn’t even an interview yet, just an application to a job.

20. Chantel CummingsJune 17,2023 at 5:35PM UTC

    It has only been a week and a half. Hiring takes a long time.