Should You Follow Up After Sending Your Resume?

As an HR manager, I really dislike when applicants call me to follow up on the status of their application. Well, the ‘status’ of application is that I will be doing the following up – with the applicants who are qualified.

I also really, really dislike when applicants call me and really push it to set up an interview. I guess, some applicants do that because they think that they will come across as assertive and enthusiastic. However, my perception is that if you are already this pushy and high maintenance without even being an employee, I can’t imagine how you are going to be once you become one. Lucky for me, you already showed your true colors and saved me the trouble.

Bottom line, HR managers are very busy. No one appreciates being constantly interrupted by unimportant phone calls to check on whether a resume was received or not. If applicants cannot resist the urge to contact the HR manager, do it in writing (email, card) so that it is not intrusive. If you do not hear back, move on please.

Have you ever considered the fact that those who call you maybe don’t have the experience yet and want a chance to show you how interested they are. Give people a break why don’t ya. If more HR people would give people a chance who are dedicated to and motivated to call you then maybe you wouldn’t have to hire some one in the first place. Look at things from the other side not just your own.

Emily, I agree! Only when Giselle gets on the street without a job, she will get to feel how it is and then we will see her “true colors”! Any day we can switch the places, Giselle!

U fool I think you show your true colours no one want to work for a power mad moron, I someone with experience in human resources would know that they are feeling out the company as much as you them. A good employer with ask and answer the right question and this is true of a employee. I glad i dont deal with inexperienced hr managers and hired and fired myself.

At this giselle lady, well as a freaking manager, you should know that its not good to keep people waiting! Maybe they really need this job. a follow up is just wanting to know if youre interested. like jeez, i wonder why you were hired. a follow up is perfectly fine in my opinion. what, youre not gonna hire them just because they wanted to know what you think? give me a break. its people like you who dont deserve jobs.

I agree one hundred percent with morah. I understand well how busy the HR department can be , which applies to other departments as well. At the same time it is their job to clarify whether the job is available or already someone has started the job. Why keeping people waiting when the job is gone. On the other side , all resources show that it is important to follow up on the job application to let the employer knows you are still interested in the job. On this basis many people will call to show their interest , how would they know their follow up would give such a horrible impression. I beleive guys this problem should be addressed carefully so as not to misjudge people characters. For God sake ! it is terrible.

I don’t think to contact them. Why means they are always busy and we are not only the person to contact them. Anyway i will wait upto they contact me. Why means for their they definitely need a employer. So they will definitely view our performance in the interview..

I completely disagree with Giselle’s comments about not contacting the employer to see if they received your resume. Candidates call because they do not like being left waiting and waiting for the phone call. Candidates don’t have the luxury to wait and wait and wait and wait for the phone call and after all we are looking for jobs. So candidates will call and it does not show that we are pushy and in fact it shows how much we want the job. If the calls are that unimportant to you then I think you are in a wrong job for yourself. All you sound like is you receive resumes and then they are unimportant and you’ll just throw them to the side and ignore them. Your job is to bring candidates in, answer phones, tell candidates they received the resume and set up the interviews!!! Ignoring candidates phone calls and follow ups just irritates the candidates and makes you look like you don’t care about the candidates or your job!!! Also if your precious time is to busy with OTHER STUFF other than the candidates hire an assistant who would be happy to take the phone calls, set up interviews etc…..

Continued… By Giselle’s comment this is exactly why so many people HATE HR people and why HR departments get such a bad rap because it’s people like you Giselle that either don’t take their work seriously or don’t care for example one of your comments you made

“No one appreciates being constantly interrupted by unimportant phone calls to check on whether a resume was received or not.” Ok a little news that might suprise you that is part of your job to let candidates know you received the resume and return calls!! This is EXACTLY why so many people will give their resumes to someone else like the boss or a connection with the company who actually cares!! People ignore the HR like a damn plague!!! Well if resumes, candidates and phone calls, returning phone calls are so damn unimportant to you and you are so unwilling to take 2 simple seconds to check that the candidate that called to tell him/her that you did receive your resume then you obviously need to seriously reconsider your job and find another position where people wont bother you!!

Mo i couldnt agree with you more, i am actually in the process of looking for a new job. I had an interview last week, and was debating whether or not to send a follow up letter, just to know my status. And i finally did, in fact it was the best decision ever. I received a message in return telling me how sorry she was for not calling me earlier and that she has not forgotten about me, that she has not had time to interview anyone else so to please give her another week, also expressed how she really liked me and hoping i havent yet found another job…. So i 100% agree with you. Dont think about it do it… you have nothing to lose

It’s comments like Giselle’s that make me afraid to follow up my resume. However, once I have been contacted for an interview, I feel like a connection has been made, and at the end of all interviews, I do ask what the time line is for making a decision regarding the next round or hiring. Immediately after the interview, I send a thank you, and if the deadline for making a decision passes, I don’t feel bad at all for checking in.

If I am ignored in this follow-up (as I was by one company that didn’t answer my phone call or email after the initial interview), then I know my answer and, honestly, I wouldn’t think I’d want to work for such an unprofessional place, anyway.

I feel that Mo is dead on with her comments in regards to Giselle’s. In this day and age with the economy being what it is, there are people searching for hours a day to find a job that could be the perfect fit. For someone like Giselle who obviously doesn’t care about people at all to say it is annoying for someone to call back in regards to a resume they sent is just atrocious. Giselle, it is people like you that destroy excellent candidates’ drive and enthusiasm. You definately do NOT belong in Human Resource Management. Shame on you and others like you for not being considerate of human beings and the scarey economical crunch they are in. It is my opinion that people like Giselle are power hungry mongers afraid of hiring more intelligent people then themselves, which in turn is detrimental for the company they work for.

I have to agree with everyone regarding Giselle’s comments. It is very frustrating not hearing anything at all. You send your resume over the internet and 9/10 times you hear NOTHING there other 1/10 you get an automated reply that indicates your resume was received (which I appreciate). Then you hear nothing else. How about at least an EMAIL? At the very least a generic email blind email to people to let them know a candidate has been selected or we have selected possible candidates from the first pool and if needed will select from a second pool but TELL US SOMETHING. I really believe it would take some of the stress out of job hunting and MAYBE Giselle and all those LIKE GISELLE would not get as many phone calls.

I think it’s people like Giselle who have kept me away from only wanting to support my family. I am in desperate need of work as I have been looking for nearly a year and nothing has come up. NOTHING! It starts to become very depressing after so long! All we want is to make a better life financially for our family’s and put food on the table for our children. If that means calling and checking up on a resume once in a while for a fighting chance then I will continue to do so. I could careless how busy you are. You aren’t the one suffering.

Giselle, I would like to buy you a cup of coffee………………….
…..so you will stop being so damn cranky. I’m so happy that YOU have a job, but obviously you do not display the the level of professionalism that many others would. Karma?

I am a job seeker, and frankly, I am with Giselle on this one.

Employers receive hundreds of applicants, and why should they have their employees spending all day answering routine and meaningless emails.

A better solution would be to build a page on their website with the latest info on the status of the job opportunity.

Also, I dont want to be expected to send out hundreds of insincere letters brown-nosing for jobs. How do all of you anti-Giselle people feel about spam in your own inboxes? How do you feel about salespeople who call you on the phone? (yes, you are selling yourself) People who I’ve spoken with who are in senior management (not HR) hate this stuff. I say only follow up with a thank you note after you have had an interview. Dont spam!

As a corporate recruiter working in an HR department I would say to Giselle, look for another line of work. People, especially those who are unemployed, are NOT unimportant. Follow up skills is an assett to an organization and I always ask applicants to follow up with me after an interview. When people give their time, even if it’s just to apply for a position, a quick e-mail letting them know of possible interest or not is not a waste of time, it’s a common courtesy. I don’t care how busy you are if you feel people are unimportant then you’re definitely in the wrong line of work. I’m appalled in this day and age that companies put up with workers with your attitude.

So, so disagree with this prehistoric view. Dedicated HR personel should be avoided like the plague where a company wants well integrated and enthusiastic employees.

I agree with the majority of the respondents on this one. Giselle is completely out of touch with the “human” element of human resources. She sounds to me like she is more concerned about her clients’ needs, which is fine for her, but this is ultimately bad PR for the company she works for.

I forgot to post the answer to the question, which is more important than sounding off about Giselle. I believe that if the job is one in which you are highly interested and highly qualified for you should definitely call the company you applied to a few days after sending your resume and cover letter to them. This is as natural as if you were a client emailing in an important document that you want to confirmed was received. I personally have had instances when for whatever reasons unknown to me my emails were not received and luckily I when I called to follow-up, I found this out and was able to re-send it right away. It’s just common sense. As for HR managers not having time for these calls, I say simply too bad and I agree with what the profesional HR recruiter has said which is that Giselle should look for a different type of job. I hope when she sends out her resumes and follows up with a call that the receiving HR person is not too busy to talk with her! That would be funny wouldn’t it.

My question is, what do we say when we call?

I did some hiring in a former management position and absolutely did not mind someone calling me to see if I received their resume. I appreciated them taking the initiative to follow up.

As a job seeker myself, I will call to follow up on my application. It is not only to find out if my application is well received, but it is also a way for me to find out if I really want to work for the company. Meaning that even though the job specifications match my qualifications if the HR is missing the “human” element , I’d rather look for jobs elsewhere. HR in many ways is the front line of a company and job seekers have rights to screen their prospective employer. It is always a two-way stream.

I have several family members and good friends that work as higher-level HR consultants, recruiters and managers. My sister in fact works at a prestigious international law firm as a HR manager. The biggest piece of advice I’ve received from each of them regarding my own job search (I’m transitioning out of the nonprofit sector into the corporate) is–FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW UP.

Giselle, you may want to re-think your chosen profession, as you do not seem to enjoy the human interaction of your position. I’ve also done hiring and recruiting in my former position and the candidates that stuck out the most were those showing initiative. Sounds like you are just bothered by every aspect of your role as HR Manager. May be time to consider a new career, one where you wouldn’t have to be bothered by “unimportant people.”

Was so glad to see the amount of feedback to Giselle’s comments about following up. Seems like she could benefit from a class in time-management!

In positions that have a high volume of phone calls and inquiries, it would be helpful for Giselle (and others who are challenged by the amount of phone calls they receive) to set aside a certain amount of time each day – either early am or late pm – to return calls. In most cases, she may only have to leave a voice mail to the caller with basic information about the resume/job status.

There is so much subjective information out there about the “Dos and Don’ts” of HR practices, that it is often confusing for the job seeker. I’ve also learned that there is no law that requires a potential employer to follow up, and some HR folks take that to the extreme.

Lastly, I can’t help but think that folks like Giselle have a little bit of a power trip going on. I agree with the people who suggest that Giselle find a new line of work. If I were her employer, I would certainly recommend that she brush up on her own skills!

Good luck to all my fellow job seekers. Have faith that you will find something great and don’t fall for the negative media hype!

I am really starting to think there are way too man Giselle type in HR. I have applied 17 times for the same position and have never once been called back, but every other fortnight, I see this well known cup cake retailer is always in need of Bakers. But they never once called me back, I gave up on them, along with a well known supermarket chain for the same reasons.

I would love to get a response when my resume has been received. But at the very least I expect a call after I’ve interviewed. I have interviewed four times in the last couple months and told they would be making in decision in the next week or so. But I never hear anything back. I have followed up with Thank You notes, Thank you email, etc. but still HR is too **** to say Sorry you haven’t been selected. It’s just plain rude.

HR managers do not have any clues on what employers are after and their judgement on job seekers skills is very shallow. They are like a secretary.

HR people are the most inept ones to make decisions on whose resumes should be forwarded to the head of departments that need qualified applicants. By Giselle’s comments leaves no doubt in my mind that, that was exactly happening when my accounting department would have an open position. We would get the most unexperienced, unmotivated, uninterested applicants and we would have to chose one from the bad batch. A person that has been unemployed for a period of time, would be a lot more grateful now in days and would perform a lot better, with lots of interest, than someone that is currently employed and just wants to switch jobs. An employed person tends to be very apathetic to unemployed ones, thinking that being unemployed is a choice…it isn’t!! I don’t wish anyone to lose their jobs, but sometimes, if it is the only way to appreciate and learn the trials in life, then so be it Giselle. Look up the word: Kindness, and try to apply it in your life…just saying.

Can someone fire this Gissele lady… So she knows what she’s talking about..

I think it’s people like Giselle who just can’t be bothered to read through applications, don’t give any feed back on the success of applications and generally put many unemployed people off applying for further jobs.

Following up your application is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, and if I was an employer I would think it showed gumption. The individual obviously really needs a job and really wants to work for that company.

Giselle, I really think that if you are complaining about your work load, then move aside because I am sure there are plenty more people who would snap that job up! After all, you’re paid to do exactly what you’re complaining about. I’m guessing you were just lucky with your application and you certainly never made any follow ups. Just try to put yourself in other people’s shoes and imagine waiting up to three weeks for a single response. It’s not encouraging or reassuring when you have a family to feed and a mortgage to pay! All because people like you can’t do their job and are extremely lazy! We are all busy…you just get on with it.

Giselle should be ashamed of herself—with so many people unemployed looking for work these days she’s probably forgotten what it is like to find a job—some of these H.R managers are so disrespectful to unemployed people. Here is what I say—maybe Giselle would change her attitude if she were standing in the unemployment line.

@Giselle: I truly feel sorry for whatever company you are short changing. You are not doing your job properly. As a Human Resources Manager, part of your job is to deal with job applicants and their follow ups. That includes contacting candidates for interviews AND applicants who didn’t make the mark. You should have a template letter – both digital and hard copy – to send to applicants that you are no longer interested in. Ever hear of a “Dear John” letter? As much as people dread receiving those, it helps in the long run because it’s official and they can move on. Giving applicants the run around wastes both their time and your time.

True colors? It sounds like the only one showing true colors is you. And those colors are Laziness, Greed, Cynicism, and Hate,

Haha that Giselle lady is an idiot. I understand HR people are very busy, but not that busy that you can’t take a phone call or follow up on an email an applicant sent you. I used to work in HR and I loved when people would contact me about their resume or application, it really showed me they wanted the job and they were going to wait around for me to call them. Like they say, “the early bird gets the worm.” Sounds like this lady doesn’t have a heart, she defiantly is in the wrong business. I would hate to work for her.

haha giselle got fired and is without a job. that’s why she isn’t commenting back. what a fag.

I got laid off almost two yrs ago- been in my trade 20 years. I have never been without a job. In these two years I have only been called a couple of times- its the usual thing, they call, ask some questions then never call back. One even said they were more interested in me than the other candidates. Of course the hiring manager was on vacation and they needed for him to get back. Well they never called. I even called the guy back to see what was up and he never called me back. Another lady called me about my resume, i missed her call, called her right back, left a message and she never called me back!!
Just this morning, the company I faxed my resume to called me saying they had my resume and needed to talk to me. I called her back immediately and she asked if I had filled out their online application. I said yes and she asked when was that. I told her a few months ago and she said oh, I’ll be able to find it then so I’ll call you back! Well, she NEVER called me back. HR have jobs- they’re getting paid every week. They don’t care of you’re waiting or not. The ball is in their court. I say call them until you get an answer.

Plain and simple, as a job seeker, its very difficult when you have no choice but to submit electronic applications!!!! I appreciate a call back now and then to show some signs of interest. Not just an electronic generic response saying “we’ve received your application”….. HUMAN INTERACTION is missing! Giselle, Wise up dont be a wise ass…same goes to the other HR Managers that think like you. The fact someone is calling shows their dedication to obtaining the position, that can be applied to the future role they may have within your company.

i find it interesting how these HR managers are so power hungry…its amazing how the education required to become an HR adviser or manager is so basic..yet they have so much control over hiring higher educated people and determining their future so to speak.

Hi I was wondering I have applied for a job two weeks ago and I have heard nothing back should I call the company?

Attention employers (HR) – ye reap what ye sow….applicants are only into you for the same reason you are into applicants – to make money for your company. Show some respect and get over your apparent exhaustion as an overworked entity in an understaffed organization – applicants are equally exhausted by the job search in today’s jobs climate and most are making great efforts to demonstrate the value they can bring to your company. Respect begets respect. Lack of respect begets lack of respect. It’s that simple.

Giselle is a moron.If I were her employer,I would be very polite to her as I was kicking her ineffective ass to the curb.

In this last week, I’ve had a few bites but it never turns into anything!!!
It’s always the same thing: They ask you questions then never call you back! HR means HUMAN RESOURCES. I think it’s imperative that the people (morons) that are responsible for putting potential employees through need to be more considerate in how they treat job seekers. Don’t tell people you are going to call them back if you don’t mean it.
For someone like me, who gets a bit hopeful when I do get a call, it becomes horribly disappointing when they never call you back.

Question: I applied for a job a week ago. I still haven’t heard anything, but when I was filling in the application, they told me not to call or e-mail them. Should I still disregard that and call mainly for the interest?

From the comments about the follow up question. It’s really a tough pill to swallow on, depending on which position you’re siding for. On the side of the HR, I do understand that they receive probably hundreds of resumes for the position. The amount of workload may exceed the expectations that they don’t have enough time in the day to read each resume and cover letter. Also, you should know that maybe there’s more than one position they have to review other than the position you’ve applied for.

On the other hand, I absolutely understand since I’m currently in this situation. Waiting and waiting around for a job to even give you a call is both irascibly annoying and tedious. Calling them strikes a definite interest, depending on how you word when you call or e-mail the employer. Everyone deserves a chance at a job, but if the applicant is not qualified for the position, they should be notified ASAP. I did notice the first comment that was made on this post, that person seemed very annoyed with this question. As if their job is a workload and they can’t handle it, making it seem like no one has a chance to earn a job. Especially with this economy, any job that is available shouldn’t be taken for granted, and to earn your spot, you have to be patiently aggressive to a certain degree.

Kudos to all that are trying to find a job. I hope my comment was good.

What Giselle said was despicable and represents all that I hate about HR and their little minions

But you got to hand it to her, she was being honest.

After this long dialogue of hate and normative statements directed at poor Giselle here, i think the point of the whole topic was lost.

Not a question of how it should be but rather how it actually is.

Giselle and her opinions probably represents the vast majority of HR reps. If you’re wise, you would stop complaining about how it ought to be and understand that HR are by and large a bag of d**ks and think twice before you decide to call up the “busy” HR rep and risk getting on their bad side.

As someone who has spent the majority of his career in human resources management, Giselle needs to find another line of work.

How would you like to not have a job? And you wonder why they call. Are you totally distanced from reality. Who cares if you don’t appreciate it. You are HR and get paid to deal with people, so live with it or quit and I’ll take your job!

I applied for this job on Feb. 7, followed up with HR on Feb. 21 asked the lady had they started interviewing for the job she replied yes then proceeded to say I have received your resume. I am very qualified for the job. Four more days have passed and still no word, keep in mind she said they tried to contact me in Aug 2011 for a part time job and could not get in touch with me.My concern is why have I not heard anything and should I call her again and see what the status of the job is.

I have to laugh at the hatred released by the brazen Giselle in our job searching times, and note also that as is typical, she did not answer.

Hello Giselle,
Could you please tell me the job description of a person working in an HR department? First I suggest you to know your job correctly, and then start recruiting qualified person for the company you are working. May be you are a fresher to the job! It is you job to answer all question regarding the applications, and candidates email. Just don’t say that HR peoples are always busy. With what work you are busy..?If you are a dog you should bark.

YOU’RE SCREAMING I AM INCOMPETENT SO DON’T FOLLOW UP !

TREAT EVERY CANDIDATE AS A POTENTIAL NEW HIRES WITH RESPECT.. IF SOMEONE FOLLOWS UP< SAY YES GIVE ME A WEEK TO SET UP AN INTERVIEW OR SAY NO SORRY !! ITS NOT THAT COMPLICATED… EMAILS ARE FAST TO SEND OUT !! YOU SHOULD HAVE AN HR COORDINATOR WORKING W/YOU OR YOU SHOULD BE COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE A LOT OF APPLICATIONS.

@Giselle, you may have a degree in HR management, everyone who applies to a job are educated individuals. Your ignorance is shared by a few others in HR, they believe that they have to play ‘hardball’- in HR you should be friendly and assertive but never an idiot. Your response and behavior as a hiring manager is an idiotic approach. Lets say that you hired someone that saw how ugly your behavior is, when that person continues to work with the company they will be dealing directly with your team and have a negative impression of you.

@Giselle: Your approach is so insensitive

I have always hated people who work in Human Resources.

If Giselle’s attitude is representative of the company she works for, I would not want to work for them. Shame on you Giselle!

I’m glad I’m not the only one who dislikes Giselle’s comments. She should be fired for being so insensitive and careless!

don’t be so harsh on Giselle..may be what she meant was that it’s better to send email than calling HR personnel.

I think that HR people do not know what it is to wait for a job after they have applied for a position. They post the positions and half the time they are expired postings!!! They have no idea what it is to wait years for a GOOD paying job and work for low wages for years. They are just pushing their control and power around. If the shoe was on the other foot I guarantee you they would follow up with a phone call also!!

With so many conflicting views it is very hard to know what to do. My husband has sent out numerous resumes for postiions he is very qualified for, to date no responses. So here we sit terrified of losing eveything we have worked for as the clock ticks. I think the entire HR process needs to be overhauled. It’s a lonely and demoralizing process applying to positions over and over again. Come on HR, if the job is filled say so, if we don’t meet your qualifications, say so. You force us to “bother you” because you give no feedback. Job seekers don’t care to waste their time or resources on something that will amount to nothing, at least give us a break if not a job.

wow old thread! As much a I hate Giselle’s comments – they are the truth. With the internet, they must get hundreds of applicants. I try to look at it like fishing, just keep casting and hopefully you’ll get a bite. Ive tried it all; following up not following up, doesnt seem to matter. I think your resume just has to be in the right place at the right time and say the right thing. The only thing I wish is that they could at least send an email saying you did not get selected. I hate getting excited for a job and then never hearing, I would rather just get the ‘no’ so I can move on.

Giselle, stick it up your … I’ve been out of work fro one and a half years with nothing on the horizon and 3 weeks of unemployment benefits left so excuse me if I make a call. I only pray that you find yourself in the same position that i am in one day and I only hope your family goes through the same anxious tension that mine is going through. Sounds like you were trained by the Hitler SS.

I am an HR professional who works with applicants on a daily basis. Do to the crippled economy we usually experience hundreds of applicants per position. To handle phone calls respectfully the company has set up a separate VM box with detailed updates about each position that the applicant can listen to. If they wish to speak to an HR representative they are welcome to leave a message and our promise is to return their call in the next 48 hours as there is high volume at times. We set aside time at the end of the day to return calls. Our company has also invested in a higher tech recruiting system that allows us to communicate the applicants status in real-time via email. We want all appicants to have a positive experience even if they are not hired for the posistion applied they may very well have the skills we need for a future postion. In my opinion HR departments are Marketing professionals and should always treat each applicant as a potential employee, retracting and retaining high quality people is so important. If a company views your call as a negative you may want to think twice before you go to work for them. Times are changing and I am proud to work for a company that supports a culture of respect and understanding. We value those who want to work for us.

I agree with Giselle. I too work in HR and I just dont have time to deal with these phone calls from desperate people. If I am interested, I will contact you. If I dont contact you, then you obviously dont have what I am looking for so get over it and move on. Yes, it may take several weeks. If you cant wait that long, too bad. A phone call is not going to speed up the process and what makes you think you’re so high and mighty? LOts of people want the job, not just you.

Nikki,

It is your job to deal with those desperate people. If your job is to stressful find another one or take a cut in pay, you pathetic excuse for an employee. Take the 35K you made working in HR last year and go apply to beauty school, the buisness world obviously isn’t for you.

As for Nikki – your comment was just disgusting. How about you just move on out of Human Resources because it is a field all about Human Relations and being able to deal with different peoples personalities. YES it is part of the job.

You where once on the side of the fence wondering of they were going to call – if not – YOU WILL BE WITH THAT KIND OF ATTITUDE!

I am a Fiancee Manager, experienced with over 15 years in Finance and Accounting fields and working with various industries in the local and international level and could say i could not find any useless departments in organizations like HR. They are always busy with firing people and finding their own friends and families for any vacancies. They are always busy with their boss!

Having worked in a variety of different environments, i have to say that i am disappointed in Giselle’s answer. good thing her employer isn’t reading this because she would probably be terminated for treating the public in such a way. Unless a company specifically states do not call, then there is absolutely no reason to not call and check on your application or resume. In fact, in many industries it is imperative that this is done BECAUSE of the amount of applications they receive. Seriously, sometimes the ones who call back the most are the ones who get the jobs. So Giselle, get over your cushy ass job and join the real world. Just because you think a phone call is unimportant, your attitude makes your company worthless. Good job promoting yourself.

Giselle’s comment was posted in 2007. I’m sure she’s not reading these comments now in 2012 lol Who knows? Giselle might be unemployed right now as well. Although, I do not like the tone of Giselle’s comment; she was honest. She probably would not tell you that on the phone. Also, we do not know Giselle’s situation. Who knows what is expected of her by the company she works for. They could be working her like a mule as many companies do. They try to squeeze blood out of you for pennies. We don’t know all that Giselle has on her plate. Companies are receiving hundreds of resumes today. Imagine if everyone called to follow up on the receipt of their resume. That’s a call center job and HR managers are not call center reps. A lot of jobs you apply for online actually have an automated reply that says they will contact you if interested. They don’t want you contacting them. They are receiving a high volume of resumes and cannot handle the volume of calls they’re receiving. It sucks right now. I wonder how bad can it be to walk in and hand your resume to someone? I’m going to test it out next week. I’m going to try a job fair as well. Applying online is too anonymous. You’re just a piece of paper and qualifications, but if the person meets you they might like you and want to take a risk even if you are lacking some experience or not exactly what they’re looking for.

I think HR should be more understanding. People want jobs today so of course they will call you. What do you expect them to do?!? Just sit and wait for you to call them back and hope that YOU HR people notice them?
You probably will never notice them right? Giselle you need to put yourself in other people’s shoes. Feel lucky that you have a job.

Even though, I hate what Nikki and Giselle said, it’s important we know the truth. I am confused with all the conflicting advice as to follow up or not follow up. Also, should you just start popping up to places instead of being an anonymous email? How do you get passed the gatekeeper with no appointment?

I couldn’t disagree more with Giselle. She epitomizes the selfish, unappreciative, and short-sited attitude that is hurting this country and is the antipathy of what this country is about. She will see how wrong her perspective is when she has to get out there and compete for a job.

Since followup after submitting a resume’ is viewed differently by different employers, decide whether you want to follow up or not.

If you are the type of person who feels comfortable or wants to followup, then do so. Make sure it isn’t just a fishing phone call. Send an email that asks a relevant question such as “When can I expect to hear from you about an interview?” If the employer is irritated or annoyed, perhaps they are not the right employer for you. If the employer likes that you are showing interest and initiative in the job, then maybe it is a good fit.

If you are in HR and it bothers you when employees follow up, you are just being lazy. That is part of your job description. You know j-o-b d-e-s-c-r-i-p-t-i-o-n? If you’re not familiar with the term, that’s another part of your job you’re to lazy to figure out. What are you so busy with? The resume program does all the sorting for you. Then your boss specifies certain qualifications for the position (a position you couldn’t handle) and you pick through a pile, not weighing the applicant as a whole, passing up applicants who could have benefited the company. Your hiring tactics, especially snubbing applicants that SHOW INITIATIVE by calling, must be filling the company less than average employees like you!

Wow Giselle is a celebrity and she isnt even aware.Anyway i agree with most of the comments here.Its only human to worry about one’s welfare.A courteous “no” to an applicant would be far better than just thinking of them as pests. HR these days do really take the piss though.the one in my company boards up its windows with paper to avoid employees giving lame excuse like being extremely busy, imagine what it must do to applicants..Its a sad state of affairs. i understand you are extremely busy but so is everyone else ,if not busy working atleast they are busy living.

Dear Giselle,
Try telling a parent with kids that have to be fed that they should sit by and be lazy and watch Jerry Springer instead of following up with an employer. They took the time to submit a resume and application; they deserve the time to follow-up on the phone with a hiring manager.

Giselle, what do you get paid for doing dear? Sitting at your desk all day and ignoring candidates? Isn’t it your job as an HR person to deal with the public since you’re the one posting in the public for all to see?

One day you’ll be on the street looking for a job and get screwed just like you screw other people.

I thought Giselle’s comment was put very rudely, but it seems that people on this thread were so busy condemning her for that that they missed the point of the thread. Anyway, as a new job seeker, I lack the experience to know whether it is better to follow up or not, but I suppose that the best route to take would be to follow up once, then move onto another company if you haven’t heard anything. That’s what I plan to do.

I’d like to know if Gisselle has come on, read any of these post and had a change of heart as to how she feels about her job. I hope she does

I agree 100% with Giselle. If you work at a large company, you may recieve 250 applications for a job in this market. If she spends two minutes on the phone with each of the applicants, that’s an entire day of work wasted on the impatience of the applicants. With all the time that is eaten up by those phone calls, she could interview a dozen of those applicants to find the best fit. People apply for jobs that they are not qualified for, just to apply. Rather than weeding out those applicants to get to possible employees, she is expected to spend her entire day coddling anxious job-seekers that likely can not to do the job that they are applying for? Unfortunately, that’s the harsh reality of the situation. I think that people need to stop thinking that they are the special, privilaged little butterfly that should be gently carried from place to place on the wind. Work hard, apply often, and move on when you don’t hear from a prospective employer.

I came here seeking advice in what to do and find a discussion on the ethics/morals of HR. It’s wonderful and hopefully people in HR read these and take them to heart.

I applied to a position online yesterday and recieved a response that my application and resume had been reviewed and forwarded to the hiring department. I then recieved a message from the hiring stating I meet the minimum requirements for the position and will be contacted if my candidacy progresses further. The message then gives a contact number if I have any additional questions.

My quandary is do I take that as an offer to indeed ask questions and “follow-up” even before being offered an interview? Or do I continue to wait while in the “application process”?

I am also curious about something. I applied for a job posting that was listed in August. I received an email about a week later stating that they received me resume and will keep in touch as they proceed with the hiring process. The position does not start until January. However, it has now been over a month since the last contact. Should I send a follow up email?

Hi HR Managers,

I was just wondering if you could advise me on how long I should wait until I follow up my CV and Covering letter which has been sent to an employer that I am interested in working for. I sent it 4 days ago and the vacancy has not closed yet. Should I wait until the vacancy has closed or just call to check if they have received my email?

I appreciate if someone could get back to me ASAP.

Thanks

Regards

I read the entire thread and there were a lot of great comments on there. Giselle and Nicky have disgusting attitudes. As to the answer: I think the response one gets when following up depends on the person you are dealing with. Some won’t like it. Some will. Like many situations in life, it depends on who you get and it is largely impossible to tell in advance of calling. I would just follow-up politely so if it is someone who is bothered by follow-up, you won’t offend them and cause them to retaliate against you (by causing you not to be hired). Unfortunately, a lot of HR people are very arrogant and in this situation they have all the power. In summary, I would follow-up unless the job application/posting states not to. It takes a lot of time to complete an application as opposed to just sending out a resume, so if the company is asking you to spend that much time, I think they should take your follow-up call no matter how busy their staff may be (they can work some overtime-it won’t kill them). If there is no application at the outset, but just sending out a resume, I could understand a little more that certain HR personnel don’t want to receive follow-up calls, but there is no need to have an application filled out right at the beginning of the process when there may be no interest in you from your resume. I think the process is somewhat backwards in those instances and should be more like resume, then if there is interest, application or interview or interview and then application. I believe it is unfair to job seekers to cause them to fill out lengthy applications when there may be no interest in hiring them as they could better spend their time looking for a job that is interested in them. This post is my opinion only.

As we can see from the two examples offered (Nikki & Giselle) those of us who are looking for work have barriers set up between us and the companies with which we seek gainful employment. Claims of “we are busy” are just not acceptable excuses for laziness. I personally know a few HR people and their jobs are rather comfortable.

This is an ongoing problem in the job market these days. HR staffs were spoiled by the “better jobs market” when not so many people were out of work and prospecting. Many became larger at the waistline and lax because of these easier times and now wish not to have their comfort impinged by job seekers. They lack any courtesy for those who they are supposed to be professionally dealing with and tend to have that middle-class, “I’m better than you,” attitude. Why? I don’t know. Any slacker can get an HR degree, and many of these folks were slackers who wanted the “easy” job.

This also reflects another problem we have in this country as a whole. So many people go to work, not to work, but to take the easiest way out and simply collect a paycheck. If follow-ups really are a nuisance then why not simply take the few seconds it takes to speak with the person and tell them when there may be a follow up from you? That would be not only the courteous thing to do, but would also be the professional thing to do. Not to mention, it is your job, right?

Donuts, fastfood and diet sodas are a huge part of HR representatives daily work lives. If you happen to be the one who interferes with this routine, then you can rest assured your chances of getting the job will be diminished considerably! Again, as we can see from Nikki and Giselle, most HR people are pathetic and lazy. That is what we are dealing with here.

@ Gisselle, get your heard out of the clouds and get a reality check. In this day and age, doing a follow up is absolutely accepted as long as it is done in the right and professional manner. As an HR manager, who wouldn’t want to have something extra to work with in the elimination process…Did the person sound pleasant and assertive when I spoke to him/her. This is a good way to get extra information about the individual. I did a follow up with a manager and you know what she said to me, “I like your phone voice.” Need I say, I got the job!

The least an hr rep could do is have the decency to call and let a person know that they are not interested. Im 17 and have only had one job. When managers dont call me back when i call to follow up thats when i begin to call 2-3 times a day it might be annoying but i want an answer me calling repeatedly until i get an answer is just as rude as you not calling me and letting me know that i dont fit the positions requirements. I dont need to know that your possibly not hiring or that your toobusy for me everybody is busy those people you ignore are just as busy as you and probably alot more stressed because thay dont know where their next meal is coming from or how their going to get their next tank of gas. These people just want to become honest working people and if you cant respect that maybe you should give a swing at a fast food drive through and see what its like to not have job security when you sit at a nice little desk all day and answer a phone. Things could be alot harder for you why dont you take in the feelings o others who have kids and cant financially support them or living in the back seat of their car just think you could have been that person so inconsiderate to not call tham back because you were too busy with your hand out for more money

Having worked in HR depts., I found many of the degreed HR staff to be lacking customer service, cold to in-house staff and complaining all the time. Very little efforts to put their college knowledge to work as a professional, it is so sad. Would I would like to see happening in this changed workforce is EFFORT on the part of these workers. It is so upsetting to see that a worker thinks offering their personal opinion rather than follow company policy or state laws is acceptable. Enough is enough. It should be a reprimand when anyone, steps out of line from the course of the business and HR should be held accountable for their lack of upholding these policies and laws, be arrested if so be it for breaking the laws. Furthermore, an employee should be able to talk with an HR person, without being thrown under the bus, Executives and HR personnel roles need to improve. Loyalty to good employees with baggage or problems, that have been providing excellence to the workplace need to stop being fired, because they don’t want to deal with it, and help out their fellow co-worker. So SAD!

Human Resources is a needless bureaucracy that makes itself look busy not doing its job so it doesn’t get axed by the corporation which is too myopic to see how useless and wasteful HR is.Most HR women are fat unhappy neurotic entitled bureaucratic bitches with no lives or lives of misery with husbands who either use them for babies and wages or ignore them between extramarital squeezes. HR men are parasitic, beta, frustrated groveling supplicants who contribute diminutively and often negatively to the corporations they infest. Their entire careers are spent watching others earn their keep for them and pay them to be the sewer into which all the corporate effluence is flushed. Some, especially the HR women have a strange sense of empowerment which they exercise like Giselle. Sadly that power is only to say “NO”. They have no authority to act, no proactive capability and in the hiring process, cannot ever be able to find, identify and execute an “opportunity hire” – an “opportunity hire” is the hire of a superior woman or man who is so good that corporate bosses drool for the chance to hire them. Alas no chance because B people in HR are in charge of selection! Nothing HR does couldn’t be as easily and less expensively done by payroll and line management with owned cost centers.

I take issue with Bo Wojtasinski about Giselle because I think that Nikki is easily just as disgusting a person. Entitled, mouthy, probably flatulent and stinky, a pitiful excuse for a representative of any company. I had an experience in the summer, with a flight attendant with an international airline. She was so rude, fat and smelly and she took up more space than two normal people and spent most of her time sitting down and complaining about everything so loudly that I could hear her as well as unfortunately see her flapping gums and bulbous face. I had to ask for everything as did the people within my range of vision because fatso didn’t give a care. I usually am impressed with flight attendants because they work hard and deal with the public in hectic often stressful situations and do it well. That’s why the one I speak of stood out in comparison. I was laughingly commenting when the person sitting next to me whispered “she should get a job in Human Resources!!” It occurred to me then. That’s what HR are. They are grotesque parastic, deadbeats, empowered only to sit down losers who do nothing except complain about the heat and the food and the day and the night and how hard they work shuffling papers and pushing a pen. I could go on ad nauseum but when I read Gizell and Nikki, typical names for flatulent HR reps, I see the green monster who was my flight attendant one day last summer. Disagree? Answer me this: have you ever met an HR person? Didn’t think so!!

While I haven’t been an HR manager, I have been in management positions where I needed to hire. I can emphasize with Giselle, Nikki and Michelle in that, with this economy the number of applicants per position would be equal to the retailer’s Black Friday — every day. However, it’s part of the job. You signed up for it. Do it or get out. At one time, it was important to follow up on an application. It’s showed initiative and interest in the company and job. It used to be someone you WANTED to work for you. It’s unfortunate that the attitude of some HR personnel is making the already difficult MORE difficult — trying to find a job in the worse economy since the Depression. And what’s even more frustrating is the online application process. I believe it has been invented, in some ways, as a way to not have to interview. But it has allowed people the opportunity to apply to companies they wouldn’t otherwise have access to — that is if the HR will talk to them even if they are willing to pay for their own relocation. Another question, why post a job on a national job board if all you want is local candidates. Makes no sense.

Gisele, Please leave your job and give another better HR person to work. If you can’t deal with people then why do you bother to work in the HR department? Get a life.

I agree with the majority of the posts up here. Giselle, life is too short and too hard (economy wise) for people to just wait by the phone for an answer from a possible job opportunity. People need money to survive and human resources departments need to accept that foilow-up calls comes with the territory. I think that you should honestly look into another career path and also try to see if you can delete this posting because it is just pure shameful to all of the working people in this country. Very unprofessional, I must add. Furthermore, tell that story to a parent who needs to feed their family and going through a possible foreclosure on their home.

I believe the answer to the problem here has been stated. A message–automated or not–stating they received your application isn’t all that encouraging, but you know at least you tried.

The next step–for employers and HR people to really have the time to do their jobs–should be to give a timeline. Really. I know this is unprecedented, but say we’ll be calling for interviews between this range and that range. And then either have the job on the website or notify all applicants by automated email when the job has been filled.

That’s it. Our entire system of getting jobs is getting better and worse. It’s retarded really. It’s VERY difficult to find jobs you are a good fit for at all, especially due to various job titles, but it’s even worse to fill like you are throwing out resumes into the void.

And it wouldn’t take much time to set up a system that notifies people of each job stage the job is in and give them an option to opt out. One day, I imagine that’s t he way it will be because I have had some job systems email me upon receipt and some email me when the job is filled, and that’s the least of what we should expect.

I am looking for a job now and have dealth with the good, the bad and
the ugly. I agree 100%, that some sort of communication should be
made to the person applying for any job. A recruiter or HR has not
completed their job if they do not follow-up after the interviews are
done and a canidate selected. Why does this happen? It makes
you think twice about that company!

I am so glad I continued to read the great comments after gisele’s… I have applied to a job I would really really love to get… I was considering calling or writing an email to follow up, I read her comment and was going to back off, but reading other comments including normal HR managers, I plan to follow up.
Any HR managers out there who could give me advice as to what is good time frame to follow up? Thanks so much!! : )

People like Giselle are exactly why searching for a job can make people feel so desperate. For all those siding with her please take note that you are only doing this because you are another lazy HR representative (just as Giselle is). I hope one day you guys are out of jobs so you will know how this sort of treatment feels. Judging from your apparent laziness – it probably won’t be too much longer.

BTW – Giselle you were so quick to respond to the original post… No comment now that everyone has exposed your true colors? Coward.

It’s very disturbing to hear the comments that Giselle, a HR manager made. As someone who has been out of work two & a half yrs, it is discouraging going on interviews, waiting around for days, weeks, hoping the employer calls you, & they never do. This goes on with alot of companies. They never respond back through at least a HR letter to at least tell you that they have chosen another candidate. Giselle perhaps your attitude would change God forbid you found yourself suddenly out of a job and have to grind the pavement. People like you never stay in a position of Authority for long!

I have learned from past experiences that some companies will not interview UNLESS you follow up. They would receive so many applications that they only wanted to hire someone who really wanted to work there. Word got around town that if you turned in an application and waited 2 or 3 days, then called to follow up, you would would get an interview.

Additionally, I once followed up with a thank you letter after an interview with a county courthouse and that letter helped get me a 2nd interview.

I will continue to follow up on the applications for jobs I really want the most. And if it should annoy the HR person that I do this, then I would probably be better off not working for them anyway.

Most people i’ve talked to believe the same thing, that simply sending a resume or completing an electronic application is ineffective. Computers don’t hire make hiring decisions. In any event, when calling to follow up, i always block caller id, do not leave messages, and if the person is using a secretary, i always hang up if they ask who’s calling. If the hiring manager must always know who is calling before they answer, i really don’t want to talk to them much less work for them. When their phone rings, if the hiring manager is thinking that oh it’s probably just another applicant, perhaps the hiring manager should find another job.

I totally agree with Gisele’s comments. Especially when working for a big company, you could easily get send 200 or more applications for one part time position in any big city. For a hiring manager to go through all of those applications or have recruitment systems like Taleo do it for her then it can be very hard. Then having to shortlist the strongest candidates then call them for interview can take a lot of time out your day.

Whilst the rest of you expect a hiring manager to talk to half of the candidates about their chances of getting an interview, reassure them that their application is still active and at the same time, not be annoyed, frustrated and irritated by so many phone calls asking stupid questions. It’s completely different when a store manager sends you an email to give them a call about your application or for a hiring manager to leave her number and ask her to call her back or previously being interviewed for a position but not given the job and end up calling them back in a few months and check if there is any new openings.

All you need to do is apply for the job you are qualified for, apply for other jobs as well and wait for a store manager or hiring manager to call you back, send you an email or leave a voice-mail message. It’s simple if the company thinks you are a suitable applicant then they will call you and if they don’t they won’t call you. Simple as that really.

I am a job seeker so don’t think I am agreeing with Gisele because I work in HR. I am on the other end of the spectrum but at least I know where I am wanted and where I am not. Recruitment and Headhunting is a very cut throat business, employers won’t tell you if the position has been filled and won’t call you to tell you if your application has been unsuccessful.

@ Giselle, You are not fit to be a HR manager. HR role is a peoples role and if you cannot spend time talking to a potential candidate you should work in another line of work as external candidates are your customers.

@ Jason, a person who is genuinely interested can call and check up on status to know if he/she can apply for the role or not. I believe it is important skill of a person. Get a life man.

Its always better to know the status of the application as soon as possible so that, you can move on and find the next job than being kept in the dark, person applying for the job may have applied for more than one job and would be in between two jobs and the job he/she wants to follow up on may be the one who the person is more interested in.

For Giselle and all other HR managers who dont like to discuss with people on their applications. Please find another job.

Having worked in HR, there are hundreds of resumes received for one position. I developed a “bounce back” email stating the resume was received. I made a no and yes stack of potentials. As candidates called/emailed to check on their resume, I WOULD advise accordingly. If it was the “no” stack, I advised they did not meet the qualifications and will keep their resume for future positions. If in the “yes” stack, I advised of the stage of the process, I.e., still reviewing resumes, not moving forward, holding for more information/management, etc. I would narrow it down to 10 and review them with the hiring manager to see who had the credentials he/she was looking for in the particular role. WE would narrow it down to 6. Together we developed prescreening questions to narrow it down to 3 to bring onsite to interview face-to-face. In the meantime, I answered to my “NO” stack on our stance so as to not keep anyone waiting. My “yes” stack was slowly dewindling down. My process of on-boarding was 30 days. I kept everyone in the loop within 7 days of our decision to not move forward if that were the case. It’s not that hard to do. If we moved forward, candidates were advised within 2 weeks of a prescreen at least. Then, tried to do an onsite visit within the next week. With the decision made the next week and onboard. It’s not hard to do. You just have to be pro-active. Many in HR are not! That’s where your STARS come in!

While it is easy to jump on Giselle’s delivery perhaps if we did the maths on a potential 200 + applicants for one position multiplied by the time it takes to stop whatever you are doing to take a phone call you would see that you are not necessarily entitled to a personal reply from a manager. Their job is to screen resumes, set up interviews, interview and hire- they are not and should not be expected to answer inquiries on an individual basis, no matter how nice, human etc. that personal touch might be.

I do wish that companies who encourage online applications would have status updates on their sites so you could check and get an idea of where you stood- ie: posting closed, currently interviewing, position filled but, I have seen very few sites that offer this type of peace of mind.

I would never want to work at a company who finds job applications to be an “unimportant” hassle, or however Giselle worded it.

If you want to follow up, do it. If not, don’t. I think what’s important is the type of position you’re applying for. If you’re applying for a sales job and you DONT follow up, I think that says a lot more about your employment skills than it does your nuisance.

But maybe what’s important is to think about where YOPU want to work? Do you really want to work at a company that stifles job applications? If so, what do their current employees look like? Obviously, they aren’t the cream of the crop if the HR can’t be bothered enough to look into who’s applying.

Second, HR is a joke of a profession. Apply somewhere with a legal department. Lawyers will always get back to you, and if you do it by email, their response won’t depend on the size of your pockets.

Funny thing is HR manager are the most worthless people in the world. They can’t even doing a simple job, and most of the time the people that are in the HR field really just got lucky. They have no skills, no talent, but just push paper. An HR person’s main job is to answer questions and telephones and pretty much be the office slave because they aren’t good at anything else.

Every HR I have ever known, seen, and worked for is horrible because the people they hire are horrible and unqualified. Sorry to say this is where the minority comes into play within a company.

I read Giselle comment and everyone bashing her. Ill summerize what giselle said.

-She said she doesn`t like applicants calling for a follow up because she`s a busy woman or people trying to push for an interview.

I have to agree whit you on that.

-She said that she prefers recieving emails to inquire about follow ups.

Thats good so if we contact you by email you are ready to maybe give us some updates.(Theres over 50 posts saying Giselle doesn`t do follow ups)

So for all the people who didn`t go to school to learn how to read and understand I invite you to do so before posting comments about things Giselle said.

I think the problem is that most job applicants that are never called perhaps are the most qualified. Just because a resume is lacking certain catch-phrases and key words does not mean they are underqualified. It is very upsetting to me that I have an M.A., and about to complete my Ph.D., and have a B.A., plus 7+ years of experience in public and private employment and never even receive a rejection letter. I think that Giselle is the very person I picture when sending my custom cover letter and resume for a position that never responds back.

I feel a large amount of passion toward higher education and advising students, yet every position applied to in the area there is no response. Finally today I sent a second follow-up e-mail for one, and yet nothing. How can I show how passionate I am, or how much help my experience can provide without a resume or ability to talk even for a few minutes on the phone about it. It is terrible because those qualified and perhaps may benefit (in my case the university) a company are often those overlooked.

In every job I have held I’ve been of great value in my position and done far more then those around me – even doing others work or helping them. Yet, I cannot prove this to a position I apply, and it is simply because of the lack of response or possibility of the interview. It is why companies are filled with those who do little, steal time, and are not equipped to handle the position, but yet are there because a hiring manager caught catch phrases, but not the value the person truly put on the position.

In my case looking at Giselle’s statement is just sad!

I agree 100% with Giselle. Phone calls to ask if a resume has been received or to request an interview are not the best way to contact the HR hiring person. Email is a better option. Why? I will tell you.
For one position that was posted at a company I was working for, over 400 applicants applied in ONE day. The ad was kept up for 3 or 4 days and then it had to be taken down because there were just too many resumes coming in.
Not only did the hiring manager have to try and read through hundreds of resumes (for just that one role, not to mention the others that were open as well), but she also had to go through who knows how many phone calls “just to follow up”. If every call “just to follow up” took just a couple minutes of her time, that ends up being several hours of her time spent just on phone calls. Because of these calls, this meant she had to take the resumes home and review them on evenings and weekends, taking away from time with her family and kids. And last but not least, for all of this extra time spent on phone calls, she didn’t have time to spend on her other HR duties, which involved helping CURRENT employees. A happy employee in the office is worth 100 candidates in your email. (Think about it, would you rather your boss/HR rep. spend all of their time focusing on hiring new people instead of working with and supporting you on your current needs?)
I ended up fielding many of the calls and since I did not do the hiring, the response was left as “Yes, we received your resume. We will be in touch if you are selected for an interview”. This was nothing more than was said in the automated email that our recruitment portal sent out to candidates when they submitted their resume in the first place.
For those who send a follow-up email, it is much easier to quickly scan the email and respond quickly (without phone tag). Emails can also easily be forwarded to a delegate who has more time to check the candidates file and answer any questions they have.

Last but not least, a word of advice, never ever show up and demand an interview. It does not show enthusiasm, it shows desperation and lack of consideration for the hiring managers time.

Send your resume and a great cover letter. If you don’t hear back within a week or two, send a nice followup email to reiterate your interest. If you don’t hear back, move on.

For those who indicated that they can’t prove how great they are by submitting a resume online, you are probably correct. It is proven that the most effective way to get a job is not by applying online (due to the mass submissions, evens stars will be missed), the best way is through networking. If you know someone who works at the company, ask them to refer your resume to the hiring manager/HR. A recommendation from a current employee is always a huge perk. The same thing can apply to clients of the company (ask them for a recommendation). If you don’t know anyone, attend networking events and try to make some connections with people who can put a good word in for you.

Harassing phone calls will not get you a job!

In my opinion, the HR Manager doesn’t matter.

In most cases they don’t even understand what the job function is well enough to decide what to do with your resume. The HR manager at best can look at a resume and try to link keywords. Imagine having 1000s of resumes in a large company. Also, being human allows for basis decisions. Most hiring managers need the help now and can care less what the HR Manager thinks of the person.

This lack of ability in HR departments to find good people has lead to HR departments are being replaced with automated systems and armies of recruiters (and overseas out sourcing – but that’s a different story).

Before I make an army of HR Managers mad – I’m not saying that in a small to medium sized company an excellent HR person can’t make a difference. But generally they have other concerns like employee relations, health plans, PTO, etc. Not so much in the area of hiring.

Now what to do?
Network, network, network!!!
Use online services like LinkedIn.
Use the army of recruiters

Why? Simple these avenues put your resume in the hands of the people hiring.

The HR Manager and process the paperwork when your hired!

In my opinion, the HR Manager doesn’t matter.

In most cases they don’t even understand what the job function is well enough to decide what to do with your resume. The HR manager at best can look at a resume and try to link keywords. Imagine having 1000s of resumes in a large company. Also, being human allows for basis decisions. Most hiring managers need the help now and can care less what the HR Manager thinks of the person.

This lack of ability in HR departments to find good people has lead to HR departments are being replaced with automated systems and armies of recruiters (and overseas out sourcing – but that’s a different story).

Before I make an army of HR Managers mad – I’m not saying that in a small to medium sized company an excellent HR person can’t make a difference. But generally they have other concerns like employee relations, health plans, PTO, etc. Not so much in the area of hiring.

Now what to do?
Network, network, network!!!
Use online services like LinkedIn.
Use the army of recruiters

Why? Simple these avenues put your resume in the hands of the people hiring.

The HR Manager can process the paperwork when your hired!

I have been an HR Administrator for over 15 years and although I do not agree with Giselle’s attitude toward people who call, I agree with the no calls issue. If you are not an HR person, you don’t understand the process. I receive hundreds of emails daily which have to be sorted according to the position they are applying to, they have to be reviewed manually and categorized into levels of qualification, they have to saved into our database and many times manually edited if the information from the resume does not transfer correctly, etc. This process can take a least a week, therefore, we only have time to contact those people who we are interested in interviewing. We do have an automated message that is sent out to each person who emails us acknowledging receipt of their resume. I don’t mind getting follow-up calls from people we have interviewed as we let people know during interviews that if they don’t hear from us by a certain date, they can call to get a status, but if I answered every call that came in to verify if their resume was received, I would never get my job done. We do have an extension set up to take those calls, however, we don’t follow-up with all of them. For people who we interview, who are not hired, we do send a letter informing them of this. On top of all that, HR personnel have other responsibilities such as current staff issues, benefits, payroll, etc. I know people get frustrated at the hiring process, I have been on the receiving end myself when I was looking for work a few years ago, but the reality is most HR departments are dealing with tens, maybe hundreds of resumes on a daily basis and protocols have to be put in place to not only process resumes efficiently, but get all the other aspects of the job done also.

i just want to ask, i applied for a job, then i passed the exam and two interviews, then they said that they will contact me after 3 weeks, and its been 3 weeks now, should i follow up or just wait??

For sure follow up…

Here is my problem with HR: I understand they are busy and personally I don’t like to make follow up calls, but I have NEVER gotten an interview without calling a company after sending my resume. Three times in my career I have been in the market for a job and I have found a job advertised which I really wanted, after sending my resume I have waited for weeks before deciding to call, all three times I got an interview, the job, and the impression that HR didn’t know anything about my resume until I called them.

@Giselle… Glad I don’t work for you!

Quick comment, in response to the unfortunatly infantile perspective of Giselle. In many companies, a tactful and tasteful inquiry into the status of an appliucation can be instrumental in bringing the candidate’s name to the top, IF a positive interaction occured during the interview. Yes, this can take the time of a HR representative, though that human resouce function is the task they are hired to fulfill. I suggest disregarding the comments of Giselle as one who has little inclination to fill positions unless the ‘clout’ and ‘honor’ of the position SHE holds is upheld – and that only occurs through her perceived genius of slection, per her inner ID and EGO struggle. That is to say, in her perspective, only SHE has all the authority to hand pick the chosen candidates.

HR gatekeepers are the very ones that give me a “hissy fit.”

After six months in the job market, I have resorted to add to my cover letter the following: “My resume alone cannot fully demonstrate how I can be an essential piece in your company. I would welcome an interview with you in the next few days. If I do not hear from you, I assume I am not a good fit and I won’t bother you again.”

Believe it or not, the tough wording immediately elicits a response, even just to say a “Thanks but no thanks.”

I understand almost every point of view here. My husbnad has been out of work for a month now and has sent seval resumes filled out on line apps and filled out paper apps. He has mad follow up calls only to be told they will call back in a few days and they never do. Although that does bother me what really bothers me is when we can not even get the unemployment office to call back. We can not go to the office in person until you call and make an appoinment. My husbnad has been out of work since march 10 and he leaves 3 messages a day at the unemployment office to set up an appoinment and not one call back. Today he gets an email his benefits are being held for not coming in for a mandatory meeting. He drove down there to say he has been calling and when he said he did not have an appoinment she would not let him stay until he called and made an appointmnet. What is to be done in this situation. Thank goodnesss he is at an interview now and i think this is the one that will get him back in the market. But how sad is it when nobody can pick up a phone and call back.

Giselle is Totally correct!
I have followed up on at least twelve resumes, I sent to companies.
I was completely snubbed from HR departments, in inquiring about resume.
DO NOT waste your time calling or emailing. If they are interested in you, they will contact you.

I think the key is networking. I only call those employers for instances of jobs in which I am strongly and uniquely qualified. I also try to build a personal connection with the contact. If they indicate…your candidacy is strong BUT…I can address the but. Each of these instances has resulted in a call back, and offer etc. Some of these jobs were pulled over funding.

The personal connection matters, so I cannot emphasize networking enough.

For jobs with major corporations, do not follow up with HR as they are inundated and will view you as an annoyance. If you do follow up anyway, be calm, cool, and collected. There is nothing more off putting that desperation. Even if you feel desperate, don’t act it. The H person’s impression of you will be that you were being pushy and draining and this will negatively effect your chances. Try to generate a positive reaction from the other person.

I also agree that the most qualified people often get overlooked. I know that I have been passed up for jobs for which I was extremely well qualified because the HR person was only looking for catch phrases. For example, I listed a series of accomplishment for which in order to achieve those things, I would have used the basic skills required for the job. Since I didn’t specifically list them, the HR manager dismissed my resume.

Just to give a really stupid example. (I can’t remember precisely what the skill set was…) The job might have required strong networking skills — and I listed myself as head of a professional networking group — with the HR person responding, “Well you didn’t demonstrate or specifically state how precisely you are able to network.” The job may have required the ability to type 50 wpm– and the duties to my previous job involved producing vast amounts of copy under deadline. You would expect that with minimum requirements, that the HR would have required a test to see how fast you could type…However, my skill set demonstrated superior knowledge and advanced skills,that would make me EXTREMELY effective in this room etc…and the ability to type 200 wpm. However, for someone of extreme ability, typing 50 wpm is a given and not even something you would even bother mentioning oln a resume….

But the HR person came back and said — we had to eliminate you since you didn’t prove or mention that you can type 50 wpm, (something that would have been a given).

HR has limited ability to recruit or identify strong candidates.

As a candidate then, you should understand this and specifically tailor your resume and cover letter to meet every criteria required,, however small, expecting that the HR person will want to see this catch phrases before even considering you.

I think it’s fine to follow for something you have dearly spent some time to prepare for. I mean people who look for work have always the urgency and as an HR it’s human to think the same way. If you too busy to tell the applicant who don’t qualify, why not automate it? They might have emails or phones for you to leave auto messages to. that way you save yourself and applicants a lot of time.

I just love all those HR managers who think they are also Psychoanalysts – e.g. Gizelle:

“my perception is that if you are already this pushy and high maintenance without even being an employee, I can’t imagine how you are going to be once you become one. Lucky for me, you already showed your true colors and saved me the trouble.”

There are too many over confident HR managers or recruiters with no higher education except certificate or diploma, and vision-less experiences who think they know everything, but the truth is a bit different.

Thanks,
Lik

I’m an HR professional as well but unlike Giselle, I would always ensure to get back to the candidates and mention the reason for not being accepting their application. We must always remember, everybody is busy in their lives. For Giselle, a candidate calling back to hear what happened might be an unwanted call but it’s a very important feedback that the candidate is waiting to hear. HR professionals like Giselle brings a bad name/ reputation to the HR profession. I’m sorry Giselle, but you need to change your ways!

A question for Giselle (if she is even alive LOL) or other HR professionals:

What happens when you’ve had a 5-hour interview, then followed up with a thank-you email and you’re still waiting to hear from the hiring manager?

Is it better to follow up and risk pestering the hiring manager or do nothing and risk giving the impression that you really aren’t interested?

Thanks!

I doubt if Giselle herself is a true HR manager. Maybe she’s the assistant and she thinks that HR managers hire assistants because they don’t wanted to be disturbed by phone calls. As an executive, I ask HR to provide me with all the CVs they haveand related to my department when I am looking to have a new hire. HR cannot decide better on what fits the position, only hiring managers. HR should transmit the decision to the candidate whether they were accepted or unfortunately not for the posiition

It seems like a personality judgement call to me. If the person hiring is a “Type A” personality, they may not appreciate the call because they are already working on their to-do list. However, if they are a “Type B” personality, they may appreciate you stepping forward and reminding them of your interest.

I agree totally with all of you! I think that if you want a job why not follow up with a phone call or email? Especially if you dropped of a resume and you want to make sure that it got to the right person! How pissed would you be if you knew that after you gave someone your resume they just threw it out in the garbage or forgot to give it to their manager? I understand that HR people may be busy, and yes it would be annoying if someone CONSTANTLY called to see how their job status is, but whats wrong with one time? I just graduated college, and even my professors told us that follow ups can be the one thing that puts you ahead of everyone else. I think I would remember someone who sent me a nice email more than just information on a resume.

I think as a HR manager, I am in a stronger position to comment in this topic. Those who attack me here are either losers or desperate job seekers u bet!

@ Giselle
what happen the day you’re seeking a job Giselle?
won’t the anxiety work on you the second after you press the send email button with your resume enclosed?
won’t you feel the impatience boiling in you?
give us a break
you might have a strenuous job, but this is part of it, understanding people!
if you dont like your job, change it!!

@ Giselle
what happen the day you’re seeking a job Giselle?
won’t the anxiety work on you the second after you press the send email button with your resume enclosed?
won’t you feel the impatience boiling in you?
you might have a strenuous job, but this is part of it, understanding people!
if you dont like your job, change it!!

In my experience, follow-up with emails is far better than making calls and if the emails are not answered you can make a call to confirm the status. if you really gone well through the interview, they will call you back and its HR duty to reply those emails.

Wow Giselle, with that sort of spelling and that condescending attitude I wonder how you are still employed? Or is it that your professional face is 180 degrees different than the side you showed here?

If I apply online to a company, I think after a month, just one, would be a good time to dig up some HR contact information. This way both sides win, the candidate gets some sort of confirmation and the HR department is not bombarded by this one candidate.

You know, you can’t always hire people by what they put down on paper. There is also such a thing as organizational fit and motivation. Sometimes the most qualified person on paper may not fit in with the crowd within an organization. It is very frustrating as a job seeker to know that if my resume doesn’t have all of the correct keywords someone else, who may not need a job as bad as I do, nor feel as passionate about giving 150% in their career will get the job. I encounter inefficiency on a daily basis, as well as slack employees, and those who have poor customer service skills. I know I can do better than that, yet no one gives me a chance.

I agree with CJP. I’m returning to work after many years caring for my aging and ill parents. The entire hiring process has changed — apply online, never hear back for an interview, very frustrating to never hear anything, not even a rejection email. I have gone on two interview for one position recently, was told they would have a decision the next day…well, that was two weeks ago and I’m still waiting! Position is still open on the application page, but has been pulled from the corporate website, which means they are close to choosing or have chosen. If I’m not the one, please just call me and get it over with! In the mean time, I’m wondering if I should email the administrator (NOT an HR guy) who interviewed me (so they know I’m really interested) and just leave it alone (so I’m not a pest). SO frustrating.

I’m amazed that the vast majority of you are focused on bitching about a 3am comment made 6 yrs ago instead of responding to the author’s question (a few notable exceptions: Jack @ 7, Tom @ 44, etc).

My $0.02: don’t call. Yes, it’s hard to wait in limbo for a response (there myself right now). But since this was written phones have become seen as even more of an intrusion. If you hear nothing, they’re jerks and you’re better off not working there.