MyVoile - Employment Facilitators

Persistence is something that most job seekers struggle to measure properly. As you may have guessed, the trouble comes when you have too little or too much.

So how does an enthusiastic job seeker find that balance without getting lost in the crowd or risking a virtual restraining order? The key is using your common sense and executing a follow up plan that gets the job done.

A healthy follow up plan should be divided into a few keys areas:

Applications and job postings: Likely, a job posting or an application you have sent in from a cold job lead is the area in which your persistence may be least measured. In this scenario, you are literally among the masses. Sending a cover letter or introduction letter is a tremendous improvement over a blind copy of your resume. In your original correspondence, be specific about what job you are applying for and what experience you have that matches you to the requirements. Set an appointment in your calendar and follow up 2-5 days later. Another follow up 10 days from the original contact date is fine. The objective in these follow up emails is to express interest without looking desperate. You can communicate interest without providing disclosures that will ultimately make you a less desirable candidate.

Interviews: The interview follow up is critical. Same day follow up is impressive. Worst case, follow up the next morning. Your responsiveness and the content of that follow up may be the final polish or final deal breaker with that prospective new employer. Follow up after an interview should include any items you and the interviewer agreed to share. It is customary to agree to provide examples of work product or writing samples after an interview. Moreover, you may have been asked to send in a list of your professional references. Provide the deliverables you agreed to and then thank the interviewer for his or her time. If you interviewed with multiple company representatives, send them each a follow up email with applicable attachments. If you do not get a response or more than a week passes, it is appropriate to send a courtesy note reiterating your interest in the position and looking forward to his or her follow up. After that email, your pace should significantly adjust based on the cues they provide in their replies. Worst case, you would likely be fine to schedule a follow-up email every two to four weeks for a month, two at the most. After that cut bait and look for something that has potential.

Networking contacts: The networking contacts you send your resume or job search requirements to should be treated with soft gloves. You do not want to inundate them with your issues, or they will hesitate and refer you to someone else, fearing your barrage of communication will go to the friend or colleague to whom they refer you. Instead, professionally state what you need help with and get their confirmation that they can and will help. Keep in touch with them based on the schedule or expectations you set early on in your relationship. If these expectations are unclear, consider an email once a month to check in and stay on their radar.

Recruiters: If you have been submitted for a position by a recruiter, email or call once a day. However, if you are on their radar screen for a potential match, don’t follow up more than once a week unless stated otherwise by the recruiter. One thing for sure, a recruiter has a system. If you ask – and you should – what is the best way to keep in touch, they will give you a set of directions. Use them.

If you are spending your days behind your laptop or on the phone using the same contact information day in and day out, you are likely going to burn a few contacts. The flip side of that reality is that too much time without your follow up or correspondence can kill your new deal. Use your common sense and your basic networking skills. There are a number of online and classroom service offerings that can help you craft a process and a plan if you do not have one. Make sure that whatever advice you take, it matches your style and your career needs. Obviously, someone who is unemployed is going to have to step up the effort when compared to a colleague who is underemployed or unhappily employed.

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Comments (2)

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Cyber stalking

i wish i had more guidance a few weeks ago when I missed getting what I thought was the perfect job for me. I interviewed and received great feedback. Shortly thereafter, the company told me they were going to put the position on hold for a few weeks, but not to worry cause I was on their short list. Four weeks went by without any word from them. I was afraid to follow up too quickly and blow a good thing. When I finally did follow-up, I was told someone had already been awarded the job. The recruiter suggested to me that I follow up faster.

Gina Hernandez , March 04, 2009 | url

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Pro-Active

This is all about being pro-active and remaining truly in charge of your job search -- even after you have been contacted that you are a finalist. I think most of us who are looking for jobs think we should just be patient and sit quietly while time spins by. We think that if we grab the job opportunity too fast then we will offend the employer and maybe lose the opportunity, but if we wait too long, then the employer may well see us as dead wood and not all that motivated. This seems like a tightrope to walk, but this advice is right on the money.

Eduardo Garcia , March 15, 2009

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