Follow-up email for a job application: The way to do it.

As we said like two weeks ago, almost 90% of job applications these days are electronic i.e. via email. After you have done a job application by email, there are specific guidelines that should guide you into making a follow up email. This is a subject that may look straight forward but it is not because this is an email that should be crafted very carefully. Remember that this is an email that an employer is not obliged to reply and if they reply consider it a privilege. Some job seekers consider calling in but if you used an email as a method of job application, and then use it to follow up on an application.

You have recently submitted a job application for a position you would love to have. But how do you help your application float to the top of the pile to get an interview? You can do this with a follow-up email after a job application. The follow-up email will place your name in front of the interviewer and help them find your application faster. This may seem far-fetched but if you make an enquiry, it may be seen as an interest in the job more than the other candidates. HR executives may tend to remember your name more than the others. But how do you make it?

Basic hints are:

1.   Address the follow-up email to a specific person: This might be the head of human resources or the recruiter who posted the advert that you responded to.

2.   Introduce yourself to the person using your full name: Tell the person when you sent in your application and how you sent it to the company.

3.   Tell the interviewer that you would like to follow up on the status of your application and mention the specific title of the position.

4.   End the follow-up email telling to job interviewer that you look forward to hearing from her concerning the position. Give time frames and a number where you can be contacted to set up an interview.

These are the four basic rules you should always follow in order to get yourself ahead of the pack. Always try to be different from the rest of the applicants. This follow up email should also be like any other application letter: Very brief.

Be careful not to talk too much on the email or show how desperate you are in the job hunting exercise. If you really need the job, do NOT show it through the email.

All the best.

Safaricom Job