How to Follow Up After Applying for a Job

A good follow-up is short, polite and specific. It reminds a busy person that you exist, makes their next step easy, and then leaves them alone. This guide covers when to send it, who to send it to and what to put in it. The timings are rules of thumb: if the job posting or the recruiter gave you a date, that date beats everything below.

The short answer

Wait about a week after you applied, or after the closing date if there was one. Send one brief email to a named person. If there is still no reply, follow up once more a week or two later, then move on and keep applying elsewhere.

When to follow up

Start from what the employer told you.

• They gave a date. Wait until that date has passed, then write.
• They gave no date. Wait seven to ten days after applying.
• After an interview. Send a thank-you note within a day. Follow up only once the date they gave you for a decision has passed.

Choose a weekday morning in their time zone, so your message is near the top of the inbox.

Who to write to

In order of preference:

1. The recruiter or hiring manager named in the posting.
2. Someone who interviewed you.
3. A careers or recruitment address on the company website.

Stick to work email and professional messaging. Do not track down personal phone numbers or private accounts.

What to put in the message

Four parts, in under 120 words:

1. Who you are. Your name and the exact role you applied for.
2. One specific reason you fit. A single sentence tied to the posting.
3. A simple question. "Could you tell me where the process stands?" is easy to answer.
4. A thank-you and your contact details.

A short example

Subject: Application for Frontend Developer: following up

Hello Ms Otieno,

I applied for the Frontend Developer role on 12 October and wanted to follow up. My recent project, a job tracker built with Next.js and PostgreSQL, matches the stack in your posting.

Could you let me know where the process stands? I am happy to send anything else that would help.

Thank you for your time.

Kind regards, Ada Mwangi

What to avoid

• Messaging every day, or on several channels at once.
• Sounding annoyed or entitled, even if you are.
• Asking something the posting already answers.
• Attaching your CV again unless they asked for it.

Keep track so nothing slips

The hard part of following up is remembering to do it. Write down the date you applied, set two reminders and record every message you send.

• The follow-up planner works out the dates and gives you a calendar file.
• The follow-up email template fills in the message above for you.
• JobPulse keeps every application, stage and follow-up in one place, and can email you a daily summary of what is due.