Not receiving feedback after applying for a job can be frus­trat­ing. Nev­er­the­less, you should allow the company suf­fi­cient time to review your ap­plic­a­tion. After all, there can be many reasons why the ap­plic­a­tion has not yet been processed or you have not yet been informed of a decision. By sending a follow-up email after sub­mit­ting a job ap­plic­a­tion, you can remind the recruiter of your ap­plic­a­tion and possibly speed up the decision-making process. However, there are a few points to keep in mind if you decide to do this.

Register your domain name
Launch your business on the right domain
  • Free WordPress with .co.uk
  • Free website pro­tec­tion with one Wildcard SSL
  • Free Domain Connect for easy DNS setup

How to ask about your ap­plic­a­tion status

There is no strict rule for when you should follow up on an ap­plic­a­tion. The general guideline is to inquire about the status of your ap­plic­a­tion as soon as you feel it’s ap­pro­pri­ate but make sure it’s no earlier than one to two weeks after sub­mit­ting your ap­plic­a­tion. The ideal time to follow up depends on various factors that you, as a candidate, usually cannot influence—such as the size of the company, internal decision-making processes, and the avail­ab­il­ity of the re­spons­ible HR personnel. Sometimes response times may vary sig­ni­fic­antly between public sector roles and private companies in the UK too.

By inquiring about the status of your ap­plic­a­tion, you emphasise your interest, which can send a positive signal to employers. It is not viewed neg­at­ively as long as your inquiry is polite and pro­fes­sion­al. Therefore, you should not hesitate to send a follow-up email after sending a job ap­plic­a­tion— just ensure you’re not following up too fre­quently.

If you don’t receive a response to your email, you can try calling instead. In most cases, a polite inquiry about your ap­plic­a­tion will connect you with the ap­pro­pri­ate person. The re­cruit­ment of new employees is typically the re­spons­ib­il­ity of the HR de­part­ment.

How to follow up on a job ap­plic­a­tion

When drafting your email, keep these tips in mind to make a positive im­pres­sion and steer clear of sounding rude or overly assertive:

  1. Be polite: Your email should maintain a pro­fes­sion­al tone, starting with a polite greeting. Address the relevant HR rep­res­ent­at­ive by name and express gratitude, es­pe­cially if you’ve already received con­firm­a­tion of receipt.
  2. Keep it brief: Clearly and concisely state your purpose. This allows the HR manager to quickly un­der­stand and respond to your request.
  3. Use a clear subject line: Include the position you applied for and your name in the subject line. This helps the HR person easily identify and cat­egor­ise your email.
  4. Show your interest: Demon­strat­ing strong en­thu­si­asm for the position is the main reason for following up on your ap­plic­a­tion. Remind the potential employer why you are the ideal candidate for the job, but avoid going into un­ne­ces­sary detail.
  5. Ask a question: Frame your follow-up as a specific inquiry. For instance, ask when you can expect a response or what the next steps in the ap­plic­a­tion process will be.
  6. Express avail­ab­il­ity for an interview: Mention your avail­ab­il­ity for an in-person meeting or further contact in your email. Show that you’re open to com­mu­nic­a­tion.
  7. Review your email: Your email, like your ap­plic­a­tion documents, is an op­por­tun­ity to make a positive im­pres­sion. Ensure the text is free of errors by checking grammar and spelling carefully. Double-check that you’ve addressed the right person before hitting send.

Job ap­plic­a­tion follow-up email templates

Email templates can help you gather ideas for phrasing your follow-up inquiry. However, you should always tailor the email to the specific job you applied for. Here are two examples you can use as templates:

Example 1

Dear [First name, last name]

Thank you very much for your con­firm­a­tion from [DD/MM/YYYY].

I am very aware that a qual­it­at­ive ap­plic­a­tion process takes time. Nev­er­the­less, I would like to inquire as to when I can expect feedback on my ap­plic­a­tion. I am still very in­ter­ested in working as a [job title] in your company.

Should you have any questions regarding my ap­plic­a­tion, please do not hesitate to contact me by email or telephone at [your phone number].

I look forward to your feedback.

Yours faith­fully,

[Your name]

Example 2

Dear [First name, last name]

Thank you very much for your email dated [DD/MM/YYYY].

Several weeks have passed since the ap­plic­a­tion deadline, and I would like to inquire about when and how the selection process will proceed.

As I remain highly in­ter­ested in the position of [job title] at your company, I would be very ap­pre­ci­at­ive of some feedback in the near future. If you have any questions regarding my ap­plic­a­tion, please do not hesitate to contact me by email or telephone at [your phone number].

Yours faith­fully,

[Your name]

Reasons for a delayed response

Depending on the company, the ap­plic­a­tion process can take anywhere from two weeks to two months. The duration of the process generally depends on the company’s size and staffing situation.

Smaller companies often have shorter processes because their decision-making paths are more direct, and re­spons­ib­il­it­ies are less spread out compared to larger or­gan­isa­tions. However, ap­plic­a­tions can still be delayed due to urgent projects or other reasons. When following up on your job ap­plic­a­tion, keep these pos­sib­il­it­ies in mind.

Why haven’t you received a response yet?

  • The ap­plic­a­tion deadline has not yet passed.
  • The re­spons­ible employees are ill or on holiday.
  • The re­spons­ible employees are occupied with more urgent tasks.
  • More people applied for the position than expected.
  • The selection process for can­did­ates is taking longer than planned.
  • A final decision on the preferred candidate has not yet been made.
  • Due to internal decisions, the position will not be filled after all.
Tip

Standing out in the job market can be chal­len­ging amidst a sea of ap­plic­a­tions. A creative way to set yourself apart from the com­pet­i­tion is through a CV website. Learn how to create one easily in our article on creating a CV website.

How to follow up on a job ap­plic­a­tion dos and don’ts

Sending a follow-up email about your ap­plic­a­tion can leave a positive im­pres­sion with HR pro­fes­sion­als – provided you follow a few key rules. Here’s what to keep in mind when following up on your ap­plic­a­tion:

Dos Don’ts
Politely and kindly ask about the status of your ap­plic­a­tion without assigning blame. Don’t put pressure on the re­cruit­ers.
Give smaller companies at least one to two weeks to process ap­plic­a­tions. Don’t inquire about the status shortly before or just after the ap­plic­a­tion deadline.
Ask about the next steps in the ap­plic­a­tion process. Avoid dis­cuss­ing salary. At the beginning of the process, it’s in­ap­pro­pri­ate to ask about com­pens­a­tion or potential company benefits.
Express your interest in the position subtly and pro­fes­sion­ally.

Is it better to follow up via email or phone?

Another option for checking the status of your ap­plic­a­tion is to call. How do email and phone com­mu­nic­a­tion differ in this context?

Email Phone
You don’t know when the email will be read or who will read it. Com­mu­nic­a­tion is faster and more direct.
The message can be carefully thought through. A phone call is often more personal than an email.
The contact person has enough time to provide a thought­ful response. There’s a chance of an impromptu interview.
The email might be forgotten or left un­answered. The contact person might be in a meeting or un­avail­able.

Ad­di­tion­ally, many HR pro­fes­sion­als are active on pro­fes­sion­al social media platforms like LinkedIn, Totaljobs or Reed. You can also follow up on your ap­plic­a­tion through these channels as well as websites such as Indeed and Glassdoor. The same standards apply as with an email. The advantage is that if the contact person views your profile, you may make a positive im­pres­sion – as long as your profile is pro­fes­sion­al and well-presented.

How to follow up after a job interview

How can you check on the status of your ap­plic­a­tion after the interview? Has a decision already been made? With a few simple measures, you can make things easier for yourself and leave a positive im­pres­sion on HR pro­fes­sion­als.

  • Find out the names and roles of your contacts in the company when you’re invited to the interview, for example.
  • Ask your in­ter­view­ers for a business card.
  • At the end of the interview, inquire about the next steps in the process.
  • Send a thank-you message via email after the interview to reinforce your interest in the role.

If some time has passed since the interview, you have every right to follow up. Remain friendly and polite and avoid applying pressure or making ac­cus­a­tions. Reaffirm your interest and ask when a decision is expected to be made.

If you’ve already received another job offer and need to make a decision, explain your situation ob­ject­ively. For example, mention an upcoming resig­na­tion deadline with your current employer or another offer you’re con­sid­er­ing.

Caution: Men­tion­ing too many al­tern­at­ive options might give the im­pres­sion that you’re not genuinely in­ter­ested in this position.

Tip

Keep applying! Even if you think you’ve found the perfect job, don’t stop exploring other op­por­tun­it­ies.

Go to Main Menu