This is an anonymous post from an Elpha member.

How soon to follow up with a recruiter?

Apolonia224·May 08, 2022

Posted in:Advice

Hello ladies, I had a recruiter reach out to me about a position that is my dream job. I received the email a month ago and was absolutely ecstatic. I immediately responded, confirming my interest and provided some times when I could speak with them about the opportunity (as requested). Two weeks went by, and nothing. I followed up and received a response from a different recruiter saying that the original recruiter had left the company and that they would be following up with me soon. Another two weeks have gone by with no communication and I'm feeling very anxious. Would it be appropriate to follow up again? If so, when and how might I go about doing so?

Thank you!!

Iynna·May 08, 2022

Absolutely! Please do follow up, I usually give 3-5 days before any follow up so 2 weeks is definitely more than enough :-) I recommend in your email to make it a bit more juicy e.g "I am still really interested in this role. I bring X years of experience doing ABC at [insert previous or current company, whichever is relevant to the role you're being contacted for]. I'd love to find time to connect with you. Let me know how your schedule looks like for [insert 3-5 dates / times that work for you] and if none works, I'd be happy to accommodate your schedule. " Let us know what ends up happening!

Apolonia224·May 09, 2022

@iynna thank you!!

Iynna·May 09, 2022

Of course! Rooting for you and keeping my fingers x you get an answer soon! :-D

Apolonia224·May 17, 2022

Update: I followed up with the recruiter this past Friday listing my experience and reiterating my interest, and still no response. :( I'm going to try reaching out on LinkedIn next week.

AnnaGraves·May 09, 2022

Recruiters have been very spammy lately. In my experience, they reach out about a great job (sometimes even posing as the company posting the job which is how I’ve come in contact with all recruiters. They never advertised in the JD that this application is through the recruiting agency.) You speak with them, everything sounds great, and you never hear from them again. Only…. To hear from them later about a completely different job opportunity. Um no ma’am, you’re not gonna even update me? Lol Ridiculous. I’d recommend applying directly to the company and perhaps finding a team member to reach out to. Maybe framing the message to something such as; “Hello, [team member]! I recently applied for the open [position] role at [company]. I am excited to begin this application journey with [company] as I admire [insert area of interest, ie. the mission company is on]. If you are available [sometime within a week, ie. Wednesday or Thursday at noon], I would love to speak with you more about [company] and [role]. Best[Name, email, etc]I hope this helps!

Halley194·May 09, 2022

Yes, you should! I have been a recruiter for 15+ years and I absolutely love the FOLLOW up emails from candidates. That shows that you are genuinely interested in the job. I would add some time slots and a number where to reach you so the recruiter can add you in her/his calendar

Annmarie10·May 09, 2022

Thank you @Halley194!

Morgan·May 09, 2022

I'd follow up once every 4 or 5 days. On the last message, mention that this is the last time you'll reach out.

AnnaGraves·May 11, 2022

I second this 👏🏽

rachelserwetz·May 11, 2022

I personally recommend following up 1x/week, for 3 weeks, and after the 3rd week then waiting a bit. You want to stay warm but also allow for some breathing room. Show persistence and also patience. Ensure your follow ups are specific and meaningful in what you're sharing/asking. @Apolonia224 BTW, I'm Rachel, a Career Coach (iamwoken.com), and I offer a ton of free videos and blogs on my website here - iamwoken.com/resources, and also a free initial career coaching call here-- calendly.com/woken/demo

Apolonia224·May 12, 2022

@rachelserwetz do you think messaging the recruiter on LinkedIn would be too forward? I have been connected to her for a few years there.

rachelserwetz·May 17, 2022

Nope definitely not; it is their job to talk to and vet strong candidates. I personally suggest/prefer emailing over LinkedIn DM but definitely reach out. If you don't ask, the answer is no! Happy to help with any and all of these scenarios (networking, job search strategy, if you'd like to talk through what to say, where to reach out, etc.). (calendly.com/woken/demo) @Apolonia224