Your Job Search: Applying for a Job

Now you sit patiently and wait; but don’t wait longer than one week. Many employers don’t immediately acknowledge your application or provide prompt feedback. This is the time to show that you have the kind of persistence to get you the job and to help you carry out your duties once hired.

If during your research, you succeeded in finding a contact name or e-mail, follow up on your application’s status at least once a week. You have to walk a fine line between being a pest and being persistent. If the employer doesn’t want to hear from you, it will state that. This is especially important with temporary staffing agencies, who often deal with many applications at once.

Use your calendar to prompt yourself, after three weeks, to send a letter by regular mail to the employer’s address. In the letter, reconfirm your interest in the position and ask for an update. With a focus on only 15 to 20 target employers, you can maintain contact and not let your application get stale.

Now with a well prepared application, résumé, and continuing communication, your cell phone might ring, or your e-mail could bring a message asking you to come in for an interview. At that point, it is time to prepare for the interview process.

1. Your Job Search: The New World of Job Searching
2. Your Job Search: What Do You Want to Do?
3. Your Job Search: Preparing Your Résumé and Cover Letter
4. Your Job Search: What Type of Work Arrangement is Right for You?
5. Your Job Search: Researching Jobs and Employers 
6. Your Job Search: Applying for Jobs
7. Your Job Search: The Interview Process
8. Your Job Search: The Job Offer