If you have done your homework on the company, you will have the names and email addresses of highly placed managers at the targeted company. It is perfectly acceptable, should you not hear back in a reasonable time, to reach out via email to them or the individual(s) listed in the posting to ask if they could check on your application, or otherwise provide any guidance on the selection process.

You should absolutely follow up; an email is an ideal format. Express your continued interest, briefly reinforce your qualifications, highlighting why you are a good fit for the role, and end the email with a polite inquiry about the status of your application and the position in general. This will show initiative without being pushy.

If you haven’t received a response from an employer within about 10 days of submitting your resume, it’s a good idea to take a proactive approach and follow up by sending an email to the HR contact or person who received your application. Express continued interest in the position and inquire about the status of your application. Persistence pays, but stay professional and courteous.

If no response in 10 days, follow up with a polite email. Express continued interest and inquire about the hiring timeline. Avoid calling unless previously instructed. Persistence is good, but respect their process.

Communicate with the employer in whatever way you previously communicated, be it phone, text, or email. Keep your inquiry simple, saying that you’re just checking in to see how the hiring process is going and whether they’ve made a decision. Be sure to thank them again for the opportunity. Then move on to the next.

Job seekers’ and recruiters’ time expectations can be drastically different. Emails will be less intrusive than a phone call, but contacting to see if your application is being reviewed is okay. You need to understand a recruiter can have 100s of resumes for every job they are filling, so your outreach may not get a reply. Stay positive and patient, and keep your foot on the job search pedal.

My clients are coached to attempt personal contact via phone call 7-10 days after submitting an application. This presumes you have done the research to find the name of the hiring authority, which is often simply achieved on LinkedIn or by asking the receptionist at the target company. Lacking that, you would attempt to follow up via the method provided in the job post or ATS auto-reply.

Always follow up if you have not received a response from a job application. Oftentimes, following up can be seen as a greater sign of interest in the position because you have taken the time to make the effort, and that could be a deciding factor in your favor. Use whatever contact method you have or can find and reach out. If you know the recruiter’s or hiring manager’s name, use it.

If you are super jazzed about an opportunity, get creative in getting in front of the right recruiter and/or hiring manager. This could connecting with someone you know in the firm to ask on your behalf, sending in a hand written note, or doing something that showcases what you do and how you are the right candidate for the job.