Applying for a job - when to call about status of application?

DarkSageRK

DarkSageRK

Banned
I just decided to jump on applying for jobs at my university, but I have a question...

How many days should I wait after submitting my application before calling to ask about the status of it?

I'm just curious if there's a rule of thumb for this or not. Google hasn't helped much either beyond random responses varying from 1-7 days after the application has been submitted.

Thanks.
 
Give it around 5 business days, then call for a follow up.

If you have gone through the interview process, send the person who interviewed you a thank you card.
 
If I was a manager in a hiring position.... and I am... I don't think I'd take a thank you card for an interview as a positive thing. More like creepy.
 
My Career Center always talks about sending a Thank You card after an interview. I always thought it was the DUMBEST thing they could advocate. It's like kissing major ass even before getting the job.
 
[quote name='tholly']Thank you card, no. Follow-up e-mail thanking the interviewer for their time, yes.[/QUOTE]

Pretty much. I've also heard about a thank you card, but it just makes more sense to email, especially since they'll probably make a decision before a thank you card would even arrive in the mail.
 
Have served as the hiring manager/lead interviewer and I can tell you the thank you email is a definite must if you are interested in the position. Thanking them for their time, ask any follow up questions, basically show interest in the position.

As for the thank you card, that's obviously old school and not expected nowadays. Not necessarily creepy, just archaic.

As for the original question, it depends. If the position will be filled quickly or if you have had direct contact with the hiring manager, a week is good. Wait longer and you may lose out.

Otherwise, a few weeks (2-3) would be normal. Especially now with so many resumes being sent around and the longer turn-around times, its normal for resumes to sit around for a while before anyone even looks at them.
 
Yeah the Thank You is not meant to kiss ass but to show that you are interested in the position. Any Joe can send out resumes and go to interviews.

I guess with the age, it has moved to Thank You emails now. Why not just poke them on facebook?
 
Couldn't disagree more with those who said a thank you card is a bad idea. Especially in this economy where there are likely to be as many as several hundred applicants for a single job (not that all will interview), anything you can do to differentiate yourself is a positive - as long as the content of the card isn't too presumptuous.

As someone who regularly interviews people (my company has people interview with a lot of different people) when I've received follow-up cards it's always been a nice touch. Usually I just get e-mails. It wouldn't make me recommend someone who wasn't otherwise qualified, but it doesn't hurt.
 
Thank you card (not an email!) is a must. Cite something specific that you discussed with the interviewer in your note. It definitely shows you are interested in the position and in a close call, it's definitely a tie breaker.

Calling about your status after a week is reasonable.
 
[quote name='dopa345']Thank you card (not an email!) is a must. Cite something specific that you discussed with the interviewer in your note. It definitely shows you are interested in the position and in a close call, it's definitely a tie breaker.

Calling about your status after a week is reasonable.[/QUOTE]


I work in Human Resources. If you mailed me a thank you card I would laugh, throw it out, and ignore you. To me, mailing a thank you card would make you look out of touch with reality and unable to use current technology. It would just make you look old and unsophisticated.
 
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