Being contacted by a recruiter is exciting! A new opportunity might loom in the future. If you’ve been actively searching, it means your efforts are bearing fruit. It’s great news when a recruiter gets in touch, either about a new job or a potential interview.
But what happens when a few weeks go by, and you haven’t heard from the recruiter? Does it mean the job isn’t available after all, or they went with someone else for the position? It’s time to be professional and show interest in the job. Here are some best practices for responding to a recruiter.
Reiterate your interest.
First of all, realize that recruiters are very busy. When you contact them, briefly reiterate the reason they contacted you, the date, and your qualifications. That will allow them to look up why they haven’t contacted you (position on hold, the in-house candidate hired, taking longer than expected, and so on) and put your qualifications in mind without having to dig for your resume.
Contact via e-mail, not text or phone.
Don’t text or call the recruiter. Use e-mail instead. They may have to contact the company to find out why things aren’t moving. Calling may put them on the spot or be interruptive. Texting doesn’t provide enough information.
If you send a short professional e-mail, they will be able to contextualize the situation when they get back to you.
Keep your tone professional.
Keep the tone of your contact professional. Don’t blame the recruiter or company or show frustration at the lack of communication. Be interested, but not panicked about the lack of a job or ongoing contact. Ask generally about the timeline, rather than when you’ll be contacted.
In other words, an e-mail should sound like this:
Hi John,
You contacted me about my application to Company X as a Human Resources Associate on December 5. Do you have any further information on their decision or on the hiring process timeline? As we discussed, I’m very interested in the position, which is a good fit with the skills of interviewing and vetting candidates I developed at Company Y. Any updates would be greatly appreciated.
Best,
Sarah
Keep in touch, but not about the same job.
Not every contact from a recruiter results in a job or even an interview. If the initial contact doesn’t pan out, don’t be discouraged. It’s essential, though, not to keep contacting the recruiter about the same job. As a rule of thumb, one follow-up is fine. If you receive encouragement, you can follow up again. But if nothing happens after that, follow up about a specific contact should stop.
That doesn’t mean you need to break all ties with the recruiter. Let them know once that you’re open to other jobs that fit your qualifications and encourage them to contact you again should a suitable position arise.
Are you interested in a new position?
The job market is booming in many fields. If you’re interested in a new position that grows your skills or increases your salary, the time to look is now. For an overview of jobs in your field, contact us today.
