How to Follow Up and Not Appear Desperate

Gary writes:

I had two interviews with a company that I am very interested in seeking employment with. The first interview was with the hiring manager and the second was with his peers and superiors. The second interview went extremely well and the hiring manager even told me I did great! I followed-up with an e-mail two weeks after the second interview with the hiring manager and did not receive any response. I also followed-up with him via telephone and got his secretary who informed me the company was still in the process of interviewing for the position? How do I find out where I stand and how can I get to speak directly with the hiring manager without appearing to anxious/desperate? I am currently employed and actively interviewing with other companies and would like to know whether I am still being considered for the position with the company I had two interviews with already.

The Career Doctor responds:

Kudos to you for realizing the value of following up with prospective employers. All job-seekers please take note: your job is not done once the job interview is over; first, you must send thank-you notes to all the folks you interview with, and second, you need to follow up with the hiring manager and continue showing your interest in the organization.

Employers have had the luxury in the last couple of years to really stretch the length of the hiring process, some to many months beyond the initial interviews. I think we’ll soon be seeing a change, once the employment environment improves for job-seekers. In the meantime, how does a job-seeker follow-up without sounding desperate or becoming a nuisance?

If the hiring manager is avoiding your calls, it could be a bad sign — but not necessarily. If you cannot reach him because his secretary is screening his calls, consider calling during lunch time or after business hours — where you may be lucky enough to catch him, or at least be able to leave a voicemail message. And since you have his email address, send him an email follow-up.

So how do you not sound desperate? Well, first, don’t act like it. I actually think following-up about once a week is not unreasonable. Calling every day is a warning sign to employers. But, here’s something more important than the frequency — the content of your conversation. Whenever you do call, have a topic of interest to discuss first — perhaps the employer was in the news (about a new product, sales growth, or something else positive) or perhaps you have news (such as completed more training or some accomplishment)… and once you have discussed the news (and shown your continued interest in the organization), then you can casually ask about the status of the job opening. And if you do get a job offer from one of the other leads you are pursuing, by all means call the hiring manager and let him know — it could backfire on you, but it might also hasten the hiring process if you are the top candidate for the position.

Read more in this article published on Quintessential Careers: Job Interview Follow-Up Do’s and Don’ts.