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Tammy Jensen
October 23, 2020
Newsletter ArticleBy Tammy Jensen, President of agriCAREERS, Inc.®
Candidates apply for positions utilizing a variety of techniques. Some apply through a job board, some apply directly through a company’s website, or respond through an advertisement or a referral. Others utilize recruiting agencies. Regardless of how someone applies for a job, many people want to know when they will hear back.
Unfortunately, in today’s culture a number of organizations simply do not respond back to applicants. This can be very frustrating. I encourage individuals to be proactive and follow up on their applications.
If applying through a recruiting agency, the agency is your point of contact. Reach out to a recruiter at the agency.
If applying through a job board or company website, research the company and call the HR department or hiring manager about 4-5 days after you apply. When you call, you will likely get voice mail. Leave a clear, concise message. For example, “Hello Mr. Jones, this is Tammy Jensen. I applied for the sales position you posted on Agcareers.com. My track record includes 2 years of successfully developing a $3M sales territory in the ag industry. I want to confirm my application was received and would like to discuss the position with you. Please call me at 123-456-7890 or email me at ______.” If you can speak with someone, introduce yourself and explain you want to confirm receipt of your information and include a brief statement reminding them of your skills and ability to do the job. (Have a clear, concise message; do not ramble.) Once receipt of the resume is confirmed, ask about the next step and timeline.
If you do not hear back from the individual in 3 – 5 days, call or e-mail again. Do not call every day, as they may be out of the office or tied up with a project. However, persistence can sometimes make a difference.
Once you learn the timeline for determining whom they will interview, if you do not hear back, call or E-mail them. I encourage phone calls; normallyit is more difficult to tell someone no over the phone.
When submitting an application/resume online, it is important to make certain your resume includes keywords that are in the job description or advertisement. Many times, the application goes through an electronic sort before an individual ever reviews. Make certain it will pull out keywords from your resume. While often not required, a cover letter can also be helpful. It allows you to tell a little bit of your story. Make sure your cover letter is specific to the job/company; do NOT use a generic cover letter. Keep it concise.
If you apply online and cannot include a cover letter, another suggestion is to determine the hiring manager or HR contact and send them a separate e-mailwith your resume and cover letter attached. Let them know the date you applied online and that you want to confirm they received your resume. Tell them clearly and concisely why you are the best person for the job.
Many individuals apply for jobs where they have no qualifications for the position. If that is the case, you may never hear back from the company. Read the job description, make sure you include honest information that ties back to the job description.
Be patient, yet persistent.
agriCAREERS, Inc.® is a recruiting agency that partners with AgCareers.com to post their jobs. Check out all of agriCAREERS, Inc.® jobs posted now: /agricareers-inc-company-187482.cfm
