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Features Column 8 Waiting for Godot, and an interview: How and when to follow up after sending a job application or having an interview.

Dear Cathy,
I recently applied for a job that I'm extremely excited about. I would be a theoretical perfect fit for the position, according to the list of desirable qualities they've posted. I have exactly the background, experience, education, and interests they are looking for, and currently hold the equivalent position (same title!) at another organization. I applied about a month ago and haven't heard anything, and I'd really like to follow up. However, the posting said "NO PHONE CALLS" and I don't have any other way to contact them. The organization has a form on their website for sending generic emails to a general mailbox, but no listings of personal emails. Should I bend the rules and call after hours to leave a short, polite message? Should I try my luck with the general mailbox email? Should I cross my fingers and hope for the best, or simply give up hope?
Thanks for your help!
K.W. in New York

Cathy,
Hi. I'm desperately trying to get an entry-level job at a nonprofit organization. I believe I have become an expert in resume and cover letter mailing, but I have had no luck so far. Since most organizations ask you not to call, would you suggest going to visit them and talking to the hiring person face-to-face?. Thanks,
Seema from DC

Dear Cathy,
Friends tell me that in a job search these days it is important to follow up on applications by calling and contacting a prospective employer to see if your application has arrived or if they are interviewing. I've also been told to call and try to set up interviews without prompting from a prospective employer, yet many ads say no calls or emails. How can you follow up and be respectful of an employer's wishes?
Thanks,
Anonymous

Before I answer these questions I have to put my bias on the cyber-table. I do a lot of recruiting for nonprofits and I almost always ask that candidates don't call after sending in their materials. I didn't always make that request, but after spending many hours returning applicants' phone calls, I decided it was necessary in order to give the applications the time and attention they deserve.

Okay, now that I've come clean, I want to strongly emphasize that when you apply for a job you're beginning a relationship, however long it may last. So when an ad says, "no calls" and you do call it's a little bit like wearing perfume or cologne around someone who just told you they're allergic to it! That said, I've been on the other side of the hiring table quite a few times and I know it can be really frustrating not to even know if your materials were received. Just as many daters often wring their hands over when they should call after the first date, many job seekers struggle to figure out the best way to follow up with potential employees. Unfortunately, there isn't one best way to follow up because as in all relationships, context is everything. How and when you follow up depends to some extent upon what information and parameters the organization has and has not provided you with and to some extent on observing common courtesies, which I will describe in more depth in a moment.

Sometimes employers make it easier by asking candidates to send in their applications to a specific person's email. Then you can zip a quick note to request confirmation that your materials were received and the organization can zip back confirmation of their receipt. I'd wait at least two weeks to send that initial email so that the recruiter has some time to go through the applications. Before I started doing recruiting myself, I underestimated the amount of time it takes organizations to get to the phase of calling to set up interviews. Even a very focused and well-run process can take a couple of months to reach that point. It takes time to go through resumes and cover letters, and even more time to go through them thoughtfully and thoroughly. Additionally, many organizations are now outsourcing recruiting, which often adds time to the process as more people and information need to be coordinated.

But many job postings don't include any contact information as our three questioners can attest to. So now what's a girl or a guy to do? Well, I don't recommend sending an email to a general email address (or leaving a message in a general phone box) because it will likely yield you no information. Many organizations do have a listing of staff emails so with some basic detective work you may be able to deduce the correct email for your mystery recruiter. But is this going too far? It depends. I wouldn't recommend starting there in your follow up. First, make absolutely sure you don't know anyone at the organization or anyone who might know someone there. You'd be surprised how often you may have some connection. If you do, you've hit the jackpot and can make a brief polite call to see whether your contact can find out if your materials were received. If you have no contact, then I recommend calling the office manager or receptionist. You can say that you don't want to bother person X because you know that she asked for no calls, but you're really interested in the position and just wanted to make sure that your materials were received.

In many organizations, the person answering the phone has the inside scoop on much of what goes on in an office. Sometimes, the receptionist actually knows what stage the search process is in and can even give you a general sense of when you might be hearing something, but I wouldn't count on that or ask for that information. If the administrative staff has no idea whether your materials have been received, you may want to ask what they recommend as a next step because you know mail and fax aren't always super reliable. If, even after all these attempts you still haven't found out whether your materials were received, I would ask if you can have the recruiter's email and then send them a very short note along the same lines of what you said to the office manager. This way, they can respond on their own time, whereas a phone call may put them on the spot, w hich is the last thing you want to do.

A caution here and with all follow-up contacts you make: I'm a big believer that tone and approach can make even the stickiest communication go more smoothly. Try to be as unassuming, polite, and brief as you possibly can be. And, as I said before, don't try to sell yourself. Selling doesn't build relationships; it pushes people away. If you've done a good job with your materials—articulating what energizes you about the organization and how your skills and background are a good fit—you've done everything you can at this point. Having taken quite a few calls (and emails) from applicants myself, I can say that a low-key tone goes a long way. I've gotten calls from folks whose resume and cover letter looked promising but who were so pushy that talking to them actually shifted my feelings. I was afraid of what their communication style would be on the job if this was their attitude before they even walked through the door.

As for trying to set up an interview when you call... Whoa, slow down there! If an employer is interested in speaking with you, she will call you (if they have, in fact, received your materials). It's likely you haven't heard from them because they are in the process of deciding whether they should make "the first move." Asking them to "ask you out" comes across as presumptuous and interrupts the normal give and take of relationship building. I know it can be hard to wait. But instead of focusing on only one job, continue your search and find more openings that really interest you. Then work on customizing your applications and—even more importantly—on networking. I went into lots of details about the huge role that networking should play in the job search in my answer to the first question this month. But I will say here that organizations are very likely to interview and even hire people who they are connected to in some way, just as many people prefer to date people who are somehow related to their own circle. This is not to say that you can't get a job without knowing someone, but connections, even relatively distant ones, increase your chances tremendously.

As for actually stopping by an organization's office to see if your materials were received, it's a bit like the person who very early in a relationship says "I just happened to be in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd stop by..." I don't recommend it at all: it can come across as aggressive or even desperate when that wasn't your intent.

Relationships take time to build, there is just no getting around that. It can be helpful to remember that there's often a good amount of uncertainty at the beginning for both parties. Your grandmother may have said it first, but I'll say it here: don't noodge, no question about it. Be patient, follow up politely but with enthusiasm, and certainly don't give up hope.