Try "Update"

Greetings!

One of the toughest things to do as a job seeker is to follow-up on an opportunity whether you applied for the position, were networked into it or sent out a "cold" correspondence.

The more connections you have to the hiring manager, HR or someone in the organization that can help your candidacy, the better.

The good news is that there are a few things you can do to try to increase your chances. You can send additional material in another correspondence, look for networking connections in the firm or even pick the phone and call the name of the contact you either have or one you research.

The bad news is that the hiring system has evolved to where it is as difficult as ever to find that opening in the firm needed to follow-up.

One one word has helped me immensely through the years in all types of follow-up ranging from work, volunteer work, outside of work and yes, the job search.

That word? Update.

I don't remember who enlightened me about the word "update" but it was at least a few decades ago and their advice has served me well.

Why? Why not call the hiring manager or HR contact and say, "Hi Andy, I applied for the XYZ position last week and would like to know when interviews are being setup or if you need more information or am I being considered?" or other approach.

The problem with all of those approaches and in fact almost all approaches is that, for the most part, they put the person your communicating with in a defensive position. There is a chance you might get a response that you seek. But more than likely the response will be a vanilla one that tells you nothing or worse, a response that tells you that you are irritating the person and you may have lost any potential good will with them. 

I've found that using the word "update" works much better. The reason for that is that update is much less threatening. Update does not lend itself  to putting people on the defensive. It is a pretty innocent request.

Compare.

Mr/Ms Hiring Manager I applied for the XYZ position last week. I just want to see if you received my application and if I will be part of the interview pool. 

or

Mr/Ms Hiring Manager, I applied for the XYZ position and wanted to get an update on the hiring process. 

This second approach is less threatening. Although you are not asking specifically about your application, you have a better chance of the person giving you what information they can give out and not give you a blanket, we'll be in touch if you've been invited to interview. 

Try using "update" next time you follow-up a job application. You might be pleasantly surprised...

Thanks for visiting,
Andy