Following up on resumes you send in: Proper way to do it? Good or bad idea?

[Mayosandwich]

This is completely different issue from my other post but the reason why I ask is because I think following up after you send in a resume is very important, because you want to make yourself stand out from the rest of the pack. Employers just simply receive too many resumes and most online applicants dont even get looked at because of of this and the employer not having enough time to dedicate to it.

So my question is whats the proper way in going about this? A lot of job postings now request "no phone calls please" by the employer because they dont want to be bothered. So obviously you have no choice with those to just email your resume and hope to hear back. Well that doesnt work too well when theres hundreds of applicants emailing them and your name is just a number in the stack or resumes sitting on their desk.

I have called the companies before a day or two after I email my resume and asked to speak to the person who is on the job posting or whomever is in charge. And from what I notice, a lot of them get annoyed and dont seem to welcome your call to confirm that they received your resume. All they usually say is "I havent gotten the chance to look over all the resumes yet...weve received over 400.....when I do so, I will be sure to give you a call." Its an odd feeling to say the least and if anything will probably automatically disgualify you from the job for just calling and harassing them.

Some people will suggest to go in person or mail the resume. Well the thing is, that takes us back to the "no phone calls." Often job postings will specifically prefer resumes sent by email or fax. Ive tried this many times in the past before walking in person, and 99 out of 100 times you wont even get to talk to the person in charge, let alone actually get to meet and greet with them, so you just leave it with the receptionist and hope she forwards it. To me, that defeats the purpose of even going in when you cant allow yourself to put your face to your resume. And some companies, just like with phone calls, will be annoyed if you walk in and ask to speak with them.

[Conquistador]

If you want to stand out make sure your resume and cover letter get the job done. I don't want any calls after you've applied. You had your chance and you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

[damnos]

You probably follow up after an interview but NOT before then.

You stand out in your application through resume and cover letter, not through an annoying phone call, you will just get a generic response.

Just because you follow up, they still won't specifically look for ur resume in the pile. That's just a waste of time

[Mayosandwich]

If you want to stand out make sure your resume and cover letter get the job done. I don't want any calls after you've applied. You had your chance and you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

True but what if your resume doesnt even get looked at? Cause chances are it wont if theres hundreds sent in. I was told by a friend 90% of online resumes dont even get looked at but ignored. They always tell me, emailing and praying for a call back is for the lazy person and the best way is to take the bull by the horns and go in person. They tell me anyone who goes and applies in person always has much greater chance. But Im bit mixed on the in person thing.

And how is someone suppose to show initiative when they cant do anything but email and hope for a call? thats like throwing a needle into the forest and hope to find it.

[Abel4Life]

True but what if your resume doesnt even get looked at? Cause chances are it wont if theres hundreds sent in. I was told by a friend 90% of online resumes dont even get looked at but ignored. They always tell me, emailing and praying for a call back is for the lazy person and the best way is to take the bull by the horns and go in person. They tell me anyone who goes and applies in person always has much greater chance. But Im bit mixed on the in person thing.

And how is someone suppose to show initiative when they cant do anything but email and hope for a call? thats like throwing a needle into the forest and hope to find it.

It varies online. Just curious where did your friend get that 90% from?

If you apply to some generic email then chances are you are right. However, if your going through an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) then its up to the way the recruiter filters or data-mines the resumes. They will not just look one by one (at least I hope not) at each resume submitted.

I've received a call for a position through the ATS about 2 months after applying. The shortest was with IBM and it was literally the next day. It's really a combination of the ATS and recruiter (if they are working).

What happens alot though is that even if you may not get a response to the job applied, since your in the ATS you may get called for another job that may be a fit.

[Mayosandwich]

It varies online. Just curious where did your friend get that 90% from?

If you apply to some generic email then chances are you are right. However, if your going through an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) then its up to the way the recruiter filters or data-mines the resumes. They will not just look one by one (at least I hope not) at each resume submitted.

I've received a call for a position through the ATS about 2 months after applying. The shortest was with IBM and it was literally the next day. It's really a combination of the ATS and recruiter (if they are working).

What happens alot though is that even if you may not get a response to the job applied, since your in the ATS you may get called for another job that may be a fit.

Not sure if he was exagerating or giving a random number, but he said basically the response employers get from online job ads is extremely overwhelming and they theres no way they can cater to all those resumes.

[Abel4Life]

Not sure if he was exagerating or giving a random number, but he said basically the response employers get from online job ads is extremely overwhelming and they theres no way they can cater to all those resumes.

Again it depends on their recruiting system. If its some generic email (i.e careers@company.com) I completely agree with your friend as resumes will just pile into hundreds or thousands. That is why most companies are using applicant tracking systems for strategic recruitment rather than volume.

Now if the recruiter wants to search for specifics in a resume or profile (i.e we need an industrial engineer whom speaks chinese) then they will filter as such and search their internal applicant tracking system for those candidates that submitted profiles (maybe even for other positions in past). They won't just read every resume they receive until they find applicants that meet this criteria (at least I hope not).

[Mayosandwich]

Again it depends on their recruiting system. If its some generic email (i.e careers@company.com) I completely agree with your friend as resumes will just pile into hundreds or thousands. That is why most companies are using applicant tracking systems for strategic recruitment rather than volume.

Now if the recruiter wants to search for specifics in a resume or profile (i.e we need an industrial engineer whom speaks chinese) then they will filter as such and search their internal applicant tracking system for those candidates that submitted profiles (maybe even for other positions in past). They won't just read every resume they receive until they find applicants that meet this criteria (at least I hope not).

Lately Ive been emailing and faxing my resumes to them so thats 2 methods of them receiving it. Figure it might get me more noticed and less chance of my resume being skipped completely.

[tylaw83]

Or it might just get chucked cuz you ignored stated instructions.

[stardustcross]

There is no proper way. Following up on a resume does NOT show initiative. It just means you don't know how to play by the rules. Just send your resume electronically so it can be filtered for whatever the company is looking for and entered in the company's database. (For this same reason, I would never send a paper resume, or a paper resume through overnight mail or whatever...)

Usually, you get an automatic email reply saying your resume was accepted. Then, just forget about it. If they call you back, great. :) I think the only follow up that's needed these days is a quick thank you email after the interview, nothing more.

[danfromwaterloo]

One should never follow up to a resume submission. If you don't get an interview, take it as a no. They didn't like what you gave them.

Following up on a resume makes you look pushy, and as stardustcross said, makes you seem that you don't know the rules of the game.

[Kappa21]

It depends how big the company.

Sometimes when you send a resume and you dont get a reply, they may be moving the hiring process aside and forgetting about. Because the person in charge is not an HR guru and doesnt have the system to look at resumes and respond quickly, he may forget...so calling them up wouldnt kill.. I mean, it better than not calling and then not hearing from them. Im sure the guy at worse wouldnt sip for the pile and find youre name and rip it up cause u wasted 2.02 minutes on the phone with that message.

Moreover, there is different circumstances for different ways you submit a resume.
For example, i went to a session where they talked about the company and had people come to meet with the company after and give their resumes. I did that and I gave my resume to the HR person who made the presentation. Nothing happened cause clearly I told him what i want and he made up a position (this company session thingie was for trainees and they had multi-positions).

So all I had was his card. Fine..... right?
So he has my resume and I guess he has my face....
So I called him up...said hey, just following up. met you at so and so.
And then a few days later I get a call from another HR person for another position.
He most likely forwarded it to her or something...
Had an interview, got the ball rolling and i got hired!

Yes, people hate to be called and stuff, but sometimes its the way you gotta do it...
I think following up in the interview stage is far more important then in the resume process, but brother..it doesnt kill...if you get rejected...get rejected with a little more confidence.

[Kappa21]

And mind you, theres a lot of people posting....... some people who have generic resumes, post 50-200 resumes a day...chance one or two things here and there and post them.... if someone who gets your resume assumes your that generic resume sender, unless you stand out...your just part of the statistics... break that habbit and call... again, whats the worse that can happen?

the guy tracks you down and runs you over?

[world25]

Be patient and a job offer will arrive. Forget following up after you submit your resume.

Apply to hundreds or thousands of jobs! The more you apply the better. Initially, I was sending out 3-4 resumes per week (tailored my cover letter and resume to the job posting) but not a lot of phone calls. You can have the best resume but it got filtered. You can have the worst resume and still get a phone call. I ended up changing only 2-3 sentences on my cover letter & changing 2-3 bullet points on my summary of qualification section and began blasting out my resume. Sending out 15-30 resumes per week will increase your chance.