Follow Up E-mail Template For A Job Application

A couple of months ago I wrote, Want to Know How to Stand Out in Your Job Applications? Here’s Advice from an HR Professional in which I discussed the human resource professional’s biggest advice for millennials applying to jobs: “follow up, follow up, follow up.” Why should you follow-up? Well, that’s simple. Hiring managers usually receive hundreds of applications for the same position. You do not want to get lost in the shuffle, you want – scratch that – you need to stand out to this person. A follow-up email is a great way to do this. It shows that you are passionate about the position, and are determined to get hired.

I know, I know you’re sick and tired of drafting professional e-mails to send to hiring managers. Have no fear, Michelle is here! I did the work for you. Here’s a great follow-up e-mail for you to send. Plus, I even had it looked at by a hiring professional. You should now feel even more confident as you copy and paste this follow up e-mail into your correspondence.

Subject Line: [Insert Name of Position Here] Follow Up

Body:
Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. Name of Hiring Manager or Dear/To The Hiring Manager if you do not know the name,

I hope you are doing well. I recently applied for the [name of position here] position and wanted to reach out to you to see if there is any additional information I can send you regarding my qualifications for the position. I am very excited at the possibility of joining your prestigious organization, and implementing my skills of [insert applicable skills here] to [insert goal of the position here].

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions you may have. I look forward to hearing from you, and am happy to connect.

Have a great day,
[insert full name here]

—
[Inset full name here, any applicable degrees]
[Insert e-mail address here]
[Insert phone number here]
[Insert link to your LinkedIn page here]

Short, sweet and to the point. Hiring managers already have to read a plethora of e-mails, letters, and paperwork, and they do not want more novels to read. Get to your point right away and do not beat around the bush. I promise you, the hiring manager will appreciate it more than you may realize. Additionally, a follow-up email such as this not only conveys your interest in the position, but also shows that you take your work seriously. In many job positions, you will have to follow-up with clients, partners, board members, etc. By sending this e-mail, you are also showing that you already know the importance of following up until you receive an answer. Finally, remember to tailor the language to the company or position you are applying to. For instance, if the position you’re applying for is looking for a young, go-getter, you’d want your email to come off as more perky and up, rather than as conservative as this template is.

Now this raises the question, how often should you follow up? Once per week is sufficient. Yes, that may seem as overkill however in retrospect it’s really not. I cannot stress enough that hiring managers receive hundreds of applications. You simply can’t afford to get lost in the shuffle.