To Call or Not to Call
This question came up in my recent job search boot camp session. A young lady from Korea applied for an administrative position with a well-known private college in Vancouver. They never responded. She asked If the employer doesn't respond to your application, should you call or just wait?
You should call.
The only time that I would not bother calling or think of a better way to hunt down the person responsible for initial screening is if the job posting clearly says DO NOT CALL.
Assuming that you are QJ (Qualified job seeker) call in after 3 to 5 business days from the job application.
Your call is to let someone know you are QJ, have them look up your job application. That’s all. Don’t ask for an interview or try to sell yourself over the phone. Point them to your job application and that’s it.
Two things will happen from the call.
- After your call, they will email you to say that there are other candidates with stronger or relevant experience and they are leaning towards other applicants. Cross this one off and reference this experience when you come across similar opportunities.
- They will be happy that your profile was found. It was buried deep. This strategy actually worked for Shaw’s H/Q technical support position. They went deep into their candidate database, found the job seeker's profile, conducted an interview and offered him a position.
Getting any kind of response is extremely important for a job search. If employers don’t come to you, you need to reach out to them. The thing of it as helping them to find a good candidate.
Hope this posting is going to encourage you to call in and hunt down HR. If they are not happy with you that you called in, cross them off and move on. They only value their time, not job seekers.