William struggled to land an internship during his sophomore and junior year summers, despite sending out 100s of resumes and applications. He utilized Handshake, Indeed and LinkedIn, and still never landed a single interview.
Discouraged going into his Senior year, William started talking to friends who had just completed summer internships. One buddy told him that his summer internship manager was coming to their school's career fair in the Fall and encouraged him to send friends to stop by the company's booth if they were interested in learning more about jobs at the company.
William took him up on the offer and met the manager during the career fair and had a great conversation. He got the manager's contact info and did follow-up with a thank you.
After 2 weeks, William didn't hear back and was discouraged, thinking that he and the manager really connected. William decided to reach out again, just in case...maybe his note got "lost in the pile." The second time, he got an immediate response, with encouraging words from the manager saying he enjoyed meeting William and thought he would be a great fit for the company. He said he'd be back in touch with more info about interviews.
Another month passed and William didn't hear back, but continued to ping the manager every 2 weeks. They eventually met for a Zoom interview and the manager then passed William's name on to various teams that were hiring. Again, William would email and it would be radio-silence on the other end every single time. Finally, he was invited to interview with a team that was hiring.
Eventually, after a lot of back and forth and patience, William landed a job offer! The whole process was about 5 months of constant persistence and follow-up, which paid off.
- Shows genuine interest: Employers want candidates who are enthusiastic about the position and the company. Persistence demonstrates that you're actively pursuing the opportunity with genuine interest.
- Indicates determination: It signals that you're a driven individual who doesn't give up easily. This is a valuable trait in any workplace and life.
- Sets you apart: Many candidates simply apply and wait (as William did during his sophomore and junior years). By being persistent, you differentiate yourself from the competition and show that you're willing to go the extra mile.
William's story of persistence is one element of the process. The other important aspect is follow-up; when and how. William acknowledged that finding the balance between being passive and pushy was hard and found a happy medium in reaching out every 2-3 weeks until he heard back. He admits that it took a lot of emotional energy to do it, but in the end, he realized it paid off in more ways than one.
Sure, he landed the job, but he learned a lot about connecting and communicating with a hiring manager and how to stay engaged in the process. He used this experience to also persist with other recruiters and managers and learned a valuable lesson on how to be proactively engaged, rather than passive.
Why Follow-Up Is Essential:
- Demonstrates professionalism: A timely and well-crafted follow-up shows that you're organized, courteous, and have strong communication skills.
- Reinforces your candidacy: It provides an opportunity to reiterate your key qualifications and highlight how your skills and experience align with the job requirements.
- Keeps you top of mind: Hiring managers often interview numerous candidates. A follow-up helps to keep your name and qualifications fresh in their minds.
- Provides an opportunity to clarify or add information: You can use the follow-up to address any questions or concerns that arose during the interview, or to provide additional information that you may have forgotten to mention.
- Expresses gratitude: sending a thank you demonstrates respect for the interviewers time.
Key Follow-Up Actions:
- Send a thank-you email: Within 24 hours of the interview, send a personalized thank-you email to each interviewer.
- Follow up on the timeline: If you haven't heard back within the expected timeframe, send a polite follow-up email to inquire about the status of your application.
- Connect on LinkedIn: Consider connecting with your interviewers on LinkedIn to maintain professional contact.
Important Considerations:
- Balance persistence with professionalism: It's important to be persistent without being pushy or annoying.
- Tailor your follow-up: Personalize your follow-up messages to each interviewer and reference specific points from your conversations. By demonstrating persistence and following up effectively, you significantly increase your chances of success in the job search.
The Career Coaches at The Launchpad Collective are here to help. We specialize in career counseling for new college graduates and anyone who’s newly entering the job market. If you’d like to get more creative ideas and pragmatic advice about how to land your first job, contact us at info@thelaunchpadcollective.com. Your career is our mission.
Contact us for a free consultation at info@thelaunchpadcollective.com if any of the following are of interest to you: choosing a career, college graduate employment, career coaching for young professionals, interview practice, finding jobs after college, networking tips, college graduates looking for jobs, personal branding, internships for college students, salary negotiations, jobs for college graduates, optimizing your resume, finding jobs after college
