How to Follow Up on a Job Application (Timing, Templates, and What Not to Do)

Following up on a job application meaningfully improves your response rate. Studies consistently show that a single well-timed follow-up email roughly doubles callback rates compared to not following up at all.

The rule is simple: follow up once, 5-7 business days after applying. Here's how.

When to follow up

5-7 business days after submitting. This is enough time for your application to be reviewed in the first pass, but not so long that you've been forgotten. Following up sooner comes across as impatient. Following up later and you may have already been screened out.

For roles that say "no follow-up emails" in the job posting: respect it. Ignoring explicit instructions is a bad start.

Who to contact

If you have the recruiter's name and email: email them directly.

If you applied through a portal and have no contact: try to find the recruiter or hiring manager on LinkedIn. A brief connection request with a note is better than no contact at all.

If you can't find anyone: skip the follow-up for this application. Cold-calling HR departments rarely works and can feel intrusive.

What to say

Keep it short. Three sentences is enough. The goal is to confirm they received your application and briefly restate why you're a good fit.

Template:

Subject: Following up: [Job Title] application

Hi [Name],

I applied for the [Job Title] role on [date] and wanted to make sure my application came through. I'm genuinely interested in [one specific thing about the company or role], and I think my background in [most relevant experience] is a strong match for what you're looking for.

Happy to share more if helpful. Thanks for your time.

[Your name]

What works in this template:

• Short and specific, not generic enthusiasm
• One concrete reason you're interested (not "I've always admired your company")
• One concrete qualification (not a summary of your whole resume)
• Easy out for them (no pressure, no deadline)

What not to do

Don't follow up more than once. If they don't respond to your follow-up, let it go. A second follow-up feels pushy and rarely produces a different outcome.

Don't ask for a status update. "Just checking in to see if there are any updates" adds no value. Give them a reason to respond by adding something: a specific point of interest, a relevant recent achievement, a concrete question.

Don't apologize for following up. "I hope this isn't too much trouble" weakens the email. You're a candidate making a reasonable inquiry, not an inconvenience.

Don't send a generic email. "I am very excited about this opportunity" is the email everyone sends. Be specific about the role and company, or don't send it at all.

Tracking your follow-ups

The hardest part of following up systematically is remembering to do it. If you're applying to 15 jobs a week, you have 15 follow-ups due 5-7 business days later.

Your job tracker should include a follow-up date column. Set it when you apply. Clasp's dashboard includes follow-up tracking automatically.

Without a tracker, follow-ups get missed. Missing a follow-up is leaving a meaningful improvement in response rate on the table.

Common questions

Should you follow up on every job application? Yes, if you can find a contact. The response rate improvement is significant enough to make it worth the 5 minutes per application.

How many times should you follow up? Once. A single well-timed follow-up is effective. A second follow-up is rarely productive and can hurt your candidacy.

What if they still don't respond? Move on. A non-response after a follow-up is an implicit answer. Don't send a third email, don't follow up on LinkedIn after the email, and don't take it personally. The volume approach means you have other applications in flight.

Is it okay to follow up on LinkedIn? Yes, one time, as an alternative to email if you don't have contact info. A brief connection request with a note is appropriate. Sending a follow-up both by email and LinkedIn to the same person is too much.

See also: Job Application Tracker: track follow-ups automatically · How many jobs should you apply to per week? · Job Search Metrics: measure your funnel