Calling a job after applying can help you stand out. But timing and approach make all the difference here. Call too soon and you seem pushy or impatient. Call too late and they’ve already filled the position.
The right timing is 5-7 business days after submitting your application. This gives hiring managers time to review initial applications properly. It shows genuine interest without being annoying or desperate about it.
Your call should last 2-3 minutes maximum every time. You express interest in the position briefly and professionally. You ask one specific question about the hiring process timeline. You thank them for their time and end the call. Short beats long every single time with follow-up calls.
Not every situation calls for a phone follow-up though. Some companies specifically say “no phone calls” in their job postings. Large corporations use automated systems making calls mostly pointless anyway. Small companies and local startups respond better to calls generally.
According to Indeed, 80% of hiring managers appreciate follow-ups when done appropriately and professionally. The key is knowing when calling helps versus when it hurts.
When Calling Helps Your Application
Calling works best in specific situations where personal contact actually matters. Understanding when to call versus when to skip it improves outcomes. Context determines whether your call helps or damages your application chances.
Small companies respond better to phone calls than large corporations do. The hiring manager often answers the phone themselves at smaller firms. They appreciate candidates showing initiative through direct personal contact and effort. Personal connections matter more at smaller organizations naturally and significantly.
Best Situations for Phone Follow-Ups
These scenarios work well for phone follow-ups after submitting your applications. Calling in these cases typically helps rather than hurts your chances.
Here’s when calling makes sense for job applications:
- Small companies with 50 or fewer total employees overall
- Local businesses where you’d work with the owners directly
- Sales, customer service, or other relationship-focused positions clearly
- Jobs where you have a referral or personal connection
- Industries like hospitality, retail, or food service operations
- When the posting doesn’t explicitly say “no phone calls”
- After meeting the hiring manager at networking events recently
Small businesses appreciate direct communication more than large companies typically do. The hiring manager usually reviews applications personally without multiple HR screening filters. Your call goes straight to the decision-maker in many cases. This direct access gives you an advantage over email submissions alone.
Referrals change everything about follow-up calls completely and immediately now. When someone referred you to the company specifically, mention them right away. “Jane Smith suggested I reach out to you directly about this role.” This context makes your call welcome rather than intrusive or annoying.
Research from The Muse shows referrals increase interview chances by 50% or more significantly. Combined with a polite follow-up call, referrals become even more powerful tools.
When Calling Damages Your Chances
Some situations make phone calls counterproductive or annoying to potential employers completely. Recognizing these scenarios helps you avoid damaging your own application unnecessarily.
Large corporations with formal HR processes don’t want calls from applicants usually. They handle hundreds or thousands of applications through automated tracking systems daily. Your call won’t reach the actual hiring manager anyway in most cases. The receptionist or HR screener just takes a message that goes nowhere.
Tech companies prefer email communication over phone calls almost always without exception. Their culture values written communication and clear documentation heavily and consistently. Calling seems old-fashioned or out-of-touch with their workplace norms and expectations. Stick to email follow-ups for tech positions and startups instead always.
Postings saying “no calls” mean exactly that without any exception whatsoever. Ignoring this instruction shows you can’t follow simple basic directions provided. It demonstrates poor attention to detail immediately to potential employers reviewing applications. Your application gets rejected for not following the clear instructions they provided.
How to Call After Applying
How you call matters as much as when you actually call. A professional brief call leaves a positive lasting impression on managers. A rambling pushy call damages your application chances quickly and permanently.
Prepare what you’ll say before picking up the phone to call. Write down key points you want covering in short bullets. Practice out loud so you sound confident and clear during the call. Don’t read from a script but have helpful notes handy nearby.
Call during business hours between 10am and 3pm ideally for best results. Avoid Monday mornings when people catch up from the weekend rush. Skip Friday afternoons when people wrap up their work week mentally. Tuesday through Thursday mid-morning works best for most office environments typically.
What to Say When You Call
Your call needs being brief, professional, and purposeful throughout the entire conversation. These key elements make your call effective and memorable in positive ways.
Here’s what to include in your follow-up call structure:
- Greet professionally by asking for the hiring manager specifically by name
- Introduce yourself briefly mentioning the exact position you applied for recently
- Express genuine interest in the specific role and their company
- Ask one focused question about timeline or next hiring steps
- Thank them for their time and say you look forward to hearing back
Start with a clear greeting to the right specific person. “Hello, may I speak with Sarah Johnson please?” When they answer, introduce yourself immediately and clearly without hesitation. “Hi Sarah, this is Michael Chen. I applied for the Marketing Coordinator position last Tuesday morning.”
Express genuine interest in the specific role you applied for recently. “I’m excited about this opportunity because your company’s digital marketing approach aligns perfectly with my experience.” This shows you researched them rather than mass-applying to random jobs everywhere.
Ask one brief question about next steps or the hiring timeline. “Could you share the typical timeline for your hiring process for this role?” One question only, then listen carefully to their complete honest response.
According to FlexJobs, keeping calls under 3 minutes shows respect for hiring managers’ limited time. Brief calls get better responses than lengthy rambling conversations every single time.
Mistakes to Avoid When Calling
Certain phrases and approaches hurt your chances immediately during follow-up calls unfortunately. Avoiding these common mistakes keeps your call professional and effective throughout.
Don’t ask “Did you get my application?” This sounds unprofessional and doubting completely. Of course they received it if you submitted through their official portal. Ask better questions about the process instead of confirming basic receipt unnecessarily.
Don’t say “I’m just checking in.” This phrase is overused and adds absolutely zero value. It sounds like you have nothing specific or important to say. Be more purposeful about why you’re calling them specifically at this time.
Don’t demand immediate responses or decisions from them at all during the call. “When will I hear back?” sounds pushy, entitled, and impatient to managers. Instead ask “What’s the typical timeline for your hiring process for roles like this?” This phrasing shows respect for their established process completely and professionally.
Don’t call multiple times if they don’t answer your initial call attempt. Leave one professional voicemail and wait for their response patiently without pestering. Calling repeatedly seems desperate and annoying to very busy hiring managers. One call, one voicemail, then wait at least a full week minimum.
Better Ways to Follow Up
Phone calls aren’t the only follow-up method available to modern job seekers. Email works better in many situations for corporate companies and larger firms. LinkedIn messages can work for certain industries and professional positions too.
Email follow-ups give hiring managers time to respond when it’s actually convenient. They can forward your message to the right person quite easily. They have written documentation of your interest and basic key qualifications. Email often works better than calls for busy corporate professionals handling many tasks.
Wait 7-10 days after applying before sending any follow-up emails to them. Keep your email to 3-4 short paragraphs maximum without exception or rambling. Use a clear subject line like “Following up on Marketing Manager Application clearly.” Restate your interest briefly without repeating your entire resume contents again pointlessly.
Writing Strong Follow-Up Emails
Email follow-ups need strategic structure and professional tone throughout the entire message. These elements make your email stand out without seeming pushy or annoying.
Your subject line should be clear and specific right away immediately. “Following up: Senior Analyst Application” works better than vague generic subject lines. Hiring managers receive hundreds of emails daily from various job applicants constantly. Clear subjects help yours get opened and actually read quickly by them.
The first paragraph reintroduces you and references your application date very clearly. “I submitted my application for the Senior Analyst position on November 15th specifically.” Then express your continued strong interest in this specific particular opportunity.
The second paragraph adds value rather than just checking in pointlessly without substance. Share a relevant article you read about their company or industry recently. Mention a skill or project directly relevant to their stated key needs. Show you’re actively thinking about how you’d contribute meaningful value to them.
Research from CareerBuilder shows value-added follow-ups get 35% more positive responses than generic check-ins. Give them something useful rather than just asking for basic status updates.
Using LinkedIn Strategically
LinkedIn offers a middle ground between formal email and direct phone calls. You can message hiring managers directly through the professional networking platform easily. Connection requests with personalized notes show initiative appropriately when done correctly and professionally.
Find the hiring manager on LinkedIn through the company’s employee directory search. Send a connection request with a brief professional personalized note included. “Hi Sarah, I recently applied for the Marketing Coordinator role at your company.” Keep it under 300 characters total for best response rates from busy professionals.
If they accept your connection request, send one brief follow-up message only. Reference your application and express specific interest in their company’s mission and work. Don’t ask directly about your application status in this initial outreach message. Focus on showing genuine interest in their company mission and team culture.
According to Glassdoor, LinkedIn follow-ups work best for professional and white-collar corporate positions. Tech and creative industries respond particularly well to this modern professional approach.
Apply Smarter to More Jobs
Following up on applications takes significant time and sustained effort from job seekers. Calling or emailing dozens of companies individually becomes overwhelming incredibly fast always. Strategic tools help you manage follow-ups while maintaining that important personal touch.
Your application materials need optimizing before any follow-up even matters at all. A weak resume makes follow-up calls completely pointless regardless of perfect timing or approach. Strong materials create better opportunities for effective targeted strategic follow-ups.
AI Resume Builder creates professional resumes that pass ATS scanning systems easily every time. Your materials reach human reviewers who actually make final hiring decisions ultimately. This increases your chances before any follow-up even happens at all.
AI Cover Letter generates personalized letters for each application quickly and professionally for you. Each letter addresses specific company needs and exact position requirements naturally and effectively. Personalization shows genuine interest without requiring hours of manual tedious writing time.
AI Tailored Apply customizes applications for each position automatically without manual effort required. Your materials match job requirements without tedious manual rewriting every single time. This saves hours while maintaining quality and strong relevance throughout all applications.
AI Auto Apply tracks every submission with complete details recorded automatically for easy reference. You know exactly when you applied and to which specific companies easily. The system shows you when follow-ups make sense from a strategic timing perspective.
Stop Wasting Time on Wrong Follow-Ups
Most job seekers follow up wrong or at completely wrong times unfortunately. They waste precious energy on approaches that don’t work effectively anymore. They skip opportunities where follow-up actually helps their application chances significantly.
Calling makes sense for maybe 20% of applications realistically speaking in practice. The other 80% work better with email or no follow-up at all. Understanding which situations call for which specific approach saves significant valuable time.
Focus your follow-up efforts on positions you genuinely want most for your career. Don’t waste time calling about jobs you applied to randomly without real interest. Save your energy for opportunities matching your career goals and developed skills.
Strategic follow-up combined with strong initial applications works best every single time. Your materials need impressing them before follow-up matters at all significantly. Polish your application materials first properly, then follow up appropriately and strategically afterward.
Start building better application materials that reduce your constant need for manual follow-ups. Strong resumes and targeted applications get positive responses without calling anyone at all. Efficient systems let you apply to more opportunities while maintaining consistently high quality. That’s how you actually land interviews and get hired faster in competitive markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should my data scientist resume be?
Keep it 1-2 pages. One page for 0-5 years experience. Two pages acceptable for 5+ years or extensive publications.
Should I list every technical skill I know?
No. Only include skills you can confidently discuss in interviews. Focus on skills matching the job posting requirements specifically.
What’s the most important section on a data scientist resume?
Technical skills come first. Recruiters scan for specific tools and languages immediately before reading anything else on your resume.
Do I need customizing my resume for each job application?
Yes. Adjust your skills emphasis and project descriptions to match each job posting. Generic resumes rarely generate interviews today.
Should I include personal projects on my resume?
Absolutely. Personal projects prove you can apply skills beyond work. Include 2-3 strong projects showing different capabilities and impact.
