How to Follow Up After Applying for Your First Job

You hit Submit. Now what? For a lot of first-time applicants, the hardest part of applying is the waiting, and wondering whether to reach out at all. A short, polite follow-up can help an employer notice your application, confirm it arrived or clear up a question. It won’t guarantee an interview, and one or two messages is plenty.

This guide covers the time between applying and hearing back. Following up after an interview is a little different, and there’s a section on that below.

Before you follow up, check the basics

• Read the listing again. Does it give a closing date, a hiring timeline or a note like “we’ll contact you if selected”?
• Check your email (including spam and promotions folders), texts, voicemail and any applicant account you created. Employers sometimes reply where you don’t expect.
• Make sure your voicemail is set up, not full, and that your greeting sounds like you.
• Have the job title and the date you applied in front of you so you can mention them.

How long to wait

There’s no official rule, but about a week after you apply is reasonable for most part-time and entry-level jobs. Adjust for the situation:

Situation	When to follow up
The listing gives a closing date or hiring timeline	After that date has passed
Seasonal hiring, such as camps, pools or holiday retail	After about a week; seasonal hiring can move quickly
Large employers and government agencies	Check your status in the applicant account first; these employers often follow a set process that can take several weeks
A small local business where you applied in person	After three to five business days
The employer told you when they’d be in touch	After that day has passed, plus a business day or two

When an employer asks applicants not to follow up

Some listings say “No phone calls, please” or “Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.” Respect that. Following up anyway doesn’t come across as enthusiasm; it suggests you didn’t read the instructions.

• If there’s an applicant portal, check your status there instead.
• If the listing says no calls but gives a hiring email, one short email after the closing date is usually fine.
• If it asks applicants not to contact the employer at all, don’t. Put your energy into your next application.

Email, call or stop by?

Email

Email works best when you applied online or by email, or when you have a hiring contact’s address. The employer can read it when they have a moment, and you both have a record of it.

Phone call

A call works well for local businesses, especially if you applied in person or the listing included a phone number. Call during a slow time, like mid-morning or mid-afternoon on a weekday, and never during a meal rush. Ask for the hiring manager by name if you know it.

Stopping by

Stop by only at places where walking in is normal, like a restaurant, store or small business where you applied in person, and only when it’s quiet. Dress the way you would for an interview and keep it to a minute or two. Don’t drop in at offices, at employers that hire only online or anywhere that asked applicants not to.

Text

Text only if the employer has already texted you or the listing says texting is fine. Keep it as polished as an email: full sentences, no slang and your full name.

What to say: examples you can adapt

A good follow-up does three things. It reminds them who you are and what you applied for, says you’re still interested and makes it easy to reply. Adding one true, specific detail, like your availability, can help.

What not to do

• Don’t follow up the day after you apply, or several times a week.
• Don’t message managers or employees through their personal social media accounts.
• Don’t complain about the wait or ask why no one has called you.
• Don’t resend your whole application unless they ask for it.
• Don’t have a parent or friend call for you. Employers want to hear from the person they’d be hiring. (A parent or guardian may need to be involved in paperwork or permission later; that’s different.)
• Don’t pay anyone to “speed up” or “guarantee” your application. Honest employers don’t ask you to pay to get a job. See how to spot a fake job posting or job scam.

If you still haven’t heard back

If a week or two passes after your follow-up, you can send one last, short message. After that, move on. Silence usually isn’t about you. The job may have been filled or put on hold, a lot of people may have applied or the person hiring may simply be swamped.

If the answer is no

Thank them anyway. A gracious reply keeps the door open, and employers who hire every season remember applicants who handled a no well.

If it feels right, you can ask once whether they have one suggestion that would make you a stronger applicant next time. Not everyone will answer, and that’s okay. Then take what you learned to the next application.

Application follow-up vs. interview follow-up

The two are easy to mix up:

Follow-up	After you apply	After an interview
Why you’re reaching out	To confirm they received it and show you’re still interested	To thank them for their time and repeat your interest
When	About a week after applying, or after the closing date	The same day or the next day
What to mention	The job, when you applied and your availability	Something specific you liked about the job or the conversation

For thank-you notes and what to do after an interview, see your first job interview.

Keep your search moving

The best thing to do while you wait is to keep applying. Waiting to hear back from one employer before applying to the next can cost you weeks. Apply to several jobs, follow up on each in turn and keep your resume up to date. If you’re still working out where to look, start with how to find your first job.

Following up won’t make an employer hire you, but done politely, it can help you get noticed and get answers sooner. Whatever the answer turns out to be, you’ll know where things stand and can put your energy into the next opportunity.