Follow-up email after a job application
A polite check-in for when you applied and haven't heard back.
Ghosted editorialPublished 11 min read
On this page
- A simple follow-up you can make your own
- A shorter version
- When to follow up
- What each part of the follow-up does
- Why you haven't heard back yet
- Follow-ups for other situations
- A filled-in example
- Email, LinkedIn or a phone call
- Before you hit send
- The mistakes that cost you a reply
- Next steps
- Questions people ask about following up after applying
The email
A simple follow-up you can make your own
Replace everything in square brackets. Keep it short enough to read in a few seconds.
SubjectFollowing up on my [Role] application
Hi [Name],
I applied for the [Role] position on [Date] and wanted to check whether there are any updates. I'm still interested and happy to share anything else you need.
Thank you, [Your name]
Not sure who to write to? Reply to the confirmation email you got when you applied, or write to the hiring team: "Hi [Company] hiring team,".
Short is the point
Whoever opens it may have hundreds of applications in front of them. Three sentences tell them which one is yours, what you'd like to know and that you're still keen. Everything else can wait for the interview.
Short version
A shorter version
For a LinkedIn message, or a recruiter you've already spoken to:
Subject[Role] application: quick check-in
Hi [Name], I applied for the [Role] role on [Date]. Is there any update on timing? I'm still very interested.
Thanks, [Your name]
It's the same three facts in fewer words. Messages like this are read on a phone, between other things, so the role and the question go first.
Timing
When to follow up
A follow-up email is a simple, professional way to stay on their radar and show you're still interested. It helps most when the timeline they mentioned has passed and you haven't heard anything.
- They gave you a date. Wait until it has passed, then give it two or three working days before you write.
- They gave no date. One to two weeks after applying is a common rule of thumb. Large companies, and roles with many applicants, often take longer.
- The posting asks you not to contact them. Respect that, and put the time into your next application instead.
| What you know | When to write |
|---|---|
| They gave a date | Two or three working days after it passes |
| No date, a small company | About a week after you applied |
| No date, a large company or a popular role | About two weeks after you applied |
| A recruiter put you forward | Ask the recruiter after about a week, not the company |
| The posting says not to contact them | Don't. Spend the time on your next application |
63.5 days
The average time between a job being posted and an offer being accepted in 2025, in Employ's hiring data. At that pace, a week or two without news is normal.
Line by line
What each part of the follow-up does
The email above is three sentences long. Each part has one job, and none of them is to sell you again.
The subject line
"Following up on my [Role] application" says what the email is before anyone opens it. Use the role's name as the posting wrote it, so a search for it finds you.
The role and the date
"I applied for the [Role] position on [Date]" lets them find you in their system in seconds. The date matters most when a team is hiring for several roles at once.
The question
"Are there any updates?" can be answered in one line, even if the answer is "not yet". A question that needs a meeting to answer tends to wait for one.
Still interested
One sentence. It tells them you'd say yes if they called, which is what they want to know about everyone still on the list.
The offer to help
"Happy to share anything else you need" gives them an easy next step, like asking for a portfolio or references, without you sending things nobody asked for.
Why you want the job and what you'd bring were in your application. Saying them again makes the email longer, not better.
Write it in your own words
If a line sounds like a template, including ours, change it until it sounds like you. They'll hear your voice in the interview; let the email match it.
Why it's quiet
Why you haven't heard back yet
Silence after an application rarely means someone read it and said no. Most of the time, nobody has decided anything yet.
They haven't started reading
Many teams wait until a posting closes, then read the applications in one go. Yours may be in a pile nobody has opened.
The role is on hold
Budgets change, a manager leaves, a team reorganises. The posting can stay up after the hiring has stopped.
Someone else is ahead of you
If an internal candidate or an early applicant is already in interviews, everyone else waits. You'll hear when that ends, one way or the other.
Your application is in the wrong place
A shared inbox, a portal nobody checks, a recruiter on holiday. A short follow-up is often how it gets found.
A follow-up can't undo a decision that's been made. What it can do is put your name back in front of whoever is reading, and sometimes get you an answer sooner.
257.6
The average number of applications per job in 2025 in Employ's hiring data, up from 207.2 the year before. That's a lot of reading before anyone reaches yours.
More versions
Follow-ups for other situations
Same idea, different starting points. Each one names the role, says when you applied and asks one question.
SubjectFollowing up on my [Role] application
Hello [Company] hiring team,
I applied for the [Role] position on [Date] through your careers page. Could you tell me whether the role is still open, and when I might hear about next steps?
Thank you, [Your name]
Subject[Role] at [Company]: any news?
Hi [Name],
Thanks again for putting me forward for the [Role] role at [Company] on [Date]. Have you heard anything back from them? I'm still very interested.
Best, [Your name]
SubjectRe: Following up on my [Role] application
Hi [Name],
I wanted to check in once more about the [Role] position. If the role has been filled or put on hold, a quick note would help me plan. Either way, thank you for your time.
Best, [Your name]
Subject[Role] application: a question about timing
Hi [Name],
I applied for the [Role] position on [Date]. I've since received an offer elsewhere and need to answer by [Offer deadline]. [Company] is my first choice, so I wanted to ask whether there's any chance of hearing about next steps before then.
Thank you, [Your name]
Example
A filled-in example
The same email with made-up details, so you can see how it reads once it's yours.
SubjectFollowing up on my Product Designer application
Hi Dana,
I applied for the Product Designer position on 14 October and wanted to check whether there are any updates. I'm still interested and happy to share anything else you need.
Thank you, Sam Rivera
Sam used the role exactly as the posting named it, the real date, and Dana's first name from the posting. Nothing else changed. That's how little a follow-up needs.
Email or something else
Email, LinkedIn or a phone call
Most follow-ups should be an email. The other two have their place, and each one changes how you write it.
- The default. It has a date on it, and they can forward it to whoever decides
- Reply to their confirmation email if you have one
- Use the full version at the top of this page
LinkedIn message
- Best when you've already talked to the recruiter there
- Use the short version: it's read on a phone
- Send it instead of an email, not as well as one
Phone call
- Only if they invited calls, or the recruiter you know works by phone
- Have the role, the date you applied and your question in front of you
- Got voicemail? Leave one short message, then follow up by email
Whichever you choose, use one channel at a time. An email, a LinkedIn message and a call in the same week reads as pressure, not interest.
Checklist
Before you hit send
Leave out guilt ("I haven't heard from anyone"), a long recap of your CV, and more than one follow-up in a week. If a second email gets no answer either, it's usually time to move on.
What goes wrong
The mistakes that cost you a reply
Following up too soon
A check-in two days after applying tells them you didn't read their timeline, or that you won't wait. Give it the week or two.
Asking whether they got it
"Did you receive my application?" is a question about their inbox. Ask about the role instead: is it still open, and when will they decide?
Writing to everyone at once
The recruiter, the hiring manager and the head of the department, all with the same text. Pick the one person most likely to know, and write to them.
The wrong role or date
You copied last week's follow-up and left in the other company's role. Read the role, the date and the greeting last, every time.
Sending your CV again
They have it. A second copy is one more file to sort. Attach it again only if they ask.
Following up forever
Two emails is the limit. A third rarely changes the answer, and it takes time you could spend on the next application.
After you send it
Next steps
If they reply, answer promptly and write down anything they promise, such as a date. If a second, final check-in a week later gets no answer, put your energy into other applications.
Write down the day you sent it, too. A note on the job, or a column in a job application tracker, stops you checking in twice by accident, and tells you when the final check-in is due.
Waiting after an interview instead? See No response after an interview: what to do next.
Questions
Questions people ask about following up after applying
How long should I wait before following up on a job application?
If they gave you a date, until it has passed, plus two or three working days. If not, one to two weeks after you applied. Large companies and popular roles often take longer.
Is it pushy to follow up?
One short, polite email isn't. Recruiters are used to them. It starts to feel pushy when it's the third message in a week, or when it argues with a decision.
What if I can't find anyone's email address?
Reply to the confirmation email from when you applied. If there wasn't one, look for a recruiter or hiring manager for the team on the company's website or LinkedIn, or write to the careers address with the role in the subject.
Should I follow up if I applied through a job board?
Yes, if you can find a person to write to. A job board's own messages may never reach anyone at the company, so look for an address on the company's own site and name the role and the date in your first line.
How many times should I follow up?
Twice at most: one check-in, then a final one a week later. If neither gets an answer, put the time into other applications. You can still say yes if they come back to you.
The posting has closed. Can I still follow up?
Yes. A closed posting usually means they've stopped taking applications, not that they've chosen someone. If you need the description back, here's what to do when a job posting disappears.
What should I do if they reply with a no?
Thank them in a line or two, and ask to be kept in mind for future roles if you mean it. It takes a minute, and it's the last thing they'll remember about you.
Know when it’s time to follow up.
Keep track of who replied, and see which applications have gone quiet.