Recently I received an email from someone that went something like this.
"Hey,
I applied to a job listed on your site. I'm so perfect for this job! So I sent in my resume 3 times. But I haven't heard from them. Is there another way to get in contact with this company?
Sincerely,
"Too Damn Persistent".
Look I can totally understand their excitement and persistence. They found an opportunity that they felt was totally meant for them. You can't really knock a person for this. But what I can knock is their stalker behavior and tendencies.
Employers receive tons of emails and resumes on a regularly basis. It's very overwhelming! Unfortunately they don't have the time, energy or resources to get back to everyone! That's part of life. The sooner you accept that, the better. Don't take it personal. Treat it like you would dating or sales. You keep it moving until someone good bites.
Don't be that guy…
Do you like it when telemarketers keep calling your house over and over again? If you're sane, your response is probably hell no. Well Employers are like you. Constantly emailing or calling them won't help your cause in most cases.
If anything, it may actually be like shooting yourself in the foot because the employer may feel you're being annoying. The thought process is that if you're like that during the hiring process, you're likely to be even more of a pain in the ass as an employee.
Unless an email bounced back, just assume it went through. If they like what they see, they'll eventually get back to you. If not, you won't hear from them and that's fine. It just means there is a better opportunity out there for you. Don't become or stalker or take it personal!
What do you guys think? Have you had success being a stalker… I mean persistent? LOL Chime in below and let me know your thoughts or experience.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
I think the “Too Damn Persistent” was unprofessional. And could put an employer off, would me.
I consider looking for employment as selling yourself. You want to make a good first impression and maybe a followup call if not requested to do otherwise. And then leave it to powers greater than yourself. Its like asking somebody to marry you, if they want you your gonna know.
Great point and Analogy! I totally agree with you! Thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear it! I’m just happy that you’re still getting value out of the site! Thanks for sharing the love. I appreciate it! And again, it’s great to hear from you.
Dramatization
Hey Eddy, you’re gonna give me a job right! Right, Eddy?! Should I come into work tomorrow?! Why aren’t you answering me, Eddy?! Maybe you just can’t hear… EDDY YOU’RE GIVING ME A JOB RIGHT!
Wait, why are you talking to someone else, Eddy? Am I not good enough?! WHY WON’T YOU ANSWER ME!
Yeah, so that might be how over-persistence comes across to a possible employer. I’ll be sure to remember this. I’ve haven’t fallen into this trap simply because I try not to bother people too much, but others might not think the same way.
They might think that their email got lost in transit. It can actually happen, there was a time when gmail kept losing my mail when I sent it through Thunderbird. I made sure everything was set up correct and it was, so apparently their IMAP servers weren’t working right for a while. After a while, it worked fine.
Thanks for chiming in and the humor Shollum! I agree that technical issues can come up where an email gets lost.
I agree completely! When people continuously get at me and start pestering it looks bad upon them for one and lowers their chance of being respected themselves.
Thanks for chiming in Anna. I hear what you’re saying to a degree. There is a fine line between being persistent and looking desperate. But times are rough nowadays so I can understand why some people may go this route.
Also if you do a follow up call and are told that the position is filled you shouldn’t ask them if they are sure. Chances are they are telling the truth. When I was first hired at my current job (I’m the Administrative Assistant) I answered the phone and was asked they were still looking for an Administrative Assistant. I said “No I’m sorry that position has been filled” and got a very rude “Are you sure you’ll be around long?” They had heard the person before me was only there 2 weeks.
WOW, The balls on some people. lol Thanks for sharing Dawn!
I have always been too shy and too respectful to be a stalker. I see it this way, either I’m the one they want or I am not! It is up to them to decide not me.
I’m the same way. So I can totally relate. Thanks for chiming in.
I think there is a fine line between showing that you are eager for the job and becoming a stalker. I’ve heard from employment agencies that if you don’t hear from a potential employer, to contact them to show that you are still interested in working for the company. I think, though, the problem may be A) in how you contact them a second time and B) how persistent you are.
If you respond by putting blame or pressure on them (eg “I haven’t heard from you in a while and I think I’d be so perfect…” ) you’ll just turn them off. No one wants to talk to someone that makes them feel uncomfortable. If on the other hand you respond by trying to be helpful (eg “I just wanted to let you know I’m still interested in this opportunity. If you need additional information or a list of references, please don’t feel afraid to ask.”) then they will be more willing to respond.
As to the persistence issue, I think a follow up letter after submitting your resume is probably ok, but re-submitting your resume or sending in a third, fourth, etc. letter becomes obsessive.
Finally, listen to what they say. If in the job offer, they mention that they will be closing the offering on the 15th and will contact potential applicants for an interview thereafter, don’t contact them a second time before the 15th rolls around. One of the surest ways to find your resume in the trashcan is to not follow directions. And actually since the ad mentioned that they would be the ones contacting potential applicants, by contacting them a second time (even after the 15th) might also be construed as you not following directions. “Don’t contact us; we’ll contact you” doesn’t necessarily mean that you didn’t get the job; it could just meant that they don’t want to have to sort through all of the follow-up letters and would rather spend their time reading the applications and conducting interviews.
Larry, You’ve hit it on the head!
Well said buddy! I totally agree with your comment.
Actually yes I have had success when following up but not that many times. I worked at a cushy high paid factory before they went out of business the best job I ever had in my opinion 40 hours in 4 days no mandatory overtime. I filled out an application and brought a resume with me and requested a meeting with the hiring manager. I called a few days after to follow up and found out calling was the tipping point that got me the job over another candidate. Calling to check on the status of my application also worked for another job after getting my degree they were going to throw my application out because I was over qualified.
Thanks for sharing. I can totally see how it works in certain situations if you’re not badgering the employer.
It is only good manners on the part of the employer to respond to resumes. If the employer does not want to deal with ” too many resumes”, he should not be advertising on the internet. It is almost a given that any company advertising on the internet will receive more resumes than they are set up to answer. I have sent in one resume to two different companies, did not receive any acknowledgment and conceded it was not a company with whom I wanted to be associated. Thank you for your blog. I appreciate it and your opinion.
I totally hear you. In an ideal world I think companies should do that. You can set up an autoresponder email that basically reads: Hey we received your email, if you’re the right candidate we will get back to you. But if you don’t hear from us, we appreciate that you applied. Thanks.”
I think doing something like that would be helpful. But companies aren’t about having good manners. They’re about hiring the right people to make them the most profits. Unfortunately that’s the way it is.
We try to respond to every email we get. But I’ll be honest sometimes some of them slip through the cracks. It’s nothing personal. I think that’s what the issue is. We’re taking it personal when we shouldn’t.
I always say there are plenty of other fish in the sea.
In any event, thanks for chiming in. I value your opinion as well. I’m happy you like this blog.
Thanks for sharing Cathy. It sort of aligns with my point. If they really wanted you they will contact you and usually don’t have the time or energy to contact the people they don’t want.
Yes I have been stalker. A specific retail chain kept advertising for a “front end” employee. I applied three times. Finally they replied they did not need my services! I stopped then and there.
I was the person you are referring to. While your advice is very good and makes total sense, this is not the first time this has happened with a job listing I’ve found on your site. It is very frustrating to finally find something that you are totally qualified for, answer the ad, get excited, keep checking……and nothing happens. In fact, I am so qualified for this position that it makes no sense at all for any HR director to pass up an applicant with my experience. So here I sit….unemployed.
Joey,
I think you’re missing the point. I’m confident that you are confident. But the fact of the matter is employers receive tons of applications and I guarantee they don’t like at all of them especially after getting a few that they feel are the right candidates. All others may get ignored. At the end of the day it may be worth a shot but there is a percentage that you’ve just annoyed the employer or recruiter and thus lost a potential job.
What you experience happens on all job sites especially when it comes to work at home. It’s part of the process. So you spread your net wide until you can catch something.
As someone that has hired quite a few people online and offline, I can tell you this approach would definitely work against you most of the time. It’s just my opinion based on experience.
But you have to go with your gut. And by the way there are tons of ways to earn money while applying for traditional jobs. Folks have great success with my recommendations like Amazon Mechanical turk and other things I’ve covered on my recommendations page:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/recommendations so you don’t have to sit there waiting for someone to finally get back to you. You can use some of that down time to actually earn something. So I encourage you to do so. I’m sure it will help a bit and make you feel better about the whole job search process.
Thanks for chiming in. Like I said, keep applying to other companies but make some money while you do so which is easy given the information on this site.
Hi Eddy, I like this post since I myself have run into some very persistent stalker-type people online. Sometimes people don’t realize when their persistence has become obsessive. I hired someone to do some work for me and payed them pretty well. Now, I keep getting emails asking me if I have more work. The thing is, if I had more work available I would certainly contact them. Gee, I’m looking for more work myself. I love persistent people but overdoing persistence can make someone feel like their being stalked.
After a while, the constant email inquiries from this person became annoying and nobody wants to work with people who are so persistent they make you feel like running for the hills. When prospective employers want to hire someone, they contact them.
Trying to find a job online is the same as trying to find a job offline. Sometimes companies just don’t reply. I’ve applied to about 20 writing jobs in the past four days for freelance writing gigs. Three answered and two hired me. I continue to apply to job offers weekly. Sometimes I get a response and sometimes I don’t.
I think that if we insist on zeroing in on one job we’ve applied for we’ll just get frustrated. Companies really don’t owe us anything. Some companies respond and some don’t. That’s life! The best advice is that people just keep applying to as many jobs as they can. When we branch out and apply to as many jobs as possible, it prevents us from becoming obsessive and we empower ourselves.
Yep, like you said Eddie, people need to spread their net wide and they may just catch something. I can’t imagine waiting around for just one perspective employer to contact me. Personally I’m having a ball applying to as many offers as I can. Life is good! I wish everyone would have this type of attitude. They certainly would feel happier in the long wrong.
Still loving your blog Eddy,
All the best!
Great to hear from you Minister! It’s been too long!
Glad to hear you’re doing well!
In any event, I totally agree with what you’re saying. You did a way better job of getting my point across. Your comment should be my article. lol
Thanks for chiming in. I totally agree with you!
P.S. Stop being a stranger. lol
Hey Eddy,
You’re way too kind! I’m always stopping by to check your job boards but don’t always stop to read and comment. Great leads for writing gigs! I did read two great posts here. Your posts about Ameriplan and Helium were very informative and I shared them on Facebook. I had two friends who were considering joining these companies. Good stuff!