Too early for an application followup?

Question

I've recently applied at a place that I would love to work at, it fits my lifestyle, skill-set and interests completely. It was first posted to online job boards about 1.5 weeks ago and I applied on the very first day.

I've heard that it is sometimes a good idea to followup after submitting an application to "further express your interest in the position". I'm a very eager (and admittedly impatient) person and I want to know if this would be too early or invasive for me to email the recruiter and ask/express interest about the position?

For more information, this company is relatively small, between 50-100 people and I have an email address for the recruiter of this position. I applied through a hiring application and there was an automated confirmed receipt of them receiving it, but there has been no personal reply yet.

I don't believe this is a dupe of this question Expressing interest in a position early in the resume collection process because the answer seemed to address contacting them, not necessarily within a certain time range.

Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

If all you've gotten is a nebulous "got your submission" type automated response, with no time frame or clear set of steps on what happens next, then give it 24 hours and then feel free to write a single response.

I know of no one in recruiting who watches for incoming posts 24/7, but from there it can vary remarkably. Automated form submission tends to be low value - all kinds of crazy comes in that way, so a follow up in 24 hours to try to raise your resume above the rest isn't nuts.

With that said - if you're writing a "hey I really love this job, and I would be so completely perfect" type mail, make sure you are a cut above the rest:

• keep it professional
• clearly outline why you are great for them (not why they are great for you)
• be sure your grammar and spelling are good
• keep it terse, but make it clear that you understand the position