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I recently interviewed for a very public facing position with a local government. A search firm is being used to select a candidate for this position. After the initial interview, the firm contacted me to schedule a Skype interview, as well as tentatively flag a day ~1 month down the road where I can travel to the location (I live several states away) for in person interviews. They also asked for a large amount of information to be emailed to them (forms to fill out, documentation on various aspects of previous employment). The process of filling out and collecting this information was lengthy.

I sent the documents last Friday (at this point 2 business days ago) and received no confirmation from the firm. Now, I understand that Friday was rolling into a holiday, but they have not contacted me to cancel the upcoming interviews. I checked the email address that I sent the documents to and it was correct. Should I have expected an email from the firm to let me know that they did in fact receive my materials? Should I send an email to the firm to inquire if there is anything else they need from me? In this case, I closed the email with:

Let me know if you need anything else,

User 867-5309

Since this is a very public process, it is unlikely that the search firm (who is being paid big dollars to vet candidates) has already made a decision.

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    This is why you include "Please confirm receipt so I can be sure that these attachments didn't trip a filter" or something similar. Email has no expectation of confirmation replies unless you ask for them.
    – Lilienthal ♦
    Commented Jul 6, 2016 at 13:15
  • Did you get a opportunity to follow up?
    – JasonJ
    Commented Jul 12, 2016 at 15:56
  • @JasonJ Well, this was not a question for me -- it was for a friend who was not listening to my advice. Eventually, that friend did send an email (Thursday of last week) that was along the lines of "The last time we spoke you mentioned that the week of July 11th there would be a skype interview. So that I can best ensure that my current responsibilities will be covered while I will be unavailable, could you provide some insight into which day it will be taking place?" This email went unanswered also, which actually provides more of an answer to the friend.
    – USER_8675309
    Commented Jul 12, 2016 at 16:01
  • @USER_8675309 ah gotcha. Hopefully it will come thru.
    – JasonJ
    Commented Jul 12, 2016 at 16:05
  • @JasonJ I think at this point it is unlikely. I find it pretty unprofessional that the search firm requested a bunch of information and asked the candidate clear multiple days for interviewing and then ghosted, but I've never been in the role of hiring for a highly visible, public position.
    – USER_8675309
    Commented Jul 12, 2016 at 16:08

2 Answers 2

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A quick note is a good idea.

I would always follow up with my Point of contact if the place I am sending the documents is different from the email of my POC, that way you are sure that the POC has been alerted to the fact that they should have received the documents.

In cases where the POC is the person I sent the documents to, I try to come up with a question that I need to raise, about the next step or the previous step, so the email doesn't seem like needless checking.

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Considering the holiday, you may want to wait until the end of the week for a follow up. Holidays and the days around them are frequently short staffed.

I would contact the person who requested the documents to make sure that they were received and see if there was any additional information that you could provide. It never hurts to include that you appreciate the opportunity to apply for the position and look forward to the next steps.

Good Luck!

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