Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t hear back from an interviewer right away, don’t follow up again until after the interviewer’s deadline has passed. If the date passes and you still haven’t heard anything, send a brief follow-up to remind the interviewer about your qualifications and interest in the open job. After that first follow-up, you can follow-up again every 7-10 days up to two more times for a total of three follow-ups. If you still haven’t heard back, you should move on.
Some essential things to include in your resume are: your name, contact information, education history, work or internship experience, and related skills. All of these details should be tailored for each individual job application. Additionally, you can include professional organizations and special awards if you think they’re relevant.
Absolutely! If you think you can handle the job requirements, it never hurts to apply for the position. Whether you have less years of experience than they’re asking, or you are missing one of the hard skills mentioned, these don’t necessarily rule you out from landing the job. Skills can be learned on the job, and if you’re the best candidate, years of experience won’t matter in the end. Just don’t lie and say you have the qualifications when you don’t.
Sometimes the name of the hiring manager won’t be listed on the job description. If it’s a small company, you might be able to find a name on their website or through a quick Google search. But if after searching you still can’t find the name, you should begin your cover letter: “Dear Hiring Manager.”
Your cover letter should be no more than one page in length. It should explain who you are and why you’re the best candidate for the job. It needs to be very concise, yet keep the hiring manager wanting to learn more. If you go any longer than a page, the person reading it will get bored.
Your resume should also be limited to one page, especially if you’ve been in the workforce for a short amount of time. Hiring managers spend only 6 seconds looking through your resume, so it’s important to keep it to one page filled with strong keywords to stand out.