Best ways to hear back from recruiters

Had a chat with a recruiter or have one coming up? You may be wondering about the best ways to approach future conversations as well as how to keep the ball rolling. Here are some things you can do to help forge that connection and keep you in a recruiter's good graces.

Have your elevator pitch ready

Recruiters who are hiring for a particular job or company often need to present candidates to their employers that address their specific needs. So it’s important to demonstrate how you show those sought-after skills or traits to them. If you can answer the “tell me about yourself” question with a well thought out description of your experience, job-related goals, and what you’re seeking in a new position, then you’ll present yourself in the best possible light to that recruiter.

Be flexible

Recruiters often have a lot going and have very busy schedules so it’s important to be flexible! If a recruiter tries to schedule a phone call with you right away and you’re able to move things around on timing they will greatly appreciate the effort. This will also show you truly value their time.

Send a follow up

This is a very critical step that is easily overlooked. Although they may not make the final hiring decision, they will surface you to the right people who will. Recruiters are pretty busy people, and occasionally, their response times to emails or phone calls are slow or in some cases non-existent.

After your initial chat, be sure to send a follow up thank you email. If some time passes and you still haven’t heard back from the recruiter about the next steps in the hiring process, feel free to send an additional short (and polite) follow-up to show your interest.

Examples of follow up emails:

Hi (Recruiter’s Name),

Thank you so much for speaking with me (this morning/yesterday afternoon/whenever you chatted). I really appreciated the opportunity to hear more about (Company Name) and the (specific position), particularly (a part of the conversation that interested/excited you). I’d absolutely be interested in speaking further about this opportunity; please let me know if I can provide any additional information or materials.

Thanks again,

(Your name)

OR

Hi (Recruiter’s Name), I hope you’re doing well! I just wanted to follow up concerning the (X) position at (Company Name), as I’m still very interested in the role. Do you have a sense of the next steps for the hiring process at this point? Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for taking the time to chat with me on (insert interview date here) and I hope to hear from you soon!

Best,

(Your name)

What have you done to be successful in reaching out to a recruiter?