To Follow Up, or Not To Follow Up, That Is the Question

If I have read one article on how you should "follow up" after you submit your resume and cover letter for a position, I have read a million. What I'm also reading a million times is "calls will not be accepted, we will contact you if we're interested in your application" at the end of a job posting. This makes me want to pull my hair out, because now am I supposed to follow written instructions at the end of a job description? Is this a test to see if I will follow up regardless of a little discouragement? Is it a challenge, a follow up if you dare? Maybe it's the volume of applications people in the sport and entertainment industry get and other job descriptions don't say "calls will not be accepted."
job hunt

I really want to follow up with the organization I'm applying to. I'm very self conscious about my resume, I feel like I have a lot of skills and talents to offer, and one sheet of bullet points about my life just doesn't do that justice. I know I wrote a satirical cover letter a few months back, but I feel like that side of my personality just cannot come through in a simple, direct cover letter and resume. It's the natural born salesperson in me fighting to get out, if I can just get this person on the phone, I can show them why they should hire me. In fact, if I were applying to a sales position and the description told me not to call, the first thing I would do is call.

The biggest issue everyone faces in sales, yes even that guy you know who could sell sand in the desert, is people not wanting to hear your pitch. It's the cold calls that hang up on you. It's the person who says "call me back at the end of the quarter" every quarter. That challenge separates successful sales people from the mediocre.  The good successful sales person knows persistence is key, they're confident that their product is exactly what the person on the other end of the line needs. [I may have been listening more to my father make his coaching calls for Southwestern Consulting than I realized.]

I've also noticed that a majority of these articles are written in a condescending tone to "millineals," a term that seems to be used to describe anyone born after sometime in the mid-1980's (usually with a negative connotation as well.) People of "our generation" are constantly described as lazy, entitled, outspoken, and narcissistic (Nicole really nails that description here), yet what your condescending job hunt articles are telling us to do is be just that way. Assume that "calls will not be accepted" means "we want to see if you're going to call to follow up even though we told you not to" assume that you want to see a cover letter or e-mail cocky enough to say "I know I'm so well suited for this position that I'm going to send you this little pitch on what your company should be doing with xyz"

So the real question is, do you think "calls will not be accepted" is a challenge to see if you're willing to call and follow up or a test to see if you're going to follow the rules? Any hiring managers have a suggestion for me?


3 comments :

  1. I have zero experience in this area, but am I allowed to say that claiming calls won't be accepted but waiting for a call is kind of douchey? SAY WHAT YOU WANT. lol.

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  2. I'm in the same space as you, I never know if I should follow up because some people like the initiative but others are seriously annoyed. *sigh*

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  3. I would call or email them. I would apply for the job via teamwork or pbeo, then email my direct supervisor. I would usually get an email back for an interview. Email me if I can help.

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