Do Not Disturb: When to Follow-Up on Your Hotel Job Application

Recruiter YJ Ransdell, PHR, offers these tips on the appropriate and inappropriate times to follow-up with your recruiter or hiring hoteliers regarding your job application.

1. DO follow-up after the initial three days.

   In dating, the three-day rule may be the kiss of death to a potential new relationship. But, when it comes to applying for a job in the hotel industry, it’s proper etiquette to give the hiring manager a courteous three-day window to receive and review your application. This time allows the hiring authority to adequately review and assess your credentials.

2. DON’T follow-up if you receive a closed-loop response.

   Responses such as:
   “There is a high-potential candidate going through final round interviews at this time; however, we will let you know if anything changes.”
   Or…
   “Thank you for your application; but, your experience is not quite the fit for this particular job opportunity.”
   These responses provide clear feedback and direction. While it’s perfectly appropriate to send a “thank you” response, don’t persist with follow-up on the current position. Instead, trust that you have not been forgotten and that the recruiter will contact you if there is a change.

3. DO follow-up with any updates/changes.

   During the job application period, it is paramount that you contact your recruiter to share any changes to your employment status and/or resume. Whether you’ve relocated or are now expressing interest in a different position, you do yourself no favor by allowing any time to pass with outdated information in the hands of the recruiter and/or hiring authority.

4. DO follow-up on a quarterly basis.

   It’s okay to follow-up quarterly or even on a semi-annual basis if you haven’t heard from your recruiter and you are still actively seeking new job opportunities. If you are contacting a hiring manager directly, it’s best to follow-up annually or if you are reapplying for a newly listed position. Ideally, the recruiter and/or hiring manager have invited you to follow-up in the future, meaning they may be interested in your experience/credentials for other future opportunities.

5. DON’T follow-up on personal social media accounts.

   With the exception of LinkedIn, the #1 social network for business connections, don’t request to follow a recruiter or hiring manager on their personal social media accounts unless you have been invited to do so. Though we live in an increasingly digitally social world, when it comes to job applications, it is best to stick to the acceptable forms of communication via job boards, direct email and phone.

6. DO follow-up by checking the job boards.

   There are many job board sites; but, you can maximize your time by setting up job alert notifications with top search sites such as Indeed and Glassdoor. And, be sure to regularly check the job boards for key companies you admire and, of course, TalentServed’s Job Board full of high-quality hospitality positions.

In a perfect world, recruiters and hiring managers would be able to place every job applicant in their dream position. But, there are limitations based on the current job opportunities, as well as employers’ specific job requirements. By knowing when and when not to follow-up, you just might stand out as a courteous job applicant in an industry where high-service etiquette can go far.