How should I follow up on my cover letter and résumé?

You should allow ten days before calling or emailing the employee about your cover letter and résumé. When you contact the employer remember that they are probably busy. Your cover letter and résumé are very important to you, but the employer is probably doing her job as well as reviewing other cover letters and résumés. Try to be patient. However, it is perfectly acceptable to ask about your job application documents ten days after submission.

Also remember that the goal of your cover letter and résumé is to get an interview for the job opening. When you follow up on your cover letter and résumé, first ask whether or not the employer has received your documents. If the employer received the documents, ask if she has had time to review them. If so, ask if she is setting up interviews yet.

If the employer has not received your cover letter and résumé in the past ten days, offer to resend the documents and double check the employer’s mailing address and contact person. You should also offer to drop off your cover letter and résumé in person. Remember to dress professionally if the company expects it.

You may also send a follow-up letter if you do not hear from the employer for two weeks. Read about follow-up letters here.

Click here to download the PDF file containing sample résumés and employment letters.

References:
Job Search Tools: Resumes, Applications, and Cover Letters by Ronald C. Mendlin and Marc Polonsky with J. Michael Farr. The Putting the Bars Behind You Series. Indianapolis: JIST, 2000.

Purdue OWL Cover Letter and Résumé resources: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/.

Some of this information is also adapted from Jobbankuse.com: http://www.jobbankusa.com.