Key takeaways
- Follow up 7 working days after an interview, 15 days after a speculative application, or 2 working days after the announced deadline.
- Five lines are enough: the role, the date, one specific reason you want it, a question about the timeline.
- Forget email open trackers: Apple Mail and Gmail skew their results.
To follow up with a recruiter, send a short email to the person handling your application once a reasonable delay has passed: the role, the date of your contact, what motivates you, then a question about the timeline. No reply? One more attempt by phone, then move on.
Why the recruiter has not replied
Silence is rarely a hidden rejection. As a recruitment firm, we keep seeing the same three causes stall a hiring process, and none is the candidate's fault.
- Waiting for sign-off. The hiring manager or management has not decided. The recruiter has nothing to tell you, so says nothing.
- Volume. An attractive ad draws hundreds of applications. Screening comes before replies.
- Absences. Holidays, year-end, a panel member off sick: one blocked diary delays everything.
What candidates forget: a good follow-up helps the recruiter too, who has to chase their own manager.
The follow-up timeline, situation by situation
A reasonable delay depends on the contact you had. And if the recruiter gave you a date, that date is what counts.
| Situation | When to follow up | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Application to an ad with a closing date | 7 to 10 working days after the closing date | Email or the job board's messaging |
| Speculative application | Day 15 | Email, then phone |
| After a first interview | 7 working days, or 2 working days after the announced deadline | |
| After a final interview | 3 to 5 working days | Phone or email |
| Application through an agency | Within the timeframe the consultant gave you | The consultant only, never the client company |
| Second and last follow-up | 7 to 10 working days after the first | Phone |
Example: interview on Thursday 12 November 2026, answer promised "within two weeks". The deadline falls on Thursday 26. You follow up on Monday 30 November. No news by 10 December? You call, then close the file.
3 follow-up templates to adapt
Replace each bracket with a real detail: a generic reminder of your motivation is spotted straight away.
Template 1: after an interview
Subject: Interview on [date] for the [job title] role
Dear Ms [Name],Thank you for our conversation on [date]. What you told me about the [specific detail] project confirmed my interest in the role.Where does the recruitment process stand, and when do you expect to decide?Kind regards,[First name Last name], [phone]
Template 2: after an application with no reply
Subject: Application for the [job title] role, ref. [number]
Hello,I sent you my application on [date] for the [job title] role. My [X years] of experience in [field], including [quantified achievement], match the responsibilities described in the ad.Could you confirm that my application is still under review?Kind regards,[First name Last name]
Template 3: the phone follow-up
"Hello, this is [First name Last name]. We met on [date] about the [job title] role. I wanted to know where the process stands: do you have an idea of the timeline?" Voicemail? A twenty-second message with your number, once.
Note the details to quote during the interview itself: see how to prepare for a job interview.
Knowing whether your email was read: our view on tracking tools
Tracking extensions insert an invisible image into the email: when it loads, the tool shows "opened". We advise against them, because the signal is worthless.
- False positives. With Mail Privacy Protection, Apple downloads remote content in the background whether the message is read or not.
- False negatives. Gmail hides images from senders it considers suspicious, and anyone can block external images.
- Read receipts. Microsoft says so itself: in Outlook, the recipient can decline to send one.
The only reliable tracking is the one SECO recommends: an up-to-date list of applications sent, processes under way and replies expected. And at the end of the interview, ask about the timeline; our questions to ask during an interview give you the wording.
5 mistakes that close the door
A botched follow-up does more harm than none. Here is what our consultants see most.
Overdoing it
Three emails in ten days, a LinkedIn message on the day of a call. Following up without harassing means two contacts at most, a week apart.
An aggressive tone
"I still haven't had a reply" reads as a reproach. Ask a question; don't demand what you think you are owed.
The other three: writing to several people at the company at once, sending the same text everywhere, and going around the agency that put you forward to write to the client. That last one often gets you dropped from the process (see why submit your CV to a recruitment agency).
Checklist before you click "Send":
- Subject: job title and date of your contact.
- Recipient's name and title checked.
- One real detail from the role or the interview.
- A clear question on the last line.
- Spelling checked by reading aloud.
- Attachment only if you were asked for one.
Frequently asked questions
Should you follow up on a Friday or a Monday?
We recommend Tuesday or Wednesday morning. On Monday, your email drowns in the weekend's mail; on Friday afternoon, it waits until the next week.
Can you follow up after a rejection?
Yes, once, to ask for feedback. Keep it short and say thank you: the recruiter will remember it for the next role.
Should you attach your CV to a follow-up?
No, unless asked. The recruiter already has your file. A link to your LinkedIn profile in your signature is enough.
Read also
- How do you answer trick questions?
- 10 questions to prepare for your interview
- How to set yourself apart from other candidates in Switzerland
- Why create a LinkedIn profile and how to optimise it
- Optimising your CV: our tips
