Follow-up email after no response: when to send it, plus 7 templates (including the second follow-up)
How long to wait before following up on a job application, who to write to when the posting names no one, and 7 follow-up email templates, including the second one.
You applied ten days ago. Nothing came back except the automatic "we have received your application". You want to write, and you are worried that writing will look pushy, or that it is already too late.
Following up is expected. When hiring managers were asked, almost none of them said candidates should stay quiet. Knowing how to follow up on a job application comes down to three things: the date, the address and the second email. This guide gives the waiting time for each situation, what to do when the posting names no one, and seven complete emails, including the second follow-up that most guides skip.
How long to wait before following up
The people who receive these emails have been asked this exact question. In 2011, the staffing firm Accountemps asked more than 1,000 senior managers at US companies: "How long should a job seeker wait to follow up with the hiring manager after submitting a resume?"
81%
1% said not to follow up at all
of senior managers said to follow up within two weeks of applying: 38% said one week or less, 43% said one to two weeks. The same release adds a limit: "Don't follow up more than twice."
Source: Accountemps survey of 1,000+ senior managers at US companies, October 2011
Accountemps asked the same question again in 2017, this time to HR managers. In the US, 65% said within two weeks and none said not to follow up (Accountemps, 2017). In Canada, 62% said within two weeks, and again none said not to (Accountemps Canada, 2017). Three surveys, same answer: one to two weeks.
The employer side tells the same story. Ashby, an applicant tracking system, looked at 54 million applications and 93,000 jobs from January 2021 to March 2026 (Ashby, 2026). Candidates turned down without an interview are archived after a median of about six days, and roughly 58% of them within nine days. So a follow-up on day three lands before that first pass is done, and one sent after two weeks lands after it.
Two other numbers from the same report explain why that later follow-up is still worth sending. The median time from opening a job to the first hire is 52 days for junior roles, 63 for mid-level and 71 for senior roles. At week three, the role you applied for is most likely still open. And there is a spike of candidates still not archived after 150 days, who "more than likely fell through the cracks". Silence after the first week or two often means nobody has closed your file, and a follow-up is how you reopen it.
The waiting time for each situation
The survey answers one case: a resume sent, no contact since. Here is how that stretches to the other situations. These delays are our rule of thumb, built on the numbers above, not a rule any employer publishes.
| Situation | First follow-up | Second, and last |
|---|---|---|
| Applied through a portal or job board | 7 to 10 working days after applying, or after the closing date | 1 to 2 weeks after the first |
| Applied by email to a named person | 5 to 7 working days, in the same thread | 1 week after the first |
| Speculative application, no job posted | 7 working days | 7 working days after the first |
| Referred by someone at the company | Ask your contact after 5 working days | Write to the recruiter a week later |
| After an interview, with a decision date | The working day after that date | 1 week later, the closing email |
| After an interview, no date given | 1 week after the interview | 1 week later, the closing email |
| You got another offer with a deadline | As soon as you know the deadline | None |
After the second email, mark the application Ghosted and keep applying.
Two details change the start date:
- A closing date moves the clock. If the posting says "applications close on 30 October", count from the 30th, not from the day you applied. Before the closing date, nobody is ready to answer you. Treat the date as an estimate, though. In the US it is often there because a Colorado law requires it, as the next section shows, and the wording admits it: "Applications for this role are intended to be accepted until October 31, 2026, but may change based on business needs."
- A date they gave you beats every rule. If the recruiter said "you'll hear from us by Friday", follow up on Monday, not before.
What "one week" means on a calendar
Most advice gives the wait in loose units: "about a week", "one to two weeks", "five to seven business days". Those are not the same day. Apply on a Thursday and "a week" is the next Thursday, while ten working days is the Thursday after that. A public holiday pushes any working-day count back by one.
Our free follow-up date calculator picks one number inside each range of the table and counts it in working days. Here is exactly what it does:
| How you applied | First follow-up | Second follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Job board or careers site | 10 working days after applying, or after the closing date if that is later | 7 working days after the first |
| Speculative application | 7 working days after sending it | 7 working days after the first |
| After an interview | The working day after the date they promised an answer; with no date, 5 working days | 5 working days after the first |
The day you apply counts as day zero, even on a Saturday. Saturdays and Sundays never count. Public holidays are skipped only if you choose France in the form; on the English page the default is weekends only, because holidays differ by country and, in the US, by state. The calculator gives you both dates, a calendar file (.ics) for each, and a draft of the email. It covers three of the rows above: for an email to a named person, a referral or a competing offer, use the table.
We ran it ourselves to see where the weekends-only count lands. Apply on Thursday 1 October 2026 and the first follow-up is Thursday 15 October, the second Monday 26 October. Apply on Friday 18 December and the first follow-up falls on Friday 1 January 2027, a public holiday in the US and the UK, with nobody reading email. So check your own country's holidays: for each one that falls inside the window, push the date back by one working day yourself.
If the interview is the step you are waiting on, the thank-you note comes first, within 24 hours. It is a different email, and our job interview guide has one.
Who to send it to when the posting names no one
Most follow-up guides say to write to "the contact person listed in the job posting". We wanted to know how often there is one.
On 1 October 2026, we pulled every live posting from the public job boards of 39 large employers that use Greenhouse, Lever or Ashby: 9,258 postings, from Stripe, Airbnb, Twilio, Monzo and OpenAI among others. Here is what they told an applicant:
- A contact. 1,915 postings contained an email address, but there were only 14 different addresses among them. All but three were for accommodation requests or for reporting recruitment scams. The three exceptions were all at Monzo, the UK bank, whose postings give a hiring address, or a recruiter's own, for questions about the process.
- When you will hear back. Only Monzo said how long the process takes, "around 3-4 weeks" on average, in 32 postings. No other employer gave any timeline.
- A closing date. 80 postings, under 1%, gave one. 71 of those 80 mentioned Colorado, which since January 2024 has required job postings to state "the date that the application window is anticipated to close" (Colorado SB23-105). Twilio labels the line "required for ALL US jobs". Another 69 postings said they accept applications on an ongoing or rolling basis.
- A ban on following up. One posting out of 9,258, for a Samsara internship, said "Please do not email us to inquire about the status of your application."
Those scam-reporting addresses are a reminder that fake recruiters borrow real company names. If a "recruiter" asks you for money or moves you to WhatsApp, run the exchange through our ghost job checker before you reply.
Small employers and agencies often do name someone. For a portal application at a large company, you will usually have to find the person yourself, in this order:
- Anyone who has already written to you. A recruiter who scheduled a call or sent a screening question is your contact. Reply in that thread.
- The hiring manager. The team name in the posting often leads to the person on LinkedIn: search the company, filter by the team, look for "Head of" or "Manager". They are the one who wants the role filled.
- A recruiter at the company. Search LinkedIn for "recruiter" or "talent acquisition" at the company, and prefer one who hires for your function or region.
- Your referral, if you have one. See template 3.
Do not reply to the confirmation email. It almost always comes from a no-reply address, and nobody reads it.
To guess an email address, look at the format the company uses in its press releases or blog bylines (first.last@, or first initial plus last name), and send it to one address, not to five variations.
Email, LinkedIn or phone
Email first. It reaches the person when they have time, it carries the role and the date in the subject, and it can be forwarded to the hiring manager in one click.
A LinkedIn message is the fallback when you cannot find an address. Use the same text, cut to three sentences, since the preview shows only the start.
A phone call fits a small company or an agency that printed a number in the posting. Have the role, the date you applied and one question ready, and keep a voicemail under half a minute. At a large company, the switchboard cannot see the applicant tracking system, so a call rarely gets you further than an email.
Use one channel per follow-up. An email, a LinkedIn message and a call in the same week read as pressure.
If the posting asks you not to call or email, as the Samsara one did, respect it. Check the status in the portal instead, and spend the time on your next application. Our guide to job application status meanings explains what each portal label tells you.
What the email must contain
Accountemps also gave the content advice in its 2011 release: "highlight your qualifications and not simply ask whether the manager received your resume." The 2017 US version adds: "ask about the next steps in the hiring process and when candidates will be notified about interviews."
The first follow-up what gets a reply, what gets archived
Easy to ignore
"Did you receive my application?"
A subject line that only says "Follow-up"
Your resume summarised again in three paragraphs
"I'm sure you're very busy, sorry to bother you"
Easy to answer
A question about the next step and its timing
The role, a reference number if there is one, and the date you applied
One fact that matches the posting's main requirement
A plain thank you at the end
A good follow-up can be answered in one line, even when the answer is no.
"Did you receive my application?" is the most common template on the web, and the weakest. A portal already told you it was received. The only honest answer is "yes", and that answer tells you nothing.
How many times to follow up
Twice, at most. The limit comes from the same 2011 survey: "Persistence is good, but being a pest isn't. Don't follow up more than twice."
The two emails do different jobs:
- The first reminds them of your application and gives them one reason to open it.
- The second stops arguing. It asks a closed question, "is the role still open?", that someone can answer in ten seconds. A recruiter who would never write a paragraph to turn you down will often write "It's been filled, sorry."
No study measures the best gap between the two. We use one to two weeks, which puts the second email three to four weeks after you applied. On Indeed, that is also when the "Response seems unlikely" status appears, after at least two weeks with no activity on your application. What each portal status means is in our guide to job application status meanings.
After the second email, stop writing and keep applying. A third message will not change the answer.
7 follow-up email templates
The templates follow the order of the timing table. Replace the names, dates and details, and keep each one short: the recruiter reads it on a phone between two calls.
1. First follow-up after applying online
You applied through a portal, a week and a half has passed, and you found the recruiter on LinkedIn.
Data Analyst application (ref. 4471), sent 21 September
Hi Priya,
I applied for the Data Analyst role (ref. 4471) through your careers site on 21 September, and I wanted to follow up directly.
The posting puts SQL reporting for the sales team first. That is most of my current job at Fernhill Logistics, where I rebuilt the weekly sales dashboard and cut its refresh time from four hours to twenty minutes.
Could you tell me what the next steps are, and when you expect to contact candidates for interviews?
Thank you,
Jordan Ellis
The subject gives the reference and the date, so the application is one search away. One fact, picked for the first requirement in the posting. The question is the one Accountemps recommends: next steps and when.
2. Following up on an application you sent by email
You emailed your application to a named person. Do not start a new thread: reply to your own sent email, so your resume sits right under the follow-up.
Re: Application for Marketing Coordinator
Hi Mr. Okafor,
I'm following up on the application below, sent last Tuesday. Since then I've read about your spring product launch, and I'd enjoy working on it: I ran the email and social calendar for two launches at my current agency.
Would you have fifteen minutes for a call next week?
Best regards,
Megan Walsh
"Re:" keeps the thread, so the resume and cover letter are one scroll down. The new detail shows you kept thinking about the job after you applied. The ask is small and has a time frame.
3. Nudging the person who referred you
When someone inside the company passed your resume on, write to them first, not to HR. They can check the internal system, and they can ask the recruiter in a way you cannot.
Quick question about the Support Engineer role
Hi Tom,
Thanks again for referring me for the Support Engineer role. It's been a week and I haven't heard anything yet, which may be completely normal for your team.
If it's easy for you, could you check whether my application reached the hiring manager? If not, no worries at all. Would it be fine for me to write to the recruiter directly next week?
Cheers,
Sam Rivera
It thanks before it asks, gives the contact an easy way out, and asks permission before going around them. Referrals are favours, and this keeps it one.
4. The second follow-up after no response
Your first follow-up went unanswered for a week or two. This one is shorter, and it asks the closed question.
Re: Data Analyst application (ref. 4471), sent 21 September
Hi Priya,
Just checking in once more on the Data Analyst role. Is it still open?
If you've already moved forward with other candidates, a one-line reply is plenty, and I'll stop writing. If it is still open, I'm very much interested.
Thanks,
Jordan Ellis
Sent as a reply to the first follow-up, so the full context is below it. Nothing is argued again. The recruiter can answer with one word, and you have promised it is the last email.
5. After an interview, when the decision date has passed
They said you would hear by Friday. It is now Monday. Someone made a promise, so you are not being pushy by asking.
Following up on my interview for Account Manager, 1 October
Hi Laura,
Thank you again for the interview on 1 October. You mentioned the team hoped to decide by last Friday, so I wanted to check where things stand.
I'm still keen on the role, especially the handover of the three enterprise accounts we discussed. If the timeline has moved, a rough new date would help me plan.
Best,
Daniel Kim
It quotes their own date back to them, without blame. The detail from the interview proves it is not a mass email. The last line asks for a date, not a decision, which is easier to give.
6. When you have another offer with a deadline
You are still waiting on the company you prefer, and a different employer wants an answer by a set date. Say so plainly, give the date, and do not turn it into an ultimatum.
UX Researcher process: timing question
Hi Ben,
I wanted to let you know that I've received an offer from another company, and they've asked for my answer by Friday 16 October.
Your team is still my first choice, after the conversation with Aisha about the research repository. Is there any chance of knowing where I stand before then?
If not, I understand, and I'm grateful for the time you've given me so far.
Kind regards,
Nora Haddad
Only send it if the offer is real. The deadline is a fact, the preference is sincere and specific, and the last line leaves the door open whatever they answer.
7. The closing email after an interview
Two weeks and one follow-up later, still nothing. The Greenhouse 2024 job-hunting survey found that 61% of job seekers had been ghosted after an interview (Greenhouse, 2024), so this is common. This email closes the loop politely, and it is the easiest one to answer.
Re: Following up on my interview for Account Manager, 1 October
Hi Laura,
I haven't heard back since my note last week, so I'll assume the team has gone in another direction, and I'll close this on my side.
I enjoyed meeting you and Marcus. If the situation changes, or another role opens where my experience fits, I'd be glad to hear from you.
All the best,
Daniel Kim
You state the conclusion yourself, without reproach, so the recruiter only has to confirm it or correct it. And it leaves a good last impression for the next opening.
When to stop, and what to do with the application
After the second follow-up, or the closing email after an interview, stop writing. Move the application to Ghosted, note the date, and put your energy into the next applications.
Ghosted is not Rejected. Companies reopen roles, and a recruiter who liked you once may write again months later. Keep the line in your tracker, with the name of the person you wrote to and the job description, so you can pick it up without starting over. Postings disappear fast, and our article on job postings taken down explains why you should save them the day you apply.
If you track your search in a spreadsheet, our free job application tracker template calculates the follow-up date for you and highlights the rows that are due. The job application tracker guide covers the method behind it.
Tracking follow-up dates in HiredFolio
Every rule above depends on one thing: knowing, on the right morning, which applications are due. That is the job of the HiredFolio job application tracker.
Each job has a follow-up date. You set it when you apply, and the morning it comes due you get one email listing the follow-ups for that day. The dashboard shows the ones due today, this week and overdue.
When it is time to write, the job's "Write an Email" button opens a bank of templates filled in with the role, the company and the date you applied. "Application follow-up" comes first for jobs in Applied, and "Application status check", a closed-question email like template 4, comes first for jobs in Ghosted. You edit the draft, then copy it or open it in your email app.
The HiredFolio Chrome extension saves a job from LinkedIn, Indeed or a company careers page in one click, with the full description, so the details your follow-up needs are already in the tracker.
Key takeaways before you write the follow-up
Set a follow-up date the day you apply: 7 to 10 working days out, or the day after any date the recruiter gave you.
Write to a person you found yourself, with one fact that fits the posting and a question about the next step.
Send the second follow-up as a closed question one to two weeks later, then mark the job Ghosted and keep applying.
Never miss the right day again: track your applications and follow-up dates in HiredFolio.
Read next
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- Job posting taken down after you applied or interviewed? What it means, and why you should save every job description
A removed job posting is rarely a rejection. What LinkedIn, Indeed and Greenhouse actually do when an ad comes down, what a repost means, and what to save before the ad disappears.
- Free job application tracker template for Google Sheets and Excel (with automatic follow-up dates)
Free job application tracker template for Excel and Google Sheets, no signup. The follow-up date fills itself in and due rows turn yellow. Every formula explained.