Q: I sent my résumé more than a week ago and am awaiting to hear from the editor about a job opening. Should I call first? Should I wait to hear from him? How do you find out where he is in the process without being a nuisance?
J.R., Stockton, Calif.
A: Give it about two weeks. It may take a couple days to get there, through in a weekend and a couple days to get through the newspaper’s internal mail system; it might just be getting there.
When people call me and interrupt what I’m doing to ask, “Did my résumé get there?†I’m at a distinct disadvantage and sound stupid. This is especially the case when people ask me before their résumé has had a chance to get to me. The question stops what I am doing and sends me off, live phone at my ear, on a paper chase. It could be your application is on my desk with a bunch of others. It could be I have sent it to the relevant editor — along with some others. Most of us cannot log résumés in and out and keep track of them through the newspaper, so we rely on the care of our colleagues not to lose things. The implied question in, “Did you get my résumé?†is “Where is it and what do you think of me?†We seldom know within a week.
I prefer it this way:
“Hi, I sent a résumé about two weeks ago, and wanted to call and express my interest. Is that job still open? If you want to see more material, I’d be happy to send it.â€
Especially annoying: People who apply when there is nothing open, and then call with an urgent question (“Did you get my résumé?â€) when, lacking an opening, there is no real emergency.
The lesson? You can call sooner when you’re applying for a live opening than when you’re just sending a resume out hoping to hit an open spot. Still, it’s easier when you re-state your interest and say your name and a little about your experience than when you ask the editor to lay hands on it while you wait.
