This is our next blog in the serious of short Q&A questions on all things related to job search. Several of my clients recently asked me, “How do I follow up effectively after contacting a company and what to do if I don’t hear from the company?”

Well, in this case, I would recommend you assume a three-pronged strategy:

1. I suggest you follow up after the first approach within a few days to maximum one week. You don’t want to be too pushy and get in touch immediately after sending your first email. But at the same time, you shouldn’t wait too long so that your target person forgets who you are and deletes the first email for good. Generally, it is a fine balance to strike and the acceptable follow-up time varies between industries and individuals. For instance, one of my clients a few months ago was searching for a position within an investment banking industry and he had to follow up a minimum of three times before finally getting a response congratulating him on his persistence and accepting an invitation for an introductory phone call.
2. In some cases, if you have already followed up a few times and didn’t get any response back, it is worth being direct and asking the person if they would prefer that you stop emailing them and whether they are not interested at all.  I find this approach disarms people and you would be very likely to receive a response.
3. Whatever you do and whichever follow-up frequency you adopt, make sure to be very polite and appreciative of the person’s time even though inside you may be annoyed that they didn’t bother responding for such a long time. Remember, senior and middle managers often get hundreds of emails per day so even if they intended to get back to you fast, something urgent may crop up along the way that pushes you down their list of priorities. So you could even say in your email something along the lines, “I know you are very busy, especially as your department is in the process of running this large campaign at the moment, but I would like to ask…”

In the latest in our series of short Q&A blogs, we address one of our client’s questions: “I am planning to start sending our job applications for graduate positions opening in September. When is the best time to kick start the process?”

I would say that the best time to commence your job search process in time for the September recruitment season would be March-April if not even earlier. Generally, I advise to allow at least 4-6 months for the preparation period and you will need to factor in holidays and vacation time, such as August into your planning.

Why so long? Well, first of all, you need a good few months to email or call your target companies to gather the names of senior people within the departments you would like to target (and some junior people too). Then you should spend a few months setting up appointments and meeting these people and following up with them. Secondly, optimising and polishing your CV, Cover Letter and Video Resume (where applicable) will take some time and dedication on your part in order to have them tailored to the latest requirements of the industry you are aiming for.

So come September, you have all your documents organised, your networking files ready and then you can start sending ‘warm’ applications rather than leaving it till the last minute and sending out applications in a rush to target companies where you know nobody and nobody knows you. This will just lead to more anxious waiting for news from the companies, and a lower chance of success. So start the process early and be prepared in time for early Autumn!

In this post, we equip you with a list of the key things you should think about to assess whether your current job search strategy is as effective as it could be. Without further ado, here it is:

1. Have you made sure that your personal branding is up to date and as clear as possible? Just as for the manager of a company, you are the manager of your own brand (a company of one) and you need to make sure it is as sleek as possible since in the modern world of job search, a lot is about appearance.
2. Have you performed a self-analysis exercise to understand your strengths and weaknesses and the value you will bring to your future employer?
3. Are your application documents – CV, Cover Letter, Video Resume – in top shape? You may have some really amazing experience and education but if the design and layout of your documents is out-of-date, confusing or otherwise sub-optimal then this will detract from your achievements.
4. Have you found that applying online may be inefficient strategy that results in few (or no) invitations for interviews? In which case it may be time to implement alternative strategies to increase your traction rate with recruiting companies.
5. Have you engaged your network in the most productive way? By network, I don’t mean just your friends and acquaintances but second and third degree contacts (yes, just like on LinkedIn!).
6. Have you done enough research on your target companies? And not just through websites and google but actually talking to people working there.

The checklist above is not exhaustive but will give you’re a good idea what you need to concentrate on to speed up and optimise your job search efforts. If you need any assistance and coaching on any of the above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at dasha@careercoachingventures.com or   http://www.linkedin.com/in/careercoachingventures