You’ve applied online for a job you really want. But you can’t help wondering what your chances are against other applicants. A follow-up phone call or an email to the employer might help you see where you stand. But is that a good idea?

“Hiring managers tell me they appreciate the tenacity of applicants who follow up,” says Carol Anderson, director of career development and placement at the Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy, Manhattan, the US.

“We recently hired a student who wrote a lovely email detailing his background and why he wanted to get his work experience at our firm,” says Julia McKinley, national recruitment for Grant Thornton LLP, which has offices in Montreal and Toronto. “When he called to follow up, I was impressed. He had done his research on the firm and had concrete reasons why he wanted to gain experience with us. Even though we had no opening, we hired him.”

But there’s another side to this story: the follow-up call that impresses one hiring manager may just annoy another.

“I think that following up on a résumé sent through mail is more accepted, even if it is to make sure that the right person has received the résumé,” says Bonita Martin, field employment and retention manager for Western & Southern Financial Group. “But now that the Internet provides recruiters with hundreds of people sending resumes for positions, I prefer that candidates not follow up on an initial résumé or reply to an advertisement.” It’s ultimately your decision as to whether you should follow up with employers. But if you decide to do so, keep these key suggestions in mind.

Right approach

Al Pollard, a career-development specialist who spent seven years working as a recruiter for Rent-A-Car, said most college students call up and say that they haven’t heard anything. “I tell them you won’t hear anything with that attitude,” he says

Instead, let the person you’re dealing with know you had sent a résumé for the position of ______ and that you wanted to make sure your résumé was received and check on when people might be contacted for interviews, says Linda Wyatt, director of the career centre at a community college.

Mail manners

Some employers hate getting follow-up phone calls but don’t mind such emails. “It really is just a matter of convenience and time management,” says Martin. “I’m able to print a thank you or follow-up email and include it with a résumé / candidate file and quickly reply to a candidate that the recruiting and selection process may take up to two months.”

Word watch

If a follow-up phone call sounds intimidating, use a brief script. Here’s an example:

This is ______ calling. A few days ago I had applied for the ______ position in your company. I’m calling to make sure you received my résumé and reiterate my interest in the position.

Be sure to practise your words until they sound unscripted before you pick up the phone.

Brief is best

Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of an unexpected 20-minute phone call or a four-page email. So keep your follow-up concise. You don’t need many words to make a strong impression that will lead to an interview and hopefully, the job itself.