A follow-up to a hiring manager works when it adds something: one reason you fit that the application didn't say, in a few lines, a few days after you apply. Send one follow-up, then one more about a week later, then stop. Keep every message short enough to read on a phone, and never ask whether they've read your resume.
You've applied, the role is exactly right, and now you wait. Somewhere a hiring manager has a list of applicants, and you have no idea whether your name is on the short part of it. A well-timed follow-up can put it there, and a badly written one can take it off. Here is what to write, when to send it, and when to stop, so the waiting has an end.
Why follow up with the hiring manager at all?
Because volume works against you, and a person can cut through it. Greenhouse counted 244 applications per job in 2025, up from 116 in 2022. At that volume, a hiring manager may only see the handful that a recruiter or the software puts in front of them. LinkedIn's Economic Graph research found that applicants already connected to an employee at the company were 3.6 times more likely to be hired, and a short, relevant note is how a stranger becomes a name they recognise.
It works best alongside the recruiter, not around them. If an internal or agency recruiter is running the role, keep them in the loop. The hiring manager will often pass your note straight to them, and it helps if they've already heard from you.
When should you follow up on a job application?
Three to five working days after you apply is a sensible time for the first follow-up: long enough for the application to be in their system, soon enough that the shortlist isn't settled. If you find the hiring manager before you apply, a short note sent with the application is even better. Leave about a week before a second message. After that, stop.
Is LinkedIn or email better for following up?
Whichever you can reach reliably. LinkedIn is usually easier, because you can find the person through the company's People tab and check their role. If you're not connected, send a connection request with a short note first, because a message from a stranger can sit unread in a separate requests folder. If you have their work email, email is fine too. Don't use both on the same day: one clear message beats two in different inboxes.
What should a follow-up to a hiring manager say?
Three things, in this order: who you are and which role, one specific reason you fit that is worth their time, and a small, easy next step. Keep it to four or five lines. They should be able to read it between meetings, on a phone.
Before: "Hi James, I recently applied for the Operations Manager role and just wanted to follow up to see if you had received my resume and whether there's any update on the process. I'm very keen on the role and believe I'd be a great fit. Looking forward to hearing from you." It gives them admin to do, and says nothing new.
After: "Hi James, I applied for the Operations Manager role on Monday. Your ad mentions bringing two warehouses onto one system. I led exactly that at my last company, moving three sites across in nine months without a missed shipment. If it would help, I'd be glad to take ten minutes to talk through how we did it." One fact they care about, and an easy yes.
Notice what the second version leaves out: no apology for writing, no request for an update, no claim to be a great fit. It shows the fit instead, with a result that lines up with something the hiring manager wrote.
What should a second follow-up say?
Something new, or nothing. A second message that repeats the first reads as pressure. Add a small piece of value instead: a thought on something the company has announced, an example that answers another line in the ad, or a friendly note that you're still interested and know they're busy.
For example: "Hi James, I saw the news about the new Brisbane site. Moving a team into a new building while volumes grow is a hard problem, and one I've enjoyed solving. Still very interested in the role, and happy to fit in with however your process runs."
What if the hiring manager doesn't reply?
Take it as information about their week, not about you. Hiring managers are running a team as well as a search, and many have more applications than they can read. Huntr's job seekers took a median of 82 days to reach a first offer, so hiring is often slower than anyone involved would like.
After two messages, step back. Keep the application moving through the recruiter if there is one, and look for a warmer way in: someone you know at the company who could mention your name. In Ashby's study of 38 million applications, 40 percent of referred applicants got an interview, against 3 percent of people who applied cold, so an introduction is usually worth more than a third message. Reconnecting with former colleagues is often where that introduction starts, and working well with recruiters keeps the other door open.
Where FutureDay fits
FutureDay keeps track of the timing, and the writing and sending stay with you. Add the hiring manager in Contacts and put them on the role in your Job Tracker. Home starts someone new with a LinkedIn connection request to send, then a first message once you tell it they accepted, a follow-up six days after that and a last one at sixteen, each ready to copy. Add your one specific reason before you send it, from LinkedIn or your own email.
A follow-up works when it adds something the application didn't: one specific reason you fit, in four or five lines.
Send the first three to five working days after applying, a second about a week later, then stop.
LinkedIn or email both work. If you're not connected, send a connection request with a short note first.
Never ask whether they've read your resume. Show the fit and offer a small, easy next step.
No reply? Look for a warmer way in: 40% of referred applicants got an interview, against 3% cold (Ashby).
21 pages, a 15-minute read
