Q: I submitted an application for a position three weeks ago, and have heard nothing back yet. The closing date was two weeks ago. Should I get onto them to see what is happening. Maybe I have just been discarded? It was a marketing job with a hotel chain. (ED, email)

A: Every case is different, ED, but I’d be inclined to hold tight just yet. A multitude of things could be taking place here:

1. They may have been inundated with applications and haven’t even looked through the pile yet.
2. The person managing the process may be off sick or on holidays.
3. They may have created a shortlist and are now working on shortening it some more before calling in the candidates they are most interested in.
4. Yes, they may have discarded you, and moved onto the interview process without even sending you a note. Alas, this is a very common occurrence and one that leads to candidates become quite frustrated.

I feel it is best not to do anything just yet, however. If they want you, they will come for you: sometimes it can be weeks before candidates hear back. I don’t think there is anything to be gained by contacting them right now, so I’d sit tight if I were you.

It would be a slightly different scenario if you had been called for interview. If that were the case, I would leave it one more week and then contact them.

Hopefully it will work out for you, but many of our clients report to us that they regularly submit CVs – and sometimes go to interview stage – only to hear nothing more ever again. It’s not good manners, but it’s a buyer’s market right now, and not every employer feels the need to treat the candidates with basic courtesy.

 

Sli Nua Careers’ top tip

This week’s tip belong to the “If I knew then what I know now” category, and it is simply this: gather your written references as you go along.

You’ve spent the last few months working in your local shop – get the reference.

You’ve coached the volleyball team to a Community Games title – get the reference.

When it comes to references, there is no time like the present. Don’t leave it on the long finger. Gather them up today and you will have always them: as another old saying goes, “better be looking at it than looking for it.”

We do work with clients who have no written references accumulated. In many cases, they believed they would never need them, particularly during the boom years. Now they are reaching back into the past, sometimes 30 or 40 years back, to find a referee who might put some good words down on paper.

So, ask for the reference now, and hold onto it – with technology, it is so easy to store documents of this nature.

It might not be 30 years from now you need it: it might be next week. Written references have the effect of vouching for you, they give your candidature credibility, so nail them down straightaway and you won’t have to go seeking that person out some point down the line.

Sli Nua Careers offer CV preparation, interview training and mock interview services at their offices in Galway, Dublin and Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo. You can also obtain their free eBook providing Job Searching Tips by emailing getthatjob@slinuacarers.com with Job Searching eBook in the subject line. More: www.slinuacareers.com