The Harsh Truth About Following Up with Recruiters

The hiring process is broken.

Everyone knows it. Job seekers feel ghosted. Recruiters seem unresponsive.

But here’s what most people don’t realize: recruiters are drowning.

Let’s flip the lens and look at it from the other side of the table.

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The Big Picture

Recruiters are just as battered by layoffs as the rest of the workforce—if not more.

• In 2023 alone, talent acquisition and HR were among the hardest-hit departments in corporate layoffs.

• Hiring slowed, but expectations didn’t.

• Now, skeleton crews are left doing the work of 2–3 people each.

The result?
Recruiters are juggling dozens of open roles across multiple departments, with limited tools, unclear priorities, and pressure from all directions.

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What Most People Get Wrong

Contrary to popular belief, the recruiter's job is not:

• To read every resume

• To give feedback to every applicant

• To keep you in the loop

Their real job?

Find a shortlist of qualified candidates that the hiring manager wants to talk to—fast.

And “fast” means:

• Skimming resumes in <30 seconds (before taking a deeper dive)

• Prioritizing referrals, internal mobility, and known talent

• Moving on if someone’s a “maybe”

This might sound harsh. But it’s reality.

You can complain about it. Or you can learn how the game works and start playing offense.

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Why Recruiters Are Overwhelmed

Let’s break it down:

• High req loads – One recruiter might own 20–30+ roles at once. That's hundreds of resumes per week.

• Tool overload – They’re bouncing between LinkedIn Recruiter, Greenhouse, Slack, email, Zoom, internal notes—and still expected to deliver a white-glove experience.

• Low bandwidth – Some are sourcing, screening, coordinating interviews, and managing hiring managers—all solo.

• Layoffs → volume spike – When a wave of layoffs hits, applicant volume explodes. A single job can get hundreds of applicants in 48 hours.

• Competing priorities – Execs want hires yesterday. Hiring managers are MIA. And the recruiter’s in the middle trying to make it work.

It’s chaos.

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What This Means for You

Knowing this, your goal is simple:

Make it easy for recruiters to see your value.

• Be visible

• Be proactive

• Be persistent—without being annoying

Following up is no longer optional.
It’s a competitive advantage.

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How to Follow Up After You Apply

1. Find the recruiter or hiring manager on LinkedIn.

• Use the job post to figure out who owns the role.

• Search the company’s TA team and narrow it down.

• If the role is in Product, search “Product Recruiter” or “Technical Recruiter” at [Company].

2. Send a short, personalized message.

Keep it crisp:

Hi [Name], I just applied for [Job Title] at [Company]. I’m excited about the mission and wanted to briefly introduce myself. I’ve done [X achievement], and I’d love to be considered for this role. Happy to send anything else helpful. Thanks!

3. Engage with their content.

• Like and comment on their LinkedIn posts

• React to company updates

• Stay top-of-mind without DMing every day

4. Follow up a few days later if you haven’t heard back.

Just wanted to bump this in case it got buried. I’d still love to be considered. Let me know if there’s anything I can provide to support.

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How to Follow Up After an Interview

This is where 90% of people drop the ball.

1. Send a same-day thank-you.

Yes, it's old school. But it's not dead.

• Show appreciation

• Reaffirm your interest

• Highlight one thing you discussed that really resonated

Thanks again for your time today. I really enjoyed learning more about the team and the work you’re doing with [X initiative]. Our conversation about [Y] stuck with me—I’d be thrilled to help with that. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any next steps or questions.

2. If the timeline passes, follow up.

If they said “We’ll get back to you by Friday,” and it’s now Tuesday? Ping them.

Hi [Name], hope you had a great weekend. Just checking in on the [Job Title] role—I'm still very interested and wanted to see if there's an update. Let me know if I can clarify anything.

3. Keep following up every 7–10 days until you get a yes or a no.

• Don’t be afraid to stay visible

• Don’t apologize for being persistent

• As long as you're polite and professional, you’re doing the right thing

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Real Talk: Persistence Wins

Here's what following up does:

• Moves your resume from “buried” to “top of the inbox”

• Shows initiative without you saying “I’m a self-starter”

• Signals professionalism and communication skills

• Makes you memorable

And if someone doesn’t appreciate polite follow-up?
That’s a red flag.

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Pro Tips

• Use a spreadsheet to track:

  • Job titles

  • Companies

  • Dates applied

  • Recruiter contact info

  • Follow-up cadence

• Schedule weekly blocks to follow up—batching works

• Use tools like Hunter.io or Apollo.io if you can’t find an email

• If you're applying cold, try to get a referral instead—internal referrals go straight to the top

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TL;DR

• Recruiters are overwhelmed, not ignoring you

• Their job is to fill roles—not manage your expectations

• Following up = playing offense

• Be polite, direct, and persistent

• It’s your job to stay visible—not theirs to remember you

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Final Thought

You don’t control the hiring process.
You do control how visible, professional, and proactive you are.

Want better results?

Don’t wait around hoping someone picks you.
Get on offense.

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If you’re looking for bespoke advice, you can book a call with me here.

I also wrote an e-book that details all my advice in one spot which you can by here for just $5.