Follow-up call after faxing resume

[EDRN-2010]

i sent my resume to a local hospital and i want to follow up. i know my resume has been received because my referral (a member of the board of directors and personal friend to the hospital ceo) made sure it was personally delivered to the rn hiring manager but i think it is a good idea to follow-up to show that i am very interested in working for their hospital and also to find out what my chances are of actually getting hired!

i have the name and number of the person to call but i am not sure exactly what i should say. from talking to others, it seems as though i need to choose my words very carefully in order to get the most out of this call.

i was going to start with [color=gray]"hi, my name is 2brn2010, i am calling to follow up on the resume i faxed last week for a nursing position at your hospital." but, i am afraid that by saying that the person will just say, [color=dimgray]"yes we received your resume [color=dimgray]and if we have any other questions or want to schedule an interview we will call you. good-bye."

do i mention my referral? i would like to know when they are looking to fill the open positions/schedule interviews, when i should expect to hear from them and that i am eager to hear from them! do i mention the date my nclex-rn is scheduled for? should i be prepared for this conversation to go any further, meaning what are the chances they will start asking me interview questions like why i am interested in a specific area or why their hospital?

i know i am probably over-thinking this phone call but it has been such a long time since i have been in the job market that i feel like i have forgotten how to go about this sort of thing. to make matters worse,i sound like a 5 year old over the phone, i can't even count how many times telemarketers have called and asked me "if my mommy or daddy was home" and when i am nervous my voice tends to get even higher pitched!

i would really any appreciate advice/feedback you may have. i really want to work for this hospital. :heartbeat

[Jules A, MSN]

I would call just like you scripted, adding you hoped you could schedule and interview. If they shut you down at that point there isn't really much else you can do except wait. Let them take the lead and hopefully they will ask some of the questions you listed later so you can sell yourself a bit more. Fingers crossed!!

[llg, PhD, RN]

I would recommend that you say that you are "following up on your recent application and have a few questions."

That keeps the conversation going for a few more minutes and reduces your chances that you will be cut off by the person saying, "Yes, we received your resume and are processing it." By saying that you have a few questions, the person is somewhat obligated to at least hear the first question. Have a good 1st question ready to ask (such as their timetable for filling the position ... followed by, "When can I expect to hear back from you about scheduling an interview?"). I recommend against mentioning the referal. The hiring manager knows who handed her your resume. If that doesn't help you, then hitting other people over the head with it will only make you look bad.

Good luck.

[EDRN-2010]

Thank you so much for your input! I know that I am supposed to come across as confident but am a little nervous about saying, "when can I expect to hear back from you to schedule an interview?" I don't want it to sound like I am full of myself by assuming I have an interview.

I would recommend that you say that you are "following up on your recent application and have a few questions."

That keeps the conversation going for a few more minutes and reduces your chances that you will be cut off by the person saying, "Yes, we received your resume and are processing it." By saying that you have a few questions, the person is somewhat obligated to at least hear the first question. Have a good 1st question ready to ask (such as their timetable for filling the position ... followed by, "When can I expect to hear back from you about scheduling an interview?"). I recommend against mentioning the referal. The hiring manager knows who handed her your resume. If that doesn't help you, then hitting other people over the head with it will only make you look bad.

Good luck.

[EDRN-2010]

:smackingfArgh!! I finally got the courage to call and the woman I need to talk to has the day off! They said to call back tomorrow morning, so I guess I will have to work up my courage all over again tomorrow. Deep breath.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Consider it a "dress rehearsal."

OK ... maybe say "possibly scheduling an interview."

Good luck.

[EDRN-2010]

[color=dimgray]consider it a "dress rehearsal."

lol

[color=dimgray]ok ... maybe say "possibly scheduling an interview."

good luck.

that, i think i can say!

thanks again!

[Calixan]

Tell me how this worked out for you, because tomorrow I will have to do the same thing lol. I put an application in last friday and hdn't received a phone call yet so I am going to follow up tomorrow. Wasn't sure if I should call or e-mail. How did it work for you?

[EDRN-2010]

Tell me how this worked out for you, because tomorrow I will have to do the same thing lol. I put an application in last friday and hdn't received a phone call yet so I am going to follow up tomorrow. Wasn't sure if I should call or e-mail. How did it work for you?

I wish I could say it did work out good She basically told me that they were still reviewing all the resumes and would call me if they were interested.