You hit submit. Then nothing. A day goes by. Then a week. The job posting is still up. You start to wonder if your application went into a black hole. Should you reach out? Will it look desperate? Will it cost you the job?

This is the application stage. You have not interviewed yet. You may not have even heard back. The follow-up rules here are different from the rules after an interview. After an interview, you know who you talked to. At the application stage, you often do not even have a name.

I get this question a lot from veterans. The fear is always the same. They think one wrong email will get them tossed. It will not. A smart follow-up shows you want the job. The trick is timing, channel, and words. Get those three right and a follow-up helps you. Get them wrong and you just look pushy.

I learned this cold in tech sales after the Navy. In sales, follow-up is the whole game. You learn fast how often to reach out and when to stop. The same rules work for a job search. I will walk you through all of it.

Is It Okay to Follow Up on a Job Application?

Yes. A short, polite follow-up is fine. It is even smart. Most people apply and then sit and wait. They do nothing. A quick note puts your name back in front of a real person.

But you have to know what is normal first. Hiring is slow right now. In April 2026, employers made about 5.1 million hires while sitting on 7.6 million open jobs, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That gap means recruiters are buried. Roles stay open for weeks. Silence does not mean a no. It often just means slow.

So your first job is patience. Do not follow up the day after you apply. That reads as anxious. Give the process room to breathe. Then send one clean note at the right time.

How Long Should You Wait Before You Follow Up?

Wait one to two weeks after you apply. That is the sweet spot for most jobs. It gives the team time to read applications. It also still feels timely.

There are a few cases where you wait longer or not at all. Read the posting first. The clues are usually right there.

Federal jobs run on their own clock. You apply through the system and the system tells you where you stand. Reaching out to the HR office rarely helps and can annoy them. I cover the real timeline in how long USAJOBS takes to review applications. To read your own status the right way, see USAJOBS application status explained.

Dominic Landed a Six-Figure Role
With a Top Defense Firm.

"The most effective resource I used in my transition."
— Dominic, E-7, Marines

Read their story →

Federal (USAJOBS) & private sector formats Translates military jargon into civilian language Tailored to each job — not a generic template

Get My Free Resume

2 free tailored resumes, cover letters & LinkedIn optimization

Who Should You Send the Follow-Up To?

This is where most people get stuck. They have no name. So they give up. Do not give up. You have more options than you think.

Start with the posting. Sometimes a recruiter or hiring lead is named right in it. If so, that is your person. If not, do a little digging. It pays off.

A name you found on LinkedIn beats a faceless inbox every time. You do not need to be a LinkedIn power user to pull this off. A basic, clean profile is enough. If you avoid the platform, my minimum LinkedIn setup guide shows the least you can get away with.

If you have a person on the inside, that changes the whole game. An internal nudge carries more weight than any note you send. A referral can move your file to the top of the stack. I break down why in what referred by means on a job application.

What Should the Follow-Up Message Say?

Keep it short. Three or four sentences. Say who you are. Name the job. Show real interest. Add one line of value. Then get out of the way.

Do not rewrite your whole resume in the email. Do not beg. Do not say you will work for less. Just be calm and clear. In sales, the short message gets read. The long one gets deleted. Same here.

Here is a clean template you can copy. Swap in your own facts.

See how light that is? It names the role. It shows a clear link to the work. It asks for nothing big. That is the whole point. You are a name with a pulse now, not just a file in a stack.

If you could not find a name, open with "Hi there" or "Hello." It is fine. The body stays the same. Lead with the job title in the subject line so they can find your application fast.

What Channel Should You Use?

Email first. It is the safest channel. It respects the person's time. They read it when they can. A LinkedIn message is a good second choice if you found the recruiter there.

Avoid the phone unless the posting invites a call. A cold call puts someone on the spot. Most recruiters hate it. And never show up in person at the office. That used to be advice years ago. Now it just makes people uneasy.

How Many Times Should You Follow Up?

Once is plenty for most jobs. Maybe twice if a lot of time has passed. After that, you are done. Move your energy to the next application.

Here is the cadence I used in sales and still use today. Send your first note one to two weeks after you apply. If you hear nothing, you can send one more note two weeks later. Keep it just as short. Then stop.

Two notes with silence after both is your answer. They are not moving on you right now. That is okay. It is rarely about you. Roles get frozen. Budgets shift. A hire happens fast and quiet. None of that is a reason to keep poking.

What If You Still Hear Nothing?

Most of the time, you hear nothing. That is the hard truth of a job search. You will send out a lot of applications. Most go quiet. It feels personal. It is not.

The fix is not more follow-ups to one company. The fix is more applications and a wider net. One open door beats ten you keep knocking on. Spread your effort. Keep your pipeline full.

This is the same mindset that makes good salespeople. You do not chase one deal forever. You build a steady flow and work it. A job search runs the same way. While you wait on one role, you apply to five more.

Two things keep your pipeline strong. First, keep building your network so warm leads come in. My guide on veteran networking from zero shows how. Second, if you have free job-search help nearby, use it. American Job Centers have staff who work with veterans only. The Department of Labor explains how to find one in your area.

How to Make the Follow-Up Land Better

A follow-up only works if your application was strong to start. A pushy note will not save a weak resume. A great resume plus a calm note is the combo that gets replies.

So before you even think about follow-up, make sure your resume fit the job. Did you use the words from the posting? Did you show real results, not just duties? If you are not sure you matched the role, read how to read a job posting and decide if you qualify first.

Tailoring your resume to each job is the real lever. A resume that matches the posting ranks higher and gets read. BMR was built to do that translation for you. You paste the job posting, and it tailors your military experience to that exact role. The free tier covers two tailored resumes and two cover letters. You can start at the military resume builder.

Timing also helps. If you can land a job before you separate, do it. Follow-up is easier when you still have time and income behind you. My guide on the terminal leave job search covers that timing.

What Does the Second Follow-Up Note Look Like?

Say two weeks passed and you still heard nothing. You can send one more note. This is your last one. Make it even shorter than the first. The goal is a gentle nudge, not a complaint.

Do not guilt-trip them. Do not ask why they ignored you. Do not list how qualified you are again. Just check in, restate your interest, and leave the door open. Then you are done either way.

Here is a second-note template you can use. Keep the same calm tone.

That is the whole message. No pressure. No drama. If they had moved you forward, you would have heard by now. So this note gives them one easy chance to act and then frees you to focus elsewhere.

What Is the Biggest Follow-Up Mistake?

The biggest mistake is making it about you instead of the job. A lot of veterans write a follow-up that reads like a plea. They talk about how much they need the work. They list every reason they deserve a shot. It comes from a good place. But it pushes people away.

A recruiter is not solving your problem. They are filling a role. So your note should speak to their need, not yours. One short line on how you fit the job does more than five lines on why you want it.

One more mistake worth naming. Some people send the same long message to five people at one company on the same day. It looks like a blast. Pick one person. Send one note. Quality beats volume here every time.

The Bottom Line on Application Follow-Up

Following up on a job application is not rude. Done right, it shows you want the job. The whole skill comes down to three things. Wait one to two weeks. Send one short note to one real person. Then let it go after two tries.

The note that works is calm, not desperate. It names the job. It shows a clear fit. It offers to help. That is it. You do not need to sell hard. You just need to remind a busy person that you exist and you care.

And remember the bigger picture. No single application is worth chasing into the ground. Keep applying. Keep tailoring each resume to the job. The goal is steady forward motion, not one perfect follow-up. After an interview the rules shift again, and I cover that in how to follow up after an interview. Go send that note. Then go send another application.