How Can I Find Out If a Position Has Been Filled?

by Sharon
(Midland, TX)

I faxed a cover letter and a resume to a company, but have not heard back. Is there some kind of form letter to fax to see if the job is still open?

ANSWER: Hi Sharon... As a job applicant, you have every right to ask whether you're being considered for a job. Unfortunately, a lot of employers these days don't do applicants the courtesy of keeping them in the loop, even after interviews.

If you want to know what's going on, then I'd ask. You can just do it with a phone call in some instances, or perhaps an email. And certainly a snail mail letter would be acceptable, though not very timely.

The key is to be polite and not demanding. I'd approach it something like this...

"Hi, I sent an application in on date for the position you had advertised at CareerBuilder.com and I'm just confirming that you did receive my info and asking where you are in the hiring process?" You can go on to ask if they normally keep applicants informed as to whether they'll be granted an interview and when you might expect to hear something.

As long as you're polite an courteous, it shouldn't be a problem, and it does show interest in the position, which is a plus.

To your success,
Kathi