How long should I wait to follow up on a job application?

Wait until the posting closes, or about one to two weeks after applying if there is no closing date. Check the employer's portal first. Public employers can take much longer, since the Government of Canada says each step can take 4 weeks to a few months.

Is it okay to call instead of emailing?

Email is usually better, because the recruiter can reply when they have time and can search for your message later. Call only if the posting gives a phone number for questions. Keep either one short.

How many follow-up emails is too many?

Two short messages, a week or two apart, is a sensible limit. After that, mark the application closed in your log and put the time into new postings. More messages rarely change the outcome.

Do employers have to tell me if I didn't get the job?

In Ontario, employers with 25 or more employees must tell interviewed applicants whether a hiring decision has been made within 45 days of the last interview, under rules in force since January 1, 2026. The rule covers only people who were interviewed for a publicly advertised job. Elsewhere, employers often don't reply to every applicant.

What should I put in the subject line?

Use the job title and your name, and add the job ID if there is one. A searchable subject line helps a recruiter find your application quickly. For a post-interview message, add the interview date.

How to follow up on a job application (templates)

To follow up on a job application, check the employer's portal first, then email a named recruiter once the posting has closed or one to two weeks have passed. Expect waits. The Government of Canada says each hiring step can take 4 weeks to a few months, and US federal agencies work to an 80 day standard.

When should you follow up on a job application?

Wait until the posting has closed, or about one to two weeks after you applied if it has no closing date. Check the employer's applicant portal first, since many show a status there. Then send one short email if you can find a named recruiter or hiring contact. Most applications need no follow-up at all before that point.

The timing above is a rule of thumb, and some employers publish their own. Sweetgreen's careers FAQ says hiring managers reach out if candidates meet the qualifications, and that if you don't hear back in two weeks you should re-apply. Public employers often take much longer, as the next section shows.

A follow-up works best when it adds something. A new certification, a finished project or a clear link between your experience and the posting gives the reader a reason to look again. A message that only asks "any update?" gives them nothing new to act on.

How long do employers take to reply?

It depends on the employer, and public sector hiring is often slow. The Government of Canada's GC Jobs page on what to expect says each step, from application to interviews, tests and security screening, can take 4 weeks to a few months. US federal agencies now work to an 80 day standard from hiring need to first day.

That US figure comes from an OPM memo dated September 30, 2026. It says agencies must manage all hiring actions within 80 calendar days. That window covers 66 days from a validated hiring need to a tentative job offer, 2 days to accept and 14 days to start work. The clock starts before the job is posted, so your own wait will be shorter than 80 days.

Here is what several employers and rules say about timing and status. The right-hand column is advice.

Employer or rule	What it says	What to do
Sweetgreen	No word in two weeks means you should re-apply	Re-apply rather than chase
Government of Canada (GC Jobs)	Each step can take 4 weeks to a few months	Check your GC Jobs account before writing
US federal agencies (OPM)	80 calendar days from hiring need to start date	Expect a long wait and check status online first
Ontario Public Service	Check status on the job ad page or acknowledgement email	Use those before emailing
Chicago Transit Authority	Statuses appear on the Applicant Status page, with email updates	Watch the portal and your inbox
Ontario employers with 25 or more staff	Must tell interviewed applicants about a decision within 45 days of the last interview	Ask in writing once day 45 passes

Who should you send the follow-up to?

Send it to a named person: the recruiter on the posting, the hiring manager if the posting names one, or a contact who referred you. A general careers inbox rarely reaches the person who decides. If the employer runs a portal, check it before you write, because the answer may already be there.

Public employers often point you to their own tools. The Ontario Public Service hiring process page says you can check the status of a competition through the job advertisement page, or through the acknowledgement email if you applied online. The Chicago Transit Authority's application status FAQ says statuses are updated on the Applicant Status page in its application system.

If someone referred you, keep them informed but send the follow-up itself to the recruiter. A 2019 SHRM article on referral programs suggests employers commit to a response time, such as 10 days, for every referral. The guide on how to get a referral covers what to send the person who referred you.

What should a follow-up email say?

Keep it under 100 words. Name the job and its ID, give the date you applied, add one new fact or one clear reason you fit, and ask a simple question about timing. Use a subject line the recruiter can search, such as the job title and your name. Then stop, and avoid apologising for writing.

Here are three example templates. Replace everything in brackets.

Template 1, after applying, with no reply:

Subject: [Job title], application from [your name] Hi [name], I applied for the [job title] role (job ID [number]) on [date]. I'm still very interested, and since applying I've [new fact, for example finished a certification or shipped a project]. Could you share when you expect to start interviews? Thank you, [your name], [phone]

Template 2, when someone at the company referred you:

Subject: [Job title], referred by [referrer's name] Hi [name], [referrer's name] on the [team] referred me for the [job title] role, and I applied on [date]. My background in [one specific match] lines up with the posting's focus on [requirement]. Is there anything else you need from me? Thanks, [your name]

Template 3, after an interview with no decision:

Subject: [Job title], interview on [date] Hi [name], thank you again for the interview on [date]. I'm still keen on the role and wanted to check where the decision stands. If it helps, I'm happy to send references or a work sample. Best, [your name]

How many times should you follow up?

Follow up once after applying and once more after another week or two, then stop. Two short, polite messages show interest. More than that rarely helps and can make a recruiter less keen to reply. After your second message, put the application in your log as closed and spend the time on new postings.

After an interview, the guides on how long to hear back and on what to do when there's no response after an interview cover the wait and the second message. A short thank-you email the same day counts as your first contact. The thank-you email guide has examples.

Some postings never had a real opening behind them. If an ad has been reposted for months or is missing from the employer's own careers page, read the checklist in the guide to ghost jobs before you send a second message.

What does Ontario's 45-day rule change?

Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must tell anyone they interview for a publicly advertised job whether a hiring decision has been made. They must do it within 45 days of the interview, or of the last interview if there were several. The rule covers interviewed applicants only.

The details are on the province's page of recent changes to the Employment Standards Act, updated February 5, 2026. The employer can tell you in person, in writing or using technology. The rule doesn't apply to an employer with fewer than 25 employees on the day the posting went up.

Here is an example message to send once 45 days have passed with no word.

Hi [name], I interviewed for the [job title] role on [date of last interview]. It has now been more than 45 days, and I'd appreciate an update on whether a hiring decision has been made. Thank you, [your name]

What else can you do while you wait?

Keep applying. A follow-up helps one application at a time, and a steady weekly pipeline protects you from waiting on any single employer. The guide to how many applications it takes to get a job helps you set a target, and the page on how long it takes to find a job sets out what is normal.

Keep a simple log with the employer, job ID, date applied, contact name and each follow-up date. The log tells you when a second message is due and when to stop. It also shows which sources lead to replies.

Use the wait to make the next application stronger. The free resume optimizer checks every line of your resume against a posting. If an interview comes through, Prept's Mock room lets you practise answers out loud on a clock in the free plan.