Follow-up emails
The difference between
"Dear Attorney [me],
Hope all is well and that you have been enjoying the weather!
I just wanted to touch base with you and follow up with my interview from several weeks ago. I understand the process is slow and difficult, so if I can answer any questions to help you in your decision-making process, please let me know.
Thank you so much,
[applicant A]"
and
"Mr. [me],
On April 17 I sent you a cover letter and resume in response to your ad on craigslist. I then followed up at your request with my salary requirements. Could you please let me know if the position has been filled and if not, am I a candidate?
Thank you in advance for your response.
[applicant B]"
is feeling compelled to write to applicant B:
"Dear [applicant B],
You are one of over a hundred applicants (so far) for this position. Many of our applicants are over- or under-qualified or are otherwise not appropriate for a variety of reasons.
Unless you have been having technical issues with your email, if we have not contacted you in order to schedule an interview, it is because at this time we are not interested in scheduling an interview. Requesting a further response from staff at this firm adds staff-hours to a hiring process which already soaks up otherwise productive time.
I suspect that I am coming off as rude but the intent is to educate and reassure you that the lack of a request for an interview may be for one of innumerable reasons. If I express this poorly, I do apologize and ask that you take no offense. In any case, I wish you the best of luck with a continuing job search. In the event that your resume and requirements were to fall within parameters of a position here, we will be reviewing your information and contacting you then.
Yours,
[me]"
I tried to soften it, but there is a tone of presumption and arrogance in Applicant B's follow-up email
which annoyed me. Also, I was wicked tired at the end of a long day. At the same time, I didn't want her to screw up her chances with other job applications by projecting the same attitude.
Applicant A, I thought, did a nice low-key job of following up. If I wanted to respond, I could; but I did not feel obligated to do so.
For the curious, Applicant B had a great paralegal resume and asked for more money than we could afford; but which was reasonable for her experience. Applicant A was a decent candidate but there were some issues which could have become very problematic; her otherwise good qualities were not enough to be worth the risk of problems down the line.