← All resources

No answer to your job application: when to follow up, how, and 3 e-mail templates

How long to wait, how many follow-ups, which channel, and three templates ready to adapt, after an application or an interview.

By the PisteJob team · updated October 26, 2026 · 4 min read

You sent your application and since then, nothing. Following up feels awkward: you worry about bothering people, or seeming pushy. Yet a short, well-timed follow-up is normal, and it can put your application back on top of the pile. Here's how long to wait, how many times to follow up, and what to write.

How long to wait

After an application, the French student and careers site L'Etudiant says answers often come within 7 to 10 days, and that about two weeks is still a reasonable wait.

Company size matters. Welcome to the Jungle suggests waiting about a week at a start-up, and at least 10 days at a large company, where decisions take longer.

After an interview, the golden rule: if the recruiter gave you a date for an answer, respect it. Once it has passed, L'Etudiant quotes a simple rule: write on the promised date plus two days. With no date given, allow about ten days without news before following up (L'Etudiant).

How many follow-ups

• After an application: one or two follow-ups, depending on the employer's pace.
• After an interview, with a date given and passed: one follow-up a week, three at most.
• After an interview, with no date given: one message a month.

Beyond that, it's better to mark the application as "no answer" and put your energy into the next ones.

Which channel, and when

E-mail remains the best choice: it's less intrusive than a call and leaves a written record. The phone makes sense if that's how you've already been in touch, or if the recruiter asked for it. If you have no e-mail address, a short message to the recruiter on LinkedIn can do the job.

As for timing, Welcome to the Jungle recommends Wednesday, Thursday or Friday morning, and avoiding Monday morning, Friday afternoon and weekends.

What a good follow-up contains

• The role and the date of your application or interview, so they find your file in ten seconds.
• Your interest, restated simply: one sentence is enough.
• Something new, if you have it: a recent achievement, company news that speaks to you.
• An easy question: "Have you been able to move forward with my application?", "Could you tell me what the next steps are?"

Avoid: copying your cover letter, reproaches ("I still haven't heard back"), and the same text sent to ten companies at once.

3 templates to adapt

1. Follow-up after an application (about 7 to 15 days later)

2. Follow-up after an interview (answer date passed)

3. Last message: ask for feedback, then move on

Bonus: the LinkedIn version (a few lines)

What if nobody answers?

Silence is sadly common, and it says almost nothing about your worth: the role was filled, hiring was frozen, an inbox overflowed. After your last follow-up, mark the application as "no answer", keep a record (date, contact, what you sent), and keep applying. An effective job search moves several applications forward at once, without waiting for one to unblock.