Q: I attended a corporate presentation about two weeks ago, where I spoke with someone for a while about a position that really appeals to me. At the end of the conversation, he gave me his business card and told me to send him my resume. At the time my resume wasn’t “ready,” and I didn’t follow up with him just to touch base after the presentation like I know I should have. I would like to get in touch with him about the job, but how do I (or do I not?) acknowledge the two weeks that have passed? I just don’t want to approach this the wrong way, so I’d love to get your suggestions.
A: First of all, I don’t think you need to apologize for the two weeks that have passed, unless he specifically asked you to email him immediately. In the future, it’s better to email right after you meet someone, but don’t beat yourself up over a two-week lag. Just remind this man in the subject line or first sentence of your email where and when you met him and then thank him for suggesting that you should send him your resume.
From the way you describe the situation, it sounds as if he is already impressed with you and will just pass along your resume to the right person. However, I always think it’s a good idea to ask for feedback so he is somewhat invested a bit in your success. You might write something like, “As promised, attached is my resume. I’m very interested in working in your department and I would appreciate any feedback you have about positioning my experience to best suit a role in your group. If you think the resume looks fine, it would be great if you can pass it along to the HR/hiring manager, or let me know what other steps you’d recommend at this point.”
I suggest adding value to the email by reiterating why you’d be an excellent fit for this group based on what you’ve learned about it on your own (presumably over the past two weeks) and what he told you about it during the conversation when you met. Finally, tell him you will keep him posted, and be sure to keep him in the loop about how it all works out.
As always, this advice is just my two cents, so do what feels comfortable to you based on your interaction with this person and your knowledge of your industry and how things work. Good luck!
