Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing because I am interested in working at your place of business.  I have put a great deal of time and effort into crafting my resume and tailoring my cover letter to demonstrate that I possess the specific requirements you laid out in your job posting.  I would not have spent hours starring at my computer screen, pondering synonyms for “experience,” were I not interested in this position or in working for your business, so please extend me a few courtesies.

Please let me know that you have received my application materials.  I spent a lot of time on them, and I would hate for my application to have gotten lost in cyberspace or mail purgatory without my knowledge.  Sometimes I get a response from a computer, thanking me for my interest and telling me not to contact the organization again due to the large volume of applications received.  I guess that’s fine.  Sometimes I get an actual response from an actual human being, thanking me for my interest and telling me that I will be contacted if I am wanted for an interview.  That’s a little better.  Sometimes I get no response whatsoever, which is inexcusable.  If I do not hear that you have received my application, please do not be surprised when I call or e-mail you asking for confirmation.  I know, you probably will not respond to my call or e-mail, because you are too busy to take a minute to write up a response.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at this point.

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