Do you fire off emails instantaneously and always provide an update?  I will let you in on a little secret, not everyone is as prompt and efficient as you.  It can be frustrating waiting around on a response from hiring managers or IT recruiting supervisors for the go on a project or decision.  Before technical recruiters and prospective candidates assume they are being ignored, here are some suggestions why not all emails are not top priority.

Did You Hit Send?

Embarrassing as it is, sometimes IT recruiting companies make honest mistakes.  An email a technical recruiter thought he sent may be sitting in limbo within their draft folder.  Did the IT recruiter accidentally send the email to the wrong person?  If so, retract the error by apologizing to the accidental recipient and immediately sending the email to the correct person. 

Also, check wording in messages.  IT staffing firms may have been vague in their requests or sent their emails to multiple recipients.  If this is the case, send a message defining the request and ask a specific person for an update.  Chances are the recipients are confused as to who should respond.

Busy Signal

The recipient could be buried in work and has not arrived at the email.  If they have, they may have read it and acknowledged it, but moved it off to the side in terms of priority.  When IT headhunters experience this situation themselves, they should try replying to IT consultants and acknowledge having received the message and will provide an update shortly.  This allows the sender to know that their request is in process and has not been lost in email clutter.

Forgot

Humans forget!  Sending follow up messages is an excellent way to remind the recipients of a request while asking for an update.  Be mindful not to follow up too often, though.  Spamming the IT recruiting firms every hour or every day for an update is a sure way to get on the recipient’s bad side.   

Not Important

Some email messages do not need responses and just add to the clutter.  Before hitting send, think if this email is important.  Try picking up the phone and giving the person a call rather than cluttering their inbox.  They may appreciate a personal message more than another new message in their inbox!

Ignoring all messages is not only rude, but it is poor business.  Think of a time you could not reach a live person, it was frustrating!  Manage your own company by providing the best customer service possible!