Q: I did not receive an acknowledgement receipt from an employer after sending an application through e-mail. How do I know that my application really got through?

A: This was a question originally posted on the chat box at the side bar by a reader named Gian. I believe though that this is a very common question and therefore deserves a clearer response.

First of all, it is crucial to understand that many companies, especially small ones do not send out acknowledgement receipts at all even if they do receive applications. They often only respond to applicants who meet their requirements or who they think are fit for the vacant jobs.

Ideally, it is part of the job of companies’ HR departments to send letters of receipt or regret to applicants. This however is not always possible. Small companies do not have a lot of personnel. Often, individuals in charge of recruitment and screening have tons of other work to do. That means they have no time to send letters of receipt.

The only way you will know if a company received your application is if you get called for an exam or interview. You might also want to take the risk and follow up your application through e-mail or through a landline call. Again, ideally, applicants should be treated with courtesy when they ask about their application status. In reality though, staff who have lots of things to do may quickly lose their patience and may even tell you in an irritated voice to simply wait.

This does not mean that all companies respond negatively to follow up calls. In other words, you have a fairly equal chance of getting a polite response and an impolite one. If you have a strong heart and do not mind getting sharp responses then you shouldn’t have a problem at all.

Companies that usually send out acknowledgement receipts are the big ones like the ESTABLISHED companies in Tagoloan and Villanueva and the large school in CDO’s divisoria.