Ask Vicki: Can you submit a job application after the deadline?

Vicki Salemi

Each week, Monster’s career expert Vicki Salemi—a former recruiter who utilizes 15-plus years of experience in recruiting and human resources to empower job seekers—answers user questions on Quora. We’ll be republishing the answers here. If you have a question for Vicki, send it to socialmedia@monster.com.

Q. Can you submit a job application after the deadline?

A. Yes, you can absolutely submit a job application after the deadline.

If the job is currently being filled and an offer has been extended and accepted, technically the recruiter should pull the plug on the opening, but that doesn’t always happen. As a former corporate recruiter, I was always recruiting for a position until the candidate not only accepted the offer but also officially started on his or her first day.

Even though the deadline has passed, you should still submit for a few reasons. In the case mentioned above, the recruiter may still keep an eye out for resumes that are submitted, regardless of who has been called for an interview.

Second, when you submit your resume online, your resume is entered into the company’s applicant tracking system (a.k.a. their database). That means recruiters within that company can search for resumes using specific keywords. So even though you’re submitting your resume for one job, that doesn’t mean it’s only going to show up for that particular job. Recruiters can still find you for other positions at the company they think you might be a good fit for.

The final reason you should apply is because the hiring process can change unexpectedly. Maybe the deadline got extended; maybe someone on the team is leaving soon but hasn’t officially resigned so the job is still open. You never know the situation behind the scenes, and the cool thing is that it doesn’t matter. If the job is still posted past the deadline, go for it.

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Read Vicki Salemi's answer to "Can you submit a job application after the deadline?" on Quora.