Your opinion: If an HR recruiter says that he or she will call in 5 days,

[iconoclastic cat]

but five days pass with no word from him or her, do most of you:
1. Contact them anyway
or,
2. Drop it and move on?

[GOPisEvil]

1. Contact them. Make myself a pest if I have to.

[Beaverhausen]

2. Call them

but be aware all HR matters move very slowly these days so don't give up hope.

[AlGore-08.com]

3. The best book on this kind of thing is "Knock 'em dead"

If you can't afford to get a copy, check your local library. Has every answer for every job search question.

[pagerbear]

4. Call or email after 7-10 days

...but not in a pestering way. Just to remind him/her of your interest and suggest when you're available to talk further or meet.

[iconoclastic cat]

6. That has been my usual tack,

but I have never once landed a gig by sending queries after the initial phone interview.

Maybe I should buy the book mentioned earlier in this thread!

[Nikia]

8. I agree

Give the recruiter a couple of days. They aren't perfect and sometimes forget or get behind.

[RoyGBiv]

5. Call, definitely...

With some recruiters, this is in unstated part of the test, to see how interested you are in the job. At the very least it draws attention to your file, which may have been buried in a stack of others.

[ramapo]

7. Call if you want the job

You might not get it but you almost certainly won't if you wait for the phone to ring.

[Misunderestimator]

9. Contact them... the job market sucks so bad right now, you have ...

to do everything in your power to get noticed.

[iconoclastic cat]

10. Thanks, DUers!

I'll definitely be persistent, then!
Long story short: I freelanced as a copywriter for online publications during the 90's. For years, all I needed to do was mention to someone that I was available to be picked up for a gig! Suddenly in 2000, the gigs became fewer and fewer. I had grown very irritated with corporate America by this point, so I decided to go back to school for a teaching certificate. I have not had any luck finding a job in either field yet.

I guess that I was spoiled by the Clinton era.

Enough forlorn lamenting! I need to approach this like I approached getting gigs at the good rock clubs in town! Persistence!

[Lou_C]

11. You contact them immediately

I use to work in the HR dept at a large company and you need to contact them back with either a follow up letter or a thank you phone call.

Kiss ass if you want then job and after you get it then the real you can come out.

[iconoclastic cat]

12. I sent the thank-you's (via both email and snail mail) hours after

the phone interview. I'll just drop them another line.

The butts have been kissed, and they're in for more!