Applying for a job doesn’t end after the interview. You have to do your part by knowing how to follow-up the right way. After all, you don’t want to give the impression to your potential employer that you’re unprofessional and that you can’t stick to the timeline given to you.

When making follow-ups, make sure you and the employer agree on a certain timeline regarding the progress. If you think it’s been too long since the given timeline has passed, don’t hesitate to follow-up.

Perhaps you can write a short email like this:

“Hi Thomas, as I remember, you’d mentioned that you were optimistic to be ready to move forward on the Managerial position in three weeks, so I wanted to check in with you. I’m greatly interested in the role, even more so after our last conversation, and would love to know what your timeline is like moving forward.”

See how the email above looks so sleek? It’s actually saying how much you want to get the job without asking for an update regarding how the search is going. Asking too simply about the ongoing search makes it easier for the recruiter to ignore the inquiry, especially if he doesn’t have the information you’re interested in.

Here are other things to keep in mind when writing a follow-up note:

Keep it short. Don’t even try sending an email with multiple paragraphs in it. Remember that hiring managers are generally busy. Messages comprised of a few sentences are more likely to be read by the recruiter.

Don’t be demanding. If you’re frustrated that you haven’t heard anything back, don’t let it show. Keep in mind that hiring takes time and recruiters have a lot on their plates to begin with. Sounding annoyed and pestering the recruiter makes it easier for the recruiter to say no.

Be conversational. When writing a follow-up note, try to imagine you were writing to a colleague. Make your tone warm and friendly. Keep a professional tone without sounding too old-fashioned.

These tips should be able to help you combat your fear of writing follow-up letters to your potential employer. As long as you learn the right way to get information without being demanding, expect to get the information you need relatively quickly.