Dear Work Coach,
I just found your blog and absolutely love it! You have a lot of great information and advice on your site. I have a question for you I am sure you get all of the time but I’m at a loss on what to do at this point.
I had an interview last Tuesday (18th) that I thought went really well. It lasted an hour and a half (someone had to knock on the hiring manager’s door to stop the interview for her next appointment). I really like the hiring manager and she seemed to like me. She said she was down to 5 candidates that she wanted to have interviewed by the end of last week. She said she has been doing this a long time and I am definitely on the top of her list. The only concern she had was that I might be overqualified for the position but she wasn’t sure. She mentioned that could be to her advantage as I would be able to help her execute some strategic programs she wants to implement. She said she wanted to have me come back next week (which is this week) for 30 – 45 minutes to get a feel for the position, kind of a “day in the life of” this management position. She also said that the next step after that would to bring the top 2 candidates back for an interview with her team.
I followed up with an email thank you letter the next day, reiterating my enthusiasm for the position and why I think it would be challenging given the region and the change in industry.
I never heard back from her, no response to my emails. Late Monday afternoon I left her a message on her voice mail. I wasn’t pushy, just said that I wanted to follow-up with her to discuss setting up a time to come back (like we discussed). That was 2 days ago and I still haven’t heard anything. It seems really odd to me. Do you have any thoughts or advice?
Thanks,
Anne
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Hi Anne!
Thanks for the kind words. And even though I get lots of question about interviews, each one has its own interesting twist. Like yours.
It really does sound like you have done everything well. Great interview. Good follow up. Able to field the “too qualified” comment with a good comeback. Although I wish I had a way of figuring out what they are thinking, truth is…it could be lots of things. Maybe she or someone else critical to the process is sick. Maybe an emergency came up. Maybe they haven’t been able to finish the five interviews yet. Maybe they found someone they made an offer to despite what was said – if a perfect fit walked in the door after she met with you, it just could have changed their plans. Maybe they just can’t get past all your experience despite how well you handled your answer – niggling doubts sometimes grow when fed by the input of others. But maybe it is as simple as they just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
It’s only been a week and time feels very different on the employer end. (It’s like dog years!) I like that you are an action person looking to help yourself, but at this point you really have done all you can and now it’s time to just wait. I know it’s hard – and I’m sorry about that. Do what you can to keep busy with other things. If it’s the right job, you will get it. If not, then you might very well have lucked out for reasons you will never know!
I wish you much luck, Anne. Please let us know what happens.
Ronnie Ann
Related Work Coach Cafe posts
Stuck in the Waiting Game After 2nd Interview
I’ll tell you what I struggle with. The “Not the right fit” comment. Can they actually defend a statement like that? And what does ‘fit’, actually mean? Can they define it?
Eve,
One of the age old comments…”Not the right fit”. Could mean so many things yet at the same time maybe nothing. If you were a rock star interviewing to be a violin player in a classical symphony then maybe it would make sense
!! Our suggestion to interviewers and interviewees is to be open, honest and clear and not use meaningless comments. If you hear this from a potential employer you can ask them for a clear explanation of what is meant.
Reminds us of a post by Dan Pallotta that talks about how we have an epidemic of using meaningless terms and acronyms I Don’t Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore
For all readers:
If we apply for a position that we think is a perfect ‘fit’ for us and don’t get the job, it is perfectly appropriate to ask for feedback from the employer as to why we were not selected. When doing do this, however, be prepared for the feedback, positive or negative, accept it in and don’t try to argue or take this as a time to try to push to get the job. Be respectful of the person who is providing the feedback; take the feedback in a constructive way and use the feedback to assist in how you handle opportunities in the future.
- The Work Coach Cafe Team
Hello,
First of all, I want to thank you having this site available. Reading the other comments really made me realize that I am not alone. But, in short I had an interview late december. I Emailed HR about three weeks later to follow up on my status etc… HR did actually call me and told me the interviewing was complete..she then proceeded to ask for an updated application, which I did
send.That was two weeks ago. Still no word or update on where I actually stand… do u think HR would have phoned m if I weren’t a strong candidate? Thank you