Dear Work Coach,
I am from Taiwan and found your website by google. My background is engineering, and I focus my job hunting on those positions in the high-tech industry. Currently I stuck in the waiting game after my 2nd interview. My situation is like this.
I went to the 2nd interview of a large high-tech company on April 17, and I wrote thank you note and follow-up letters after the interview to all the interviewer, but I did not hear anything from them over the past month. Therefore, I called HR last Monday for their decision.
She responded my job application is getting approval, but she does not know which candidate would be selected (It sounds weird). She assumed the approval process would be done by the end of last week and would give me call.
Until now, I still have not received her call. Is there still hope to get this job? I am very desperate for this job, cuz it is what I really want. Could you give me some opinions?
Thank many for your help.
VL
Taipei, Taiwan
***
Dear VL,
So glad you found my blog. Welcome. I love having guests from other parts of the world. I’ll try my best to help you.
There’s no way for me to know for sure what they are thinking, but as of this moment, there is still hope. Sometimes, after a second interview, companies need to run your application through a variety of processes before they can even consider an offer, and those processes can take a long time. It sounds like you are one of several candidates, but she gave you no clue as to whether you’re the number one choice as of this moment.
All you can do right now is wait and think positively. (It never hurts.) Even if you aren’t number one, the person who they offer it to may already have another job or may say no. So many possibilities. But without a crystal ball, I can only tell you…there is still a chance – even though it’s past the deadline she gave you.
I wish you much luck, VL, and hope you do get this job. But just in case you don’t, take that positive energy and don’t give up until you get the job you want!
Good luck! Please let us know what happens.
Ronnie Ann
Related Work Coach Cafe posts:
After the Job Interview: Why Haven’t They Called Me Yet?
Hi,
I am facing the same situation here. I’ve gone through 2nd round of interview and to me, it went pretty well. I followed up with thank you note. However, it’s been a week since I sent the thank you note and I’ve yet to hear anything. During the 2nd interview I was told that I was one of the shortlisted candidate. I logged on to the job application website and noticed that the job status is now “No longer accepting job submission”. The job was advertised since July this year and right after my interview, it is now closed. I am really curious as to whether I will get an offer soon or they’ve already found the right candidate?
I have the same problem: contacted after I sent in my cv for a specific position,told that tha position was filled already but I was fitting another one still active, got phone interview and on site second interview. The interviews were simply perfect this once and I even felt the famous “click” between me and the prospective employer. I was given a clear deadline after which they should have offered me the job, but that date expired and they’re simply silent (don’t even reply to my emails). This is so rude and unprofessional, that I am starting to feel hassled.
Hi Jenny,
I hate to say this to you, but I think it’s probably time to move on – after you make one more try via the phone (email can easily go astray).
You might want to call to see what happened to the job, because email does go astray sometimes. After you tell them your name, remind them who you are – the job you applied for, when and who you interviewed with (both times), and – if possible – something memorable about you (school you attended, former employer, etc.). Then, ask for the status of this job. If it hasn’t been filled, ask about the next steps in the process.
If the job has been filled – and you still are interested in working there – send them a thank you for considering you and for showing your around the place. Then, tell them to keep you in mind for next time. If you are available at that point, you would probably be interested.
If you can’t get through by phone, it may be time to give up. Either their are too mired in their process to get back to you, or it has been filled, in spite of the “click” you felt.
Good luck!
Susan
Hi,
I have a question, I just had two interviews yesterday, with two different companies company A said their training will start until june and company B said their training will start april 30th … With that said, my first choice is company A, but not sure if I should email them and check if I got the job.. The last thing I want is to go with company B and then get a call from the other company…I don’t know what to do!?! Please advice..
Thanks
Hi Isabel,
If you interviewed with two companies, wait until you get an offer before you take yourself out of consideration for any job. If you get a job offer from your first choice company, call the second choice company to follow-up — ask what your status is, and then let them know that you have another offer and need to let them know by _______ date.
You may want wait to see if you got that second offer before you accept the other one — sometimes the salary or benefit options can be much better at one employer than another.
Good luck!
Chandlee
Hi,
I’m having a tricky time trying to work out what to do. I have had a second interview for a high level position mid way through last week and I thought the interview went very well. I have also been offered another role for which I needed to accept or decline by the end of last week. In the second interview it was understood (as HR had told the interviewer of my prospective offer) that I would need to be contacted by the close of business on Friday if they wanted to proceed with my application. The interviewer said that she was going to do her best but that there were a number of annual meetings being held over the following few days and that it may be difficult to get all those needed in the decision making process together. I was contacted by the close of the week to be told that they were unable to come back to me as they had not gotten together as yet. I put off the other job offer until this week as I would much prefer the job I am waiting to hear back on. It is now a week from the second interview and i have heard nothing. Knowing that I have another job in the wings I would have thought may have encouraged them to get back to me sooner but it would seem not. I am not sure whether to keep waiting at the risk of annoying or potentially losing out on a position or simply let it go and accept the other offer even though it is less desirable. I cannot work out whether the interview went as well as I thought it had …. on reflection perhaps it didn’t. Should I contact them again or simply leave it be ?
James,
If you feel you have a good relationship with the HR contact, you may want to have a frank conversation explaining your situation and asking for direct feedback on the chances for this job coming through. If you are honest with the employer hopefully they will be honest with you. Please remember, it may be unfortunate but the timeline of the hiring process of the employer may not match the timeline you need. Good luck!
- The Work Coach Cafe Team
I am an experienced professional who has spent the last 2 years interviewing. I would like to save you needless pain and heartache. You are a very lucky person. You have an actual job offer. Accept the job you were offered on the date you said you would give your decision. Call the other job and tell them exactly what you are going to do, that you understand their situation and even sympathize but you have had to move ahead on yours. If they want you, they will convene a special meeting any way they can. It is a waste of time to have a discussion with the HR contact. The HR person often has NO control over these things.
Please take this seriously. I have recently found a job (finally!) and I truly truly feel your pain. Don’t lose the job in hand.
Hi,
I’m in sort of a similar situation and am not sure what to do. I interviewed for a job a few weeks ago, and had a second interview on Nov. 24th. The second intervew went really well, I met with everyone I would be working with, and was there for about 2.5 hours. The hiring manager told me it was between myself and one other candidate, who had come in earlier that day for her second interview. I did a test with HR, and the HR rep said it would take 3-5 business days to run a background check, so he said I should get a call by the end of the following week. Unfortunately, I never specifically asked the hiring manager when he would let me know their decision.
I sent a thank you/follow up email that evening, just thanking them for their time, and clarifying one question they had, and now I’ve been waiting. Since my interview was on the Wednesday before thanksgiving, I figured the background check timeline may have been thrown off a bit, so I have been waiting patiently. Now it has been ten days since the interview, and I haven’t heard anything back. Is it too soon to ask about their decision? What should I say in the email? Would it be annoying to email the hiring manager and ask when they would be making their decision, since I never technically asked him?
I am mostly concerned because I am now out of a job, and this job opportunity is in a new field for me. I really really want this job, so I am hesitant to apply for other jobs in my current field as a nanny because I know I could get one of these jobs very easily, but I’d really like the new job(it pays a lot more and is more secure).
Any advice would be very appreciated!
Thanks!!!
Try to move on. You may be selected and you may not. It is very difficult to feel that such things are so outside your control. But they are. No matter what happens, try not to let it affect your belief in yourself. And don’t ever get trapped into thinking that this job is the be all and end all and your life will be ruined if you don’t get it. Believe me, I’ve been there and done that.
Kelly,
Best of luck in this time anxious time looking for a job. You may want to wait a few more days to hear back from the employer. If you don;t hear within a couple days you may want to call or send a quick e-mail checking on the status. Don’t take the follow up as an opportunity to clarify answers, just express your desire for the position and check on the progress.
- The Work Coach Cafe Team
Had first interview on Wednesday, Dec 14, 2011. The second interview was on Friday, Jan 6, 2012. I sent thank you notes for each round of interviews and telephoned on Wednesday, Jan 11, 2012 to see if they made a final decision. I was told that she had been out of the office for a few days and I would hear from her by the end of the week. Needless to say I didn’t hear anything. Should I call again or move on?
Hi Allie,
If she had been out of the office for a few days, she probably has many things to catch up on, and filling this job is not her highest priority yet. If you haven’t heard by Tuesday, I’d check in again.
I concur with Debbie and your own instinct. Maybe this will work out for you, and maybe it won’t. But, continue looking so if you don’t get an answer you won’t have lost much time.
Good luck!
Check in with them but in your mind, MOVE ON. You will only cause yourself pain by hanging on emotionally. I know. It took me almost 2 years to get hired. When they wanted me, I knew it and they knew it and it happened. Without pain. Best of luck to you. Persevere in general, you will get employed.
So, here’s my issue…
I was actually scouted by a manager from a large retail clothing store who found me working at my current job that is full time. She asked me to come in and interview, so I did…needless to say the first interview went well. They got me into a second interview within two days when the store manager was available. I interviewed with her and I asked her if I would be a good fit. She said I was a perfect candidate and she even wanted to consider me as a assistant manager if there was an opening for it. The position was not a full time position but the store manager told me she was willing to work and get me my current salary along with close to full time hours, she even said that she would try to get me the benefits…I would be leaving my current job for this one because of the many opportunities involved with it. She really liked me and said that the HR manager was off the next day but to expect a call around Thursday…well, Thursday came and went and so did today, Friday…the job listing is now removed from the website…should I give them a call? Or should I continue to just keep waiting?
Advice please?
Thanks!
Hi Lawren,
My guess is that it really is a part-time job, and that the store manager was unable to get you nearly full-time hours, benefits, and the other things she mentioned because it really is a part-time job..
If you have an email address for the store manager, send her an email. Thank her for her interest and time. Tell her you enjoyed meeting her, and would be happy to talk with her again in the future. If you don’t have an email address, you could call and say the same thing.
I would stay in touch, but definitely not give up my current job. Perhaps a genuine full-time job will develop soon at this store, or perhaps, develop at another branch of it, if it is a chain..
Good luck!
Susan
It’s hard to believe but 6+ months after I left my comments here about being “stuck in the waiting game”, I was FINALLY called back by the company for an interview yesterday. Let’s hope this time it would be smooth…
Good luck, Erin!
I was interviewed 2x in this company and after 2 weeks i followed up with the status of the position, they say that the position is still under the approval of higher management, i gave a word to them i could wait for another two weeks and they sounded happy about it. I cheked again with them aftr a week of any progress but said it was still on the same status but said that after a week i should expect a call. A week have passed and havent heard of them still. Im worried Im not getting the job. I hope they should say something.
Hi Drew0819,
Since it has been a week since your last contact and since this is the last week before that 2 weeks you could wait is over (yes?), I would contact them again to see what the status of the job is.
In the future, I recommend being very careful about giving employers deadlines that aren’t real. A “real” deadline is when you have another offer that you need to accept or reject by a specific date. Wanting an offer within 2 weeks is not a real deadline because you’ll still be available after those 2 weeks are over.
A job seeker’s deadline won’t often motivate an employer to hurry through their process (whatever it is), and the job seeker can end up with a little “egg on their face” if they are still interested and available after the deadline has passed. That may be the situation you have here, if I understood your narrative correctly.
I hope this works out for you!
Good luck!
Susan
Hi Susan, thank you for your reply, really appreciate it!i forgot to mention that 1 week after the 2nd interview i made my first follow up call because during the 2 nd interview which was actually not an actual interview, it was seeing the workplace and introducing me to some staff i would be dealing with “if i will be hired” . He mentioned during that time that if i have questions i may just want to phone them. So last week that was the 2nd time i made the follow up call and told me to expect a call early this week. I was thinking it would be too much to made a 3rd follow up call. I really wanted the job
(
I had my second interview with an out of state company about ten days ago. The first interview was about one month before the second. The company covered air fare for my trip to the second interview. I felt both interviews went well. After the second interview, They told me they would interview another candidate, and then late of same day I was asked for references. Last week, my references informed me they have been contacted by HR people. Is this a good sign or just a typical hiring procedure? Should I follow up with them if I have not heard from them after another week?
Thanks,
Bob
Hi Bob,
I concur with Debbie, below. Checking references is a very good sign that you are one of the finalists. You might not be THE finalist (yet), but you are certainly in the running. Hope this works out for you!
Good luck!
Susan
Well, after having not heard from the company for over 3 weeks after my second interview, I followed up with one of the interviewers for status. She said the core hiring team has not been able to get together and officially to take next steps in bringing me on board. They will meet next week and I should hear from them soon.
Does this mean they have decided to offer me the job, or at least very close?
Thanks,
Bob
Hi Bob,
It sounds like you are one of the candidates who made it past the first cut, at least. It’s hard to tell what the next steps will be. Probably more interviews and reference checks.
Good luck!
Susan
A week later after my follow-up, I got a call from corporate HR director. She said she had received my information from hiring branch office and asked my salary expectation. I responded her with my past salary range. After explaining to me some company benefits, she said she would put things together and send to me the following week. To me it sounded like a formal offer package coming soon.
I did not receive anything for almost two weeks. Then I contacted the person who interviewed me at branch office. She emailed me back with information of company benefit. She said no decision has been made because they are interviewing one additional candidate. The decision should be made before end of May (a month from now). She told me I am still in the running and thanked me for the time I have invested so far.
At this moment, I don’t feel confident on this and hopefully she is telling me the truth. Should I continue to follow up with them for the status?
Hi Bob,
I would not give up on the job; quite possible there’s an internal discussion on salary, rate of pay, etc. It does sound like they are still interested in you — and that perhaps communication isn’t always seamless between corporate HR and the branch office. I’d follow-up again in two weeks just to let them know you remain interested. As always, I recommend you continue your search in the interim as well.
Best of luck to you and please keep us posted on your progress.
Good luck,
Chandlee
Now that is a very good sign, from a person (me) who is very skeptical. Usually checking references is the last step to making an offer. Good luck!
Hi,
I am in a similar position. I had a telephone interview on 28th February and was called back and had the 2nd interview on 6th March. The first interview I felt went very well, but the 2nd interview, although I didn’t think it went as well as the first, it did go reasonably well. I followed up with a thank you note on the same day of both interviews and after the 2nd interview I followed up after one week. The HR department advised that they had no made a decision, as they were stil inthe interview process and that they would let me know as soon as a decision was made. In the meantime, I noticed that they re-advertised the job on their website and online, as well as with agencies, and several agencies called me to put me forward for the role, one even advised that the Company had advised them that they had interviewed 3 external candidates all of whom were unsuccessful. I decided to give up on that one and continued my job search, and then I got an email from them today, apologising for the delay in any final decision, and saying that they now have internal candidates that have come forward and should have a final decision for me by Friday of this week!
I am not sure how to take this and needless to say it’s driving me insane. I still do feel optimistic as I don’t see what they would gain by jus keeping me hanging on, although I do feel they are not saying no just yet, just in case they don’ find someone! I know i’s impossible to really know what’s going on behind the scenes, but any comment, suggestions on your take on the situation would be greatly.
appreciated.
Thanks!
Tricia
Hi Tricia,
The thing they have to gain is to keep you from accepting a job offer from someone else IF they decide they want to hire you at the end of the week. So, they have reached out to see if you are still available and to, they hope, keep you available. In dating (in the old days), we’d call this “stringing someone along.”
However, they went to the effort to get back in touch and to keep you on the “string.” And, those ARE good signs!
HOWEVER, you have NO guarantee of a job offer at the end of this process! You could be applicant # 1 (of 5) or applicant # 5 (of 5). Hard to tell.
The fact that they re-posted the job so extensively indicates that no candidate (internal or external) “nailed it” in the first round – they didn’t find their “ideal” candidate then. Perhaps now they are deciding that the ideal candidate isn’t out there, so they will take the best candidate they can find – a rational decision.
You are definitely under consideration, but I think you were absolutely correct to go forward in your job search looking for other jobs.
Do as you did before – continue with your job search now, if only to keep from wasting time wondering what will happen here.
Good luck!
Susan
Is it more appropriate to send an email thank you for the second interview or one by mail?
Hi Cristy,
Well, it kind of depends…
My concern is that email does not always get through – it can be stopped by spam filters, typos, and technical issues. So, “snail mail” is more reliable.
But snail mail may sometimes be viewed as “too old school” by hip, high tech kinds of place (like Google, Apple, and Microsoft, I suspect). On the other hand, I know some very formal businesses (think Boston law firm) where email may be considered “too informal.”
If you got a sense of the corporate culture, follow your instinct.
Wish I had a better answer!
Good luck!
Susan
Hi,
I am 63 and was laid off almost two years ago. I had a sick family member I was caring for and now I need to return to work. I do get interviews, and I take good care of my attitude and appearance and I am prompt for all my interviews. I had a second interview and in total spent 5 hours at one job site, I spoke to the HR person who told me she would get back to me and I never heard from her.
Most of the interviews I go on I also have phone interviews. To be honest, I think I sound young on the phone and I really think my age is a problem.
I kept my latest employer on my resume to read to Present. I am afraid if I take that off my resume and put an ending date I will never get an interview.
I just tell them I didn’t update my resume. What is your opinion on putting an ending date?
My last interview was last week, I feel like I am being interrogated instead of interviewed, I never had this feeling before. I haven’t hear from this employer either.
I am getting so frustrated.
I appreciate any advise you can give me.
Regards,
Mary
Hi Mary,
I don’t think it’s a good idea to be untruthful on your resume. It’s easy for a potential employer to verify that you do – or do NOT – work at that previous job, and then the opportunity is probably lost for you when it turns out not to be true.
Since you were caring for a sick family member, put that on your resume. You can still emphasize the accomplishments you had at your last employer, but your resume will have the correct dates for that job.
Good luck!
Susan
Thank you Susan for the advise. I’m happy to report I got the position!!
EXCELLENT, Cristy! Congratulations and thanks for letting us know!
YEA!!
EXCELLENT, Cristy! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Thank you for letting us know. Hope this job works out really well for you!
Good luck!
Susan
Hi,
I had a job interview last friday April 20th and I feel that it went very well. After discussing my qualifications and fit for the position I was told about the job, benefits, introduced to the office manager and other staff, and was asked my salary range and when I would be availale to start working. I thought this was a positve sign and I felt like I was going to be hired. At the end of the interivew I asked when they were planning to make a decision to fill the position. I was told that I will be called the following Friday to schedule a second interview becasue they have others to interview and they don’t want to make the same mistake of hiring the first person they like. They told me that the person hired for this position a few months ago isn’t working out and they hired them on the spot.
I sent a thank you email after the interview but I’m not sure if it was received becasue the interviewing manager didn’t give me a business card. I researched online to get what I hope is the correct email address. Well, Friday has come and gone without a call from the company to schedule a second interview and i didn’t get a reply to my email.
Should I follow up with a phone call Monday or give it a few more days. I am just so confused because I left there feeling like I was the candidate. I don’t want to appear desperate but I really do want this job.
Thanks.
Hi Cindy,
I recommend calling on Tuesday or Wednesday and checking in. Don’t leave a voice mail, make sure you talk to a real person and find out what’s happening.
Employers often share details of “what it’s like to work here” with all candidates as part of the process. This isn’t done to lead you on, but to help them expedite the process of hiring someone — because you get to pick where you work just as much as they get to pick who they want to work with.
They want to know the people they hire are interested in working with them. It sounds like they know you are interested in them, they are interested in you, but they have a process to follow — and that process involves talking to multiple candidates.
In the interim, I recommend staying positive, continuing your job search, and remembering — hiring processes often take a while inside companies. It’s not always on schedule process as people think. Meetings come up, customer deadlines change and they all have other work to do as they hire.
Good luck on your search and keep us posted.
Best,
Chandlee
I called today to follow up but I could not get through to the manager that I interviewed with. My only opton was to leave a voice mail message. They have not returned my call as of yet. What bothers me is that they don’t have the common courtesy to respond by either calling or emaiing the status of the position. Very frustrating!
Hi Cindy,
I know the process is frustrating, but keep in mind that employers have a very limited vocabulary they can use in the midst of a job search. In most companies, there are policies to communicate in a neutral tone of voice about hiring decisions until a job offer is extended and accepted.
This is the way it works at many hiring organizations, don’t take it personally…remember, most people are working full-time in addition to hiring — they need to hire, because there is so much work.
Good luck!
Best,
Chandlee
I interviewed for an internship the first of March and had a second interview the last of March. In the second interview I spoke with HR and the hiring manager for the department I’d be working in. I was given the job description, salary, and relocation benefits. The next day after the second interview, HR called and wanted me to fill out a another internship application – a revised one. I did and emailed a thank you. I was told they’d be wrapping things up in about a week (not sure what that meant). A little over a week passed and I followed up with an email. I was told they were checking my references and I should hear back soon. The same week, HR requested a third reference and my official transcript. I followed up to make sure they received the transcript and was told they had received it and they should be able to make an offer on Monday, which is today and I have not heard from them as of yet . My question is does that sound like they want to offer me the job, or still considering others? I’m, confused.
CTM,
With any search, the only time that you can be certain they will offer you a job — is when they actually do. That said, they’ve certainly followed up with you a number of times and it sounds positive.
Employers very frequently have a day or two delay between when they intend to offer a job — and when they are actually able to. So I wouldn’t push any alarm bells yet. If you haven’t heard from them by week’s end, you can follow up again — and if you get another internship offer in the interim, let them know you have another offer that you also need to consider.
Good luck with all of it.
Best,
Chandlee
Hello. I interviewed last Friday (5/11/12) for a position with a non-profit. I know the director with whom I was interviewing from a different company where we both worked; it went well and she told me I was “competitive” with the other candidates. She said that she had final interview to conduct on Tuesday (yesterday) and would be calling folks with her decision that day. It’s now Wednesday at 11 a.m. and I haven’t heard anything. Is this as horrible a sign as I am making it out to be? I was considering sending a friendly follow up (I already sent a thank you email as well after the interview) and thought that following up this soon might be okay because I know the hiring manager personally. Do you think I should send this email today, or wait until tomorrow, when they have had a bit more time. Thanks… I’m super stressed because I really want this job, and I really don’t want another “thanks, but no thanks” letter in my mailbox. Job hunting can really be depressing…
Taylor,
I know it kills you, but I’d wait until Friday if you can stand it. Hiring nearly always takes longer than we think — especially as generally hiring managers and Directors still need to get approval before they can extend an offer.
Yes, job hunting can be depressing but I recommend you keep going and don’t give up.
Good luck to you.
All the Best,
Chandlee