Dear Work Coach,
I am waiting patiently after a good telephone interview with an internal recruiter. At the end of the interview, I was told that I would get a call from the hiring manager if I get a second interview. That was a week ago.
My question is if it would be okay to call the hiring manager directly? Or should I only follow up with the recruiter?
Lowell
***
Hi Lowell!
First, congratulations on a good phone interview. Hope it turns into a good job! 
I’ve given your question some thought. Part of me said “Why not go ahead and call him or her?” But then I remembered some places where that would have left a bad impression, despite the initiative it shows.
A week isn’t that long. Sometimes the phone interview phase takes a few weeks all on its own. And then they have to decide whom to call back, which can involve more time getting everyone to clear their schedules to do that. So the fact that you haven’t heard back yet is no indication of anything.
I think I’d wait until next week, and, if you haven’t heard anything by then, call the internal recruiter. It’s better office politics. Now if you can’t reach/ don’t hear back from the recruiter, then you could very politely and “naively” contact the hiring manager. You could say you haven’t heard back yet from the phone interview and aren’t sure if you were supposed to contact her/him but if so, want to let her/him know how interested you are in the company and to please let you know if there’s anything more you need to do right now. Might help and couldn’t hurt.
Good luck. Please let us know what happens, ok?
Ronnie Ann
In case you’re curious, you can read Lowell’s original comment and find out what happened. He wrote back November 5, 2008. Hint: It’s good news.
Stuck in the Waiting Game After the 2nd Interview
****
New Work Coach Cafe Policy:
Although I had to stop answering individual questions (to preserve my sanity), your thoughts and stories are VERY welcome here.
Definitely start with the recruiter. Not only is this person the employment gatekeeper—he or she has the job of finding employees for the company, a job which he or she probably feels the need to justify, at least on occasion. Recruiters do not take kindly to being circumvented. Trust me, I speak from experience.
Thanks for adding your personal experience, Terry. I think the best advice comes from those of us who have made all the mistakes!
Ronnie Ann
In my experience, usually if they have not got back to you within one week following a phone interview (if this is a large company) then you have been unsuccessful and they’ll e-mail a generic response thanking you for your time.
Sorry to be so negative but it is an experience i have been through many times. I hope I am wrong and good luck!
Hi Daniel!
You’re right that in many cases, this is not the best news. Sory you had to learn this the hard way!
But as someone who has waited much MUCH longer after a phone interview and gotten good news and as someone who has been on the inside many times and knows all the things that can pop up to delay getting back to people, my motto is we really don’t know for sure what this means.
But I also believe if you don’t have an offer, no matter how things look, keep that job hunt going with full effort. Not only is this good for your momentum, but you never know what might come up.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I wish you much luck in your own career!
Ronnie Ann