You know the drill. You get the interview. You ace the interview. In fact, it was the best job interview you ever had! You head home dreaming of the offer for the new job you’re pretty sure you just landed. And then…you wait. And you wait. And you wait some more until you just want to scream! And then maybe you do scream. And rant a little. And even think of all the things you’d like to do to that stupid company you once thought was so perfect for you.
But before you decide the company is made up of former Guantanamo guards trained to torture you in some sick waiting game, take a deep breath and let me take you behind closed doors. It’s time you learn more about the mysterious steps of the interview hiring process – what goes on inside the secret rooms – and why you aren’t getting any feedback from the company even though you send e-mails and call them hoping for even the tiniest clue.
Hard as it is to believe, sometimes there are good reasons – really! – why a company’s interview hiring process steps take so long – and why all too often you have to wait forever (or so it seems) before you hear back from an employer after a job interview.
So what does go on behind the scenes after an interview?
I was recently asked to guest post on the Pongo Resume Blog, and decided this would be a great topic since I get sooooooooooo many e-mails and comments about how painful the waiting game can be. I once even wrote a post begging Human Resources people to be more considerate. But sadly, for many reasons, the torture continues and you’re still waiting.
I hope by telling you about what goes on behind the scenes after the interview, you might be able to relax just a little more knowing one week, two weeks, even three weeks or more of waiting can be perfectly normal.
Possible reasons you’re still waiting after the interview:
Here’s an excerpt from my guest post:
- Sometimes HR controls all communication and that means people you write to are advised not to respond to individual candidates. Why? It could be a mandate from legal to prevent any miscommunication. (A poorly worded response from the company could be construed as an offer when none exists yet.) Or it could simply be HR wanting to call all the shots. It happens.
- Someone critical to the process (aka SCTTP) may be sick or called away. Why not work around the person? They could, but sometimes the company prefers to wait for the sake of continuity — even if that means you wait too.
- Our SCTTP may suddenly have been put on a top-priority project that’s taking all their time. Even if they said they want to hire quickly, the hiring process can get put on the back burner. I’ve seen this many times.
- Our SCTTP has been fired or quit and must be replaced first.
- The department is going through a reorganization — again.
- The job is being rethought and possibly needs to wait for HR to approve a reclassification. Why? Sometimes they find a specific candidate (maybe you) whose skills are even more suited to their needs than their original concept. Or they find two people they like and decide to split the job into two different positions.
- Hiring may require numerous people who did not interview you to sign off on various steps of the process. Meanwhile, you wait.
- Sometimes it simply takes weeks to find room on everyone’s calendar for the next round of interviews.
So if you’re stuck in the waiting game, try not to get caught up worrying about things you can’t control…like all the stuff behind closed doors. Instead know you’ve done your best (that’s all anyone can do), make sure you’ve sent a great thank you note and, after a couple weeks have passed, follow up with a polite e-mail and/or phone call saying you’re still interested and would love to know your status. You might even ask if they need anything else from you.
Other than that, you just wait. As long as it takes. I once waited four months and I was their top candidate!
Meanwhile, do what you can to keep yourself busy and diverted so you aren’t obsessing about the wait. Also…keep looking! Not only does the action help you stay sane, but you may actually wind up finding an even better job in the process.
Good luck finding the right job for you.
Ronnie Ann
Some other posts you may find helpful
12 Ways to Stay Sane After a Job Interview
I Got the Post-Interview Temporary OCD Blues
How to Tell If a Job Interview Went Well
I Messed Up My Job Interview. What Can I Do?
Hi,
So here’s my story I got interviewed at the beginning of March with a promising opportunity. We kept in contact every 4 to 5 days because the company is new and they are relocating and doing all these new paper works. The company is originally from London so the benefits and compensation sounds great. However, once the guy told me on April that he is going to make an offer to me the next day, he never respond so I called him and emailed him but he never responded. So, I texted him and he replied to me that he is no longer with the company. I was so mad because I kept waiting for this position. I don’t know why people make you have all this expectation when at the end they are just going to turn you down.
Now, I’m depending on this other job that I was interviewed on March too. We had lunch and he really like me and he is very interested in the skills and experience I had. We kept in contact every 2 weeks and recently every 3 to 5 days. Once he told me that he is going to have all the paper for me to sign up he told me at the last minute that he had an emergency and can’t show up. So, I kept emailing him every 2 to 3 days for the last 2 weeks and I just texted him an hour ago and no response. So, I guess this one is worst than the other guy. He couldn’t make up a lie to turn me down.
I feel very tire and frustrated that people play with you like that.
LN,
How frustrating. I hope something will turn up. If you can get in touch with others from the either company, it may help you stay top of mind in the mind of others who are hiring — and you could still ultimately get an offer.
That said, pay attention to the kind of company that you’d like to work for…and how they make you feel. Sounds like you haven’t found quite the right dynamic yet, so it may be a good idea to keep looking for additional opportunities — even if one of these comes through.
Good luck,
Chandlee
Thank you very much Chandlee,
I think I’m getting use to it. The thing is that both of them are the CEO’s of the company and they make all decisions for the hiring. So, I cannot do anything about it. However, I am not giving up hope and I’ll accept this low paying job if they want to hire me, which I believe I got it. I just need to wait for them to call me back next week.
Thanks again, this is a really helpful site. I didn’t look up for advises or anything in the last 5 months. I wanted somewhere to vent and luckily I found a lot of people who are in the same situation that I am.