Short answer: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
People wonder what to do after the job interview . I just read a recent comment from one of my readers who said “I still haven’t heard back from them after my job interview and they stopped answering my weekly follow up calls and emails so I just assume they don’t want me. I think that’s rude not to respond to me, but oh well. I will continue applying for more things!”
Of course my heart goes out to her, but I almost jumped out of my skin when I read how often she was following up with both phone calls AND emails after the job interview. I get she was just eager to know “Did I get the job?”, but there’s good reason not to do what she was doing. What you do after an interview can count as much as before or during!
While I well understand the agony of waiting to hear back after the interview – and do love her positive attitude about moving on to look for the right job – I worry some of you, including this reader, may actually hurt yourself badly with an overly zealous approach. Bugging a potential employer week after week – no matter how wonderful a hire you might be – is not going to get you the job. In fact, too many phone calls or e-mails can totally turn off the very people in the company you want to impress.
Avoid weekly follow-up calls and emails after an interview
Sending all those e-mails and making all those phone calls does not help your case with the company – and in fact only irritates HR folks and other hiring managers, many of whom have inboxes full of e-mails all demanding immediate attention. An occasional polite post-interview e-mail or phone call can be a good thing…but after that, believe me…if they are interested, they’ll remember you!
Unless you have something you absolutely need to tell them or maybe a new Pulitzer Prize you just won and want them to know about…less is more is a pretty good rule to follow when it comes to contact after the interview. And if they aren’t getting back to you – as annoying as that can be – just assume they have a good reason and do your best to focus on other things…like continuing to look for a great job!
(If you are waiting to hear back, you might find some helpful hints here: 12 Ways to Stay Sane After a Job Interview)
What about phone calls or email before an interview?
Speaking of following up…here’s a post from Kerry over at Clue Wagon that generated some great discussion. Basically, she tells us be wary of online experts who advise us to call or email after sending a resume (before any interview):
Calling to Follow Up? Hand Me a Fork.
(Kerry, a former HR person, is not one to mince words you’ll notice.)
Seriously…unless you have a contact there or a very good reason to call or are in an industry where this is ok (as Kerry also advises in 3 (Possible) Exceptions to the Do-Not-Call Rule), you are probably not helping yourself one bit by calling before an interview to follow up on your resume. Employers sometimes get a hundred or more resumes for one job posting. Believe me…they do not want a hundred or more calls or e-mails for each job they post! (Hmmm…maybe we should call anyone who suggests you do that?)
Of course, for every rule there are exceptions. And I will admit I may have helped myself get to a couple of interviews by using the send-resume-then-make-polite-follow-up-call technique – but then again, it may have been my particular circumstance. And I also might have gotten there anyway based solely on my resume and strong cover letter. (That’s what a good cover letter is for.) So please…if you do try this, just tread gently.
Nuff said.
So what’s your take on how often to follow up AFTER an interview? How have you handled your own post-interview follow-ups?
I was recently interviewed in person, after two telephone interviews, for a job I applied for last month. The interviewer seemed very interested in me and even came in to work on a Saturday (her idea) to speak to me. The interview went very well, she even introduced me to staff that I would potentially be working with and even showed me where my desk would be. After the interview she said it could take 2 weeks to hear back b/c they did have 2 other applicants that had scheduled interviews. At this time she handed me her cell phone number on a piece of paper and told me to call at the end of the following week to check in with her on the status or any time I had any further questions. I waited until Friday afternoon and called. She said that she was still waiting for an answer from the department head, but that she would get back to me by Monday afternoon at the latest. I didn’t hear back so I called and checked in with her on Tuesday. She was super nice on the phone and was overly appologetic for not gettting back to me. During our conversation she said that I was the best candidate for the position and had every quality they were looking for in an employee and that overall she generally like talking to me in the interview and thought I would be a great part of their team. She ended the call saying she would check in with the head of the dept and see where they were in the process and get back to me no later then Wednesday afternoon. After a full week I again didn’t hear back so I called to check in. There was quite a bit of noise and talking in the background and when I said who I was she was instantly appologetic again, and kept saying she was sorry she hadn’t got back to me and that things had been really crazy. She ended the call saying that she would call me back in 30 minutes when she was back in her office. I again have heard nothing and it has been 5 days. What steps should I take at this point, if any? I have not recieved anything by mail or email stating that I didn’t get the job either, which is usually common protocol especially with large companies like this one. I am confused on what to do b/c if I didn’t get the job, in any 3 phone calls, she could have told me that. Also, why say all the nice compliments, like I’m the best for the job, if you have no intentions of hiring me?
You have to ask yourself at some point, if you haven’t already… do I want to work for someone who can’t show the slightest bit of consideration by calling me back weeks after I take the time to interview? Don’t give me the they are waiting to hear back from HR excuse either. Either the job exists and is budgeted for or it doesn’t.
Job seekers just want the truth. Either hire us or don’t and move on but be up front about it.
This is coming from someone who has just had his third interview (fourth of you consider the introductory phone screen) for a job. I still don’t even know what the salary is. (I asked was told they are deliberatly keeping it hidden until an offer is extended.) I’m guessing it will be offered to me this week but I am not sure I’ll take it as the salary may be too low for me to leave my current job.
Bill,
Thanks for providing your support to Heidi. Good luck with your own career and let us know how we can be helpful to you.
All the Best,
Chandlee
Heidi,
I would advise you not to take this personally — hiring is often a decision among HR and at least one hiring manager and senior officer at a company. As such it takes time. Give them time and breathing room — and look for other opportunities as you wait to hear back. As a former recruiter, I can tell you with confidence that it’s quite likely that the person who talked to you does like you — people seldom say those things if they didn’t mean them. It’s just also quite likely they don’t have complete control, either.
Good luck and all the best,
Chandlee
I had an interview for a position Feb 16th, where they seemed interested in hiring me. They told me to definitely follow up giving me an email and phone number, and that they would contact me shortly. I sent a thank you note within 24 hours and a Follow Up email within 2 weeks. I have still heard no response and it’s almost another 2 weeks. Should I do a phone call this time?
Katelynn,
I think you could certainly follow up again but I don’t know that it will speed up the hiring process or get you the job. Check the website to make sure the job is still posted, then either follow-up again – or wait to hear back but follow up for other positions, too. If you receive another offer, tell them that — very few things motivate another employer to act like another offer…
All the Best,
Chandlee
I had a total of 4 interviews at one company for a particular position, after each interview I sent a follow-up interview. Last Thursday, I did the behavioral assessment and sent them my references. I haven’t heard anything yet. Should I send a follow-up letter and if so, what do I say? Thanks!
Hi LJ,
If you haven’t sent your thank you notes, I would do so immediately. Don’t try to contact the employer again for at least a week after your last contact with them (the behavioral assessment).
Touch base with your references to see if they have been contacted – or to warn them they might be contacted if you haven’t already told them about this opportunity. If they haven’t been contacted, then that’s a sign that there are more steps in this process and more time will be needed (so be patient!). If they have been contacted, that’s a very good sign, but you still need to back off. Contacting them too soon is a very bad idea.
You are probably not the only candidate to go through this process, unfortunately, and they won’t be making any decisions on the next step until they have interviewed everyone and given the assessment test to everyone necessary. So, chill for at least a week!
Good luck with your job search!
Susan
I have give 2 round of interviews, the recruiter was satisfied by my responses and for giving an offer they required my documentations and in the mean while they posted my status as pending. I have already provided all the documents and its been 10 days since. I have not received any more response from them. Should I call or send an email. what should I ask……Thanks!
Hi, I had a telephonic interview on March 29, 2013. My interviewer was very impressed and told me that they would be interested in meeting in person for further interviews. He said HR will be contacting me soon but its almost been a month and nobody has contacted me till yet. I sent a follow up letter last week but no reply has come from them.
Pls advise what i should do?
Thanks,
Sharon
Hi Sharon,
I think it is appropriate for you to reach out again, this time via telephone. Politely tell them of the job you interviewed for (by job title plus any other identifier you have like requisition number), the person who you spoke with, and the date of the interview. Tell them you are still interested in the position, and then, ask for the status of the job, and the next step in their process.
Meanwhile, be sure to keep looking for a job. Don’t wait for the resolution on this one because it could take a while, or they could hire someone else, and you don’t want to waste time.
Good luck with your job search!
Susan