After The Interview – Why haven’t I heard back?

You had a great interview, and you feel like it went really well. Your answers were spot on, and you clicked with the hiring manager. One of the interviewers even said, “we see you soon”. You sent a follow-up email with a thank you note. A week has passed. But you don’t hear back.

You can’t stop checking your inbox. But no response at all…?“They will probably get back to me next week”,?you think to yourself.

Not a word from those who seemed so nice and friendly during the interview. You feel like this waiting game goes forever, and you start wondering:

“Should I send another email, or should I keep waiting?”?

“Does it mean that I was unsuccessful?”

“Will I ever hear back?”

“What’s taking so long?”

While this can be extremely frustrating, worrying and confusing, there are many reasons why companies may need time after the interview, before following up.

The interview process continues, some candidates are still interviewing for the job.

The company may still be in the process of interviewing other applicants. Interviewing other candidates can happen quickly over a few days or over a few weeks. Even if the position needs to be filled urgently, they must accommodate everyone’s schedule. If you were one of the first candidates given the time slot at the beginning of the process, they might be reviewing all the other candidates before making contact for the next step.??

They are collecting feedback from every interviewer. Someone critical to the process is absent.

Collecting feedback on every candidate who’s gone through the process is crucial in making the decision. Sometimes unexpected events occur and slow down the hiring process. This could also be an unexpected illness or emergency that keeps the key person or the decision-maker out of the office for few days or even weeks. If a hiring panel of four interviewers interviewed you, all of them must find the time in their busy schedule to discuss the interviews.

The hiring process is paused. Job description and job requirements are re-evaluated.?

Sometimes the position gets delayed or re-thought. The company may be restructuring the job. This puts the whole hiring process on hold while the position is re-approved and re-posted, and the recruitment process starts again from the beginning. Or even internal budgets or unexpected business needs and changes can cause the hiring process to be put on pause temporarily.

Job offers take time to prepare. Reference checks.?

Your potential employer may be working on salary offer calculations and benefits package for you. Sometimes getting an offer ready may require approvals of multiple individuals. They may also be in the process of doing a reference check. It can take time to track down the references. This process could add days, possibly weeks, onto the timetable before they have even made an offer.??

For every advertised corporate job opening, an average of 250 applications is received. With approximately 4 to 6 candidates invited into the interview process for a job, the candidates will go through at least 3 rounds (sometimes 4 to 5 rounds) before receiving a job offer. If a hiring manager is not able to find someone who fits the requirements, they may interview more. The average length of the interview process in the UK is 27.5 days (Glassdoor).

There might be various possible reasons that it might be taking this long to hear back after the interview.

Don’t assume that you’re not good enough for the job if you don’t hear right away after your interview. Also, not all companies make it a policy to call everyone they interviewed. Don’t forget to keep your job search running and networking while you wait to hear back. Always have a plan B and C. No matter how well you feel the interview went, you never know all aspects of making the decision and what’s happening behind the scenes.??Don't give up and keep pushing forward in your job search.

Renata Junkova | Career Coach

I am truly passionate about helping ambitious professionals succeed in their professional lives, gain the clarity, confidence and courage to transform their careers.?

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