You have been waiting for that call since ages now. You wonder what is taking them so long. However, don’t panic, there could be numerous reasons you haven’t yet received a response from the interview(ers):
- The Interviews are Still Going On:
Your interview is over, but that doesn’t mean the process is done. The company still has to take into consideration all the applicants, and hence the there still might be interviews going on.
- There are Other Events Going On:
Sometimes, companies see a spike in other activities. Founding anniversaries, conferences, seminars, training, there are tons of examples where the personnel might have got occupied. The hiring process may have encountered such halts. A good idea is to check the company’s LinkedIn/ Facebook page to check if there has been an event or is one on the cards.
- Your Skill set is Not What They Are Looking For:
Sometimes your profile just doesn’t match what the company is looking for. Unfortunately, many companies don’t let the ones who didn’t match the profile (and hence didn’t get the job) know that. A lack of response becomes the response itself.
- You Are Over-Qualified:
But hold on!
It could be that they didn’t contact because your profile doesn’t match. Not because you are not good enough. On the flipside, you actually might be over-qualified!
Sometimes, companies might be waiting for someone else’s answer, and if they back out, they might contact the other candidates who interviewed. So, don’t lose hope entirely!
- The Decision-Making is Going On:
Often, the interview may have been conducted by one person or at most a panel of a few people, and the interaction with them may have gone really well. But, it could be that the final decision is to be arrived at only after discussions within the company’s organisational structures. This can be time consuming, owing to diverse reasons, right from sorting out opinions to scheduling to administrative smoothening out. Have patience!
Now, let us jump into what to do in that “meanwhile” phase. For the sake of clarity, we are going to talk about what to do, and what not to do.
What to do after you have given the interview?
- Keep Looking, Keep Moving:
You might get the call soon, but there’s no harm in keeping the search on. Keep moving on with your life and routine. Continue looking for a job, and accept interview calls for other jobs too.
- Don’t Take It Personally:
If there has been a couple of days and there’s still no call, you have to keep in mind: it’s nothing personal. The employers don’t have anything against you.
- Reach Out and Follow Up:
This includes reaching out to a recruiter, if you took their help. You can ask them what the status is. Chances are, even the recruiter is waiting for an update.
You can reach to the interviewers too by sending a letter/mail thanking them for interviewing you and letting them know your interest in the position continues. The ‘thank you’ email should be considered common courtesy.
Do this tactfully. Reaching out and following up once is enough.
Follow up only when the date you had been given to a expect a response has passed.
Now, what not to do after an interview?
We will keep this short.
- Do not get obsessed with finding out what happened/will happen.
- Do not follow up and reach out to the employers and/or recruiters multiple times a day.
- Do not demand. Do not go to the office and demand you want to meet the hiring manager there and then and want to know what’s going on.
- Do not go off the grid. Moving on with your life is fine, but that doesn’t mean you go off to a vacation with all your communication devices turned off. That will amount to ghosting, from your side.
- Do not bluff. Do not call them up and say you have another job offer waiting when you haven’t, just because you want them to speed up their response time.
Do’s and don’ts aside, a lot many times, the reason is simply the following-
Maybe, it Hasn’t Been that Long:
You feel like you have been waiting for their response since ages, but actually, believe it or not, perhaps it is hasn’t been that long. Waiting, and especially when the interview went well and you are so close to getting a job, could feel like an eternity. Maybe, just maybe, in fact, it has not been an eternity.