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Interview follow-up questions
Hi ladies! I am asking these questions for my husband and hoping some of you might be able to offer us some wisdom (he asked me to ask). It's been a while since I've interviewed for anything externally and he is switching fields and his previous field isn't really comparable.
Two weeks ago, H had a job interview that went extremely well - it's in the HR department of a local manufacturing company. He went in for the first interview (which was with three people) and after the interview they asked him to fill out some paperwork. The paperwork included tax forms asking about his dependents, as well as the standard application, background check consent, etc.
When he was finishing up the paperwork, the woman handling the interview process came back out to him and asked him to come back the next day for an interview with her supervisor and to see how he fit with the team. So the next day (Thursday, Oct. 20) he had another interview with three different people that also went well. At the end of that interview, he was told that they would let him know either way early next week (the week of Oct. 24).
The day after the interview he took six thank you notes - one for each person he interviewed with - back to the receptionist in the department where he interviewed (not the best method but it is a pretty large facility and H wanted to make sure they got to the correct people quickly because they were planning to make a quick decision).
But they've never called. At the end of last week, he called and left a message with the person who coordinated the interview just saying that he wanted to see if there was any other information he could provide and how interested he was in the position and the company. Still nothing.
H isn't sure what to do now. We both kind of thought that it was too soon to call again and I've been trying to keep H's spirits up by telling him that it wasn't necessarily bad and maybe the decision was just delayed or something but I can tell he's getting very down about it and frustrated and I can't blame him. He's been unemployed for about six months and even though we are doing well, it's starting to get to him.
Any thoughts or advice? I would really appreciate any insight. I realize it hasn't really been that long but they were really emphasizing that they hoped to move quickly on this hire so H is very down about it and he was really interested in this job. Like I said, neither of us has a ton of relative experience in this area so we're kind of at a loss.
Thank you!
BFP #4 It's a BOY!
CP: July 2011
BFP #3: 11/3/2011 M/C 12/12/11
We miss you and love you always, little firecrackers!
Re: Interview follow-up questions
I was laid off about six months ago. What I can tell you from my experience is, if the company doesn't return calls, and doesn't give you a call back within two weeks they aren't interested. I started interviewing for positions in July, and I've probably gone on ten interviews.
I'm still unemployed minus the seasonal retail work I picked up so I won't go insane staring at the walls in the house. Out of the ten interviews I've heard back from two. I had one company that I interviewed with in mid July. I was calling or emailing for updates and to let them know I was still interested in the position. They would send messages back thanking me for my interest and they were still making a decision. The last time I had contact with them was mid September and they told me they were still making a decision.
FWIW, the job market is terrible right now. I say hold tight and follow up with the contact again in three to five business days. If you don't hear anything after that just keep moving and hopefully they'll call back soon with good news. The hard part is waiting. Good luck your H.
I've been in his situation, it's very frustrating, especially if you thought the interview went well and then you hear nothing from the company.
Did he ask at the interview when he should follow up/when they'll make a decision by?
From my experience, if they don't respond to your follow up, then they are not interested. I would try contacting them a second time, under the assumption that perhaps the first time, the message didn't get to them for some reason..If they don't respond to the second follow up, I'd just move on. There is totally a chance that they're just slow and would call him in a week or so, but I'd not count on it and instead send my resume to other jobs..
PP is right, the market is really bad and it is really frustrating. It is nice that you're supportive and trying to help him out. Good luck!
They told him when he left the second interview (Oct. 20) they would let him know either way early the next week (so early the week of Monday, Oct. 24). I think that's what is so frustrating for him: That they told him they would call him either way. If they had said, we'll let you know early next week, I think he'd feel like he could move on but this way I can tell he still has his hopes up about this job.
Thanks for the advice :-) It'd be nice if they would just let people know for sure so they could move on with their search instead of just hoping but I guess it's really an employer's market.
It's hard for me to know what to say in response because I don't want to get his hopes up but I also don't want to crush his spirits.
BFP #4 It's a BOY!
CP: July 2011
BFP #3: 11/3/2011 M/C 12/12/11
We miss you and love you always, little firecrackers!
The bold part...I have heard that myself more than once and it's so annoying and frustrating when they don't call back or even respond to follow ups. But know that it's very very common. It's not pleasant for them to tell someone that they didn't get the job so they just avoid it.