How should I follow up
I had an interview last Wednesday on the 7th of March. I thought it went very well, and I really think I was everything they were looking for. The company is expanding and hiring more then 15 people. So I was very confident. The woman told me that they would be calling the people they choose this week because she has to talk with her partner who was on vacation at the time and wouldn't be back till this week. She also told me that training would be on the 26th of March. So I wait, and wait, and wait all week for a call. It's now Friday, and still, no call. I was wondering if I should call them and ask the status of it, or email them and ask. And I'm wondering if so, what exactly should I say? Or should I just let it go as a lost job? Or should I give them more time? It was a really great job with great benefits, and I hate to pass it up. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Call (no emails) to find out if you were selected or not. Once you get a straight answer, let it go! They may need more time to make a hiring decision or they are stalling. In any case, you deserve to know what is going on. Just be honest and ask a reasonable question without worrying about sound too anxious or being a pest. Trust your instincts. You have every right to know the outcome. A candidate who is interested in a particular job shows this enthusiasm by calling the hiring manager or the person who interviewed her. To do nothing at all is proof that you do not care about getting a job offer one way or the other!
I am in the same situation, should I keep calling the hiring manger? will email be fine too? Yes! These people seem to have a poor track record for keeping in touch with candidates they have interviewed. Don' t let them off the hook or make their lives easier by simply disappearing and not bothering them. Be a pest, if necessary. Follow your own good common sense and instincts. Contact them on a regular basis until you get a straight answer from them and not their assistants. Don' t let them give you the runaround. You have made the attempt to interview them and allow them to interview you; therefore, you are entitled to know what their plans are and if you fit in. The least they can do is let you know what their final hiring decision is. That' s the least they can do, but too many of them are not even willing to do that. Phone calls are better than emails, but emails are better than nothing! I disagree. You don' t want to be a pest. While it is a priority to you, it might not be for them. Things come up and their time table may have slipped for filling the position. It' s good to come across as pro-active, and to touch base to show your interest in the position, but I would do this by emailing a one sentence note saying, "I wanted to touch base. I understand time tables may have slipped in filling, but I wanted to convey that I am still very interested in the position and look forward to speaking to you again soon." This will keep you top of mind. Do not pester, as you may then annoy the hiring manager and lose out on what could be just timing and other priorities coming up. They are working on other things as this whole process is going on. I personally prefer email, because you' re also not putting them on the spot as calling would. That' s why it' s good to have other things going at the same time. Remember, you' re thinking about it all the time; they probably aren' t. Patience is key, though trust me, I realize, it' s easier said than done! I agree--follow up discreetly & politely, and don' t be a pest. However, except when it gets to the point at which it has gone way past their anticipated hiring date, at which time I think you are totally justified in making a call, or two, or three, to find out the status. In fact, as it is said, many (I' d say most) HR people these days do not take the time to let you know you' ve not gotten the job. Personally, I' d be inclined to, if I were positive that I had not gotten the job, to go ahead and make a pest of myself, just to get them to live up to their word! "Mr or Ms HR person, you said you would let me know one way or the other about the position I interviewed for three weeks ago. I have not heard anything from you, and would appreciate it if you would let me know whether or not a decision has been made." At that point, you' re probably safe in assuming you did not get the job, but I think these folks need to be reminded that they made a statement to somebody, and they need to live up to their word. I' d call or e-mail as many times as it took to get an answer. You can even say, "I know you' re busy, but can you please drop me a quick e-mail to let me know?" used to be that even if you didn' t get a phone call, you would get a letter saying you didn' t get the job. I can' t believe nobody in any company today can' t even do that! It ticks me off no end that companies just leave candidates hanging, even after telling them they' ll get back to you. I can' t tell you how many times my DH has gone on an interview, has had them falling all over themselves at his work, and been told "We' ll DEFINITELY GET BACK TO YOU." Then nobody ever does. Not that he in all cases expected to get the job, but this has been at small companies, where one would think somebody would be personal enough to make a call or send a letter. Grrrr.... If you were to keep pestering them and then try to rebuke them on their actions, how does that help you in the long run? I understand wanting to know the outcome (trust me, I know), but I really don' t think trying to annoy them or attempting to make them feel accountable for their lack of response doesn' t lend to helping at all. Think of it this way, you may not get this one position, but other positions may open up. If you leave a bad taste in their mouth about you and your subsequent behavior, you' ve lost any other chance. But if you keep it polite, following up as needed (and not annoyingly or trying to reprimand), you may get a call from them at a later date for another position because you didn' t burn any bridges. This exact situation happened to me, though I ended up taking another job in the long run. Either way, my (long) point is, don' t burn bridges. I agree that HR personnel should make a better effort for staying in touch about the position - as it' s the only polite thing to do, but trying to shame someone into responding doesn' t seem like the most professional or logical way to go. "but trying to shame someone into responding doesn' t seem like the most professional or logical way to go." Oh, I agree totally, and under most circumstances i would not take action like this. However, I would not want to work for a company under any circumstances if their HR people could not be bothered to respond after say, one or two polite inquiries. So, personally, I wouldn' t care if I burned bridges. Even if they didn' t call back when they said they would, if they continue to flat-out ignore a candidate' s inquiries, then I sure don' t want to work for that company. I have been in the position of hiring people (as a manager, not an HR person), and no matter how busy I was (which, yes, often did lead to decisions being delayed and a very, very long lead time in even reviewing resumes and calling candidates), I always returned calls and always made sure that "non-winning" candidates were notified. I expect nothing more than the same courtesy from other individuals and companies--nothing more, but certainly nothing less than common manners and courtesy. So, I would not do this to try and continue to "get the job"; I would do it to hopefully let people know that it is very unprofessional and inconsiderate--just plain old bad manners--to ignore people who took time out of their day to interview! And God forbid I should ever be so desperate for a job that I would roll over and play dead simply so that I could leave open any future "chance" to work for that company! Hope you get what I mean. I am a professional and I typically conduct myself as one (and have been complimented by employers, supervisors, and clients on my professional attitude & behavior). But, in my mind unprofessional, rude behavior does not warrant the full return of such.... | |
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