Have you ever waited around, seemingly forever, to hear back from a job interviewer about a job you thought you were perfect for? Did you find yourself getting anxious with each passing day that you would not get the job?
If it is taking a long time to hear back about a job interview, it is normal to wonder why that is so. But just because a job interviewer does not get back to you within a week, or two, does not mean that you won’t hear back at some point. And even if you don’t ever hear back, it does not necessarily mean that you did anything wrong.
Here are 7 reasons why you probably have not heard back from that job interviewer as yet:
- They are still interviewing other people.
It should not come as a huge surprise to know that companies usually interview more than one person for a position. That being the case, it takes time to complete all the interviews, compare them, check the candidates’ resumes, and finally make a decision about call backs. Depending on the job, this process could take weeks or months. So, in most cases, the best thing you can do, is try to be patient. Eventually, you will hear back, even if it is just an email to say that they ended up giving the job to someone else.
- They are still checking your references and other documents.
Another reason it could be taking a long time is that the interviewer is still waiting to hear back from your references. Not all of your references may understand the importance of responding to the interviewer’s request in a timely manner. This is why you should choose your references very carefully. In addition to references, the interviewer could be checking the information on your resume, such as your education and your degrees; and your work experience. If there are a few other candidates, you can understand that this could take some time as well. So, try to be patient.
- The hiring decision-maker is not available to make a hiring decision now.
Sometimes, the reason that you don’t hear back right away is because the person who interviewed you is not the person who makes the decisions, and the person who makes the decisions could be either busy, or away from the office. That is, a lot of bosses travel a lot for the company business and may not be on site to deal with hiring decisions as quickly as you would like. The best thing you can do in this situation is hurry up and wait. No point in pestering the person who interviewed you, if that person cannot make any decisions about whether to hire you or not. Keep busy. Send out more resumes and go on more interviews while you are waiting.
- The company may have experienced an unexpected setback.
Another reason that you have not heard back is that the company could have unexpectedly hit a bump and had to put a freeze on hiring decisions in the short term. So it does not mean you could not still get the job but it will just take a bit longer than anyone had anticipated. Again, exercise patience and keep sending out resumes while you wait for them to get their act together.
- The interviewer is waiting to see if you want the job badly enough (which means they are waiting to see if you will follow up)
Some interviewers test job candidates to see if they are enthusiastic about working for the company, or if they could care less if they get the job or not. This is why following up is always a good idea. Send a thank you letter, or a thank you email and let the interviewer know that you are available to answer any additional questions, and that you would love to work for the company if given the chance. You don’t have to grovel but letting the interviewer know that you are thankful for the interview and interested in the position is always a good idea.
- The person who interviewed you is no longer with the firm (fired, laid off, got a new job)
Believe it or not, one of the reasons you have not heard back is because the person who interviewed you is no longer working at the firm. This is rare, but it can happen. And when it does, your CV and all your information could have been pushed to the side, or forgotten. So, it is not a bad idea to check in every couple of weeks to see what the status of your application is, because, you just never know.
- The job you interviewed for is not available yet.
Finally, the reason you have not heard anything back could be that the job you interviewed for is not yet available. Sometimes, the company is waiting for the person in the job to leave (fired; or hired by another firm). Sometimes, it is a totally new position, and the company is still trying to iron out the kinks. Who knows? The important thing is to follow up in a reasonable fashion, and keep your options open by continuing to send out resumes, and accepting other job interviews.