A job seeker asks about following up after an interview:
I don’t know what to think of this and whether I should follow up –
I had an interview last Wednesday for a job and it seemed to go well. It went for about 50 minutes, I had great rapport with the interviewer and I think I answered all the questions pretty well. At the end of the interview, she said that it was great to meet me and she thought I seemed like a great fit for the role but they were still interviewing some more candidates throughout the week and would get back to me on Friday. Friday came and went and I heard nothing. Does this mean I didn’t move forward? Should I call to follow up? Is it a sign they’re not a very good employer if they said they’d call and didn’t?? I’m so confused because it all seemed to go so well but I haven’t heard anything by the deadline! I REALLY want this job but don’t want to seem too pushy…
Call and follow up. But don’t read into the rest of it too much.
Hiring managers are busy people and it’s very common for them to underestimate just how time-consuming it’s going to be. They’ll often try their best to update when they said they will but it’s easy to forget. It’s not pushy to give a gentle follow up if a day or two has passed since the ‘deadline’ date.
It should be noted that job seekers often receive feedback that they’ll hear back “in a day or two” but then jump to the worst conclusions if they don’t hear back in half a day. To a hiring manager, a “day or two” can easily stretch to a week. So don’t fret too much.
Politely follow up with a phone call re-stating that you are very interested in the role, and do they have an update on the process / timeline. It’s perfectly normal and any reasonable employer won’t think you’re being pushy.
Good Luck!
A note on following up on job applications:
When it comes to following up on a job you’ve applied for, you should follow up only after at least a week has passed. Then follow up with one phone call. Your call should be short, polite and not pushy – state that you applied, your interest in the role and that you would love the opportunity to talk about it further once they reach interviewing stage. You don’t want to appear as if you’re ‘stalking’ so follow up just the once. If you’re a strong candidate, they’ll call and arrange the interview.
