Interview Follow Up? Need Advice!

Dorso · March 10, 2006, 1:41am

I hade a job interview for an entry level position with a small but expanding title & closing company a few weeks ago. It went really well and the director was really impressed with me (he told me so). He set up an interview with one of his branch directors the next week that also went pretty well. That was Wednesday, March 3. She told me that I was on of their top candidates and that she would like them to come to a final desicion within the next few days.

Well it has been a week and I have not heard back from them. Yesterday (7 days after the second interview) I sent them each an email to reiterate my interest in the position but today they did not reply.

Should I assume they hired someone else and are just to cowardly to at least shoot me an email? I was thinking of calling tomorrow to try to get a definate answer on this as I am tired of thinking about it. Is it normal for companies, especially small ones, to just not respond to people who did not get the job, even after they invited me back for a second interview? Thanks.

algian · March 10, 2006, 3:48am

I wouldn’t keep pestering them. Hold off another week before you call them, in the mean time look for something else. Not because they won’t hire you, but because if they don’t, at least you’ll have some other interviews in the pipeline.

7 days is a long time, but then again I’m not the most experienced with small companies.

hedo · March 10, 2006, 9:10am

Sometimes people get distracted with their day to day business and don’t have a chance to follow up on the hiring process.

Personally I would have called after a few days. The E mail was ok but a call is always better so you can guage the emotion of the other persom. I’d call and get an answer.

Questions to ask:

Have you made a decision on hiring
me?

If they haven’t ask them what you can do to convince them you are the right person for the job (think this thru first)

If they don’t make you the offer
tell them you are still interested
and ask them what it was that made
them go with the other candidate.
Incorporate that info.

Good luck. Let us know when you get the job!

chinadoll · March 11, 2006, 3:05am

Hello~

I have my own techniques for job interviewing, and I’ll share with you one thing I do. After a job interview, that same day, I’ll type out in business form a letter thanking the person by name for the interview, and reiterating that he or she should feel free to contact me at any time, and reiterate my contact information (address, email addy, phone number, pager, voice mail-- that same info that’s on the cover letter to the resume).

I never telephone or email…the thank you is always in writing via the U.S. mail. The thank you letter is short, sweet and to the point, and very professional…no embellishments, cute “thank you” letterhead, colored paper or anything.

If there was an interesting point in the interview, I may mention that in the letter, for example something the company is proud of or a recent accomplishment of the company’s such as, “I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of your department’s new fast track, what an exciting opportunity to serve the community by providing such a well-needed service.”-- but I will limit the thank you letter to one interesting point only, and I keep the tone very optimistic and show my enthusiasm for the field.

I then mail it that day, before the last mail pickup arrives, or if the interview was late in the afternoon, mail it first thing in the morning…I want the letter to arrive very quickly, to give the impression of staying on top of things and also again show that enthusiasm and optimism (and also arrive before final decisions are made). Be sure to include your interviewer’s complete title, such as Jane Doe, MD, Medical Director, Happy Patients Memorial Center.

If I were interviewed by three people, I will send each a letter thanking them for the opportunity to interview with such a progressive, accomplished, service-oriented, community-oriented (or other descriptive that was obviously important to the interviewer or the company) company. So far in my experience, this has made an extremely good impression.

I know that many books about job interviewing talk about the written thank you as proper etiquette, but in my years of work experience, I have yet to have seen a single one- I believe the impact that it can have is a bit underestimated by many job hunters-- and I feel it can really distinguish you from the rest of the crowd. Same goes for a great cover letter- short, sweet, professional but conveying that enthusiasm for your field of work.

In your case, I agree with the previous poster that you should not email or call at this point. I would recommend a thank you letter, leaving the ball in their court that they may contact you at any time.

Good Luck!

Frank_Castle · March 11, 2006, 7:37am

like the woman said, a thank you letter is your best bet right now. In terms of interview etiquite, its probably the best way to make contact with them again without seeming desperate. Most places will send you a formal rejection letter thanking you for your interest in the job, but letting you know your not hired. At the very least you should get the same thing in an email, even from a small place. A week is not too long to wait for some kind of correspondence, although much more than that and I wouldn’t keep my hopes up.

Send out your thank you letter asap, and keep interviewing. I went thru it, my girl just finished a series of interviews and finally got a new job yesterday. On a side note how do you like the title biz? what kind of certification, if any, do you have to have in RI to conduct insurance? just curious, I do the same thing but in NJ.

brucevangeorge · March 11, 2006, 9:17pm

[quote]chinadoll wrote:
Hello~