One of the hardest things about job search is the time you spend waiting AFTER a job interview. Sure, the interview itself can be nerve-wracking. Still, at least you’re in there fighting for yourself during the interview. But once it’s over, you’re in the hands of fate — and the all-powerful hiring team.

As I well remember, each day of waiting can feel like a year. So what do you do while waiting to hear back? Here are a few suggestions to help get you through with at least some of your sanity still intact!

While waiting after a job interview

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In many cases. the answer is a resounding “Yes!”  If they reposted the job listing, there’s a very good chance the position is no longer available. But there are exceptions to the rule, which I’ll discuss later.

Unfortunately, the letter I got from a reader asking me that very question probably isn’t one of those happy relisted job exceptions. Here’s how she tells story:

Jackie’s “reposted the job” story

Hello Ronnie Ann!

I’m actually crying right at this very moment only because I can’t seem to understand why people who do job interviews can be so calloused.

Company X called me twice for two phone interviews. Things seem to have gone well as they invited me to visit them out of state. After a series of interview with several individuals, I left and was told that they’ll “let me know if there’s any further interest” which were the exact words. Few minutes after I got to my hotel, I did get a call and was asked to return and I did. I met with more people.

Everything seemed very positive.  I was confident and had positive energy. The job closely parallels what I have on my resume at about 95%. I sent individual thank you notes to each and every individual who interviewed me.

The plot thickens

Out of the 10 people that interviewed me, 2 people mentioned negative things about the future boss for the job. However, it wasn’t something I engaged myself in. When I met with the “future boss”, although I felt good about the interview and answered all of his questions, I didn’t feel as connected with him as I did with the others but I remained positive.

One week passed, silence …. yesterday was 2 weeks of silence. So I sent my short follow-up email to the Director of HR that basically reiterates that I’m still very interested and inquiring if I’m still in the running. And where they’re at in their hiring process.

“Uh oh. They reposted job I want.”

Given that Monday is typically a very busy day for most people, I thought perhaps they need a couple days. Fast forward …. this morning I got online and I found that same position listed by a recruiting firm. They reposted the job, Ronnie Ann!

Is it safe to say that I’m out of the running and should be moving on? I was really hoping that they at least reply back even if I lost the job so I can send them a thank you letter for considering me for the job and make way for professional connection.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Jackie

PS: Just simply typing this out gave me some relief. I’m glad I found your site! Thank you.

——————-

My answer to Jackie

Hi Jackie!

I’m so sorry you’re going through all this. Glad telling the story helped. It’s a good idea not to hold in all that interview waiting game frustration! Sounds like you did the right things and even understand when a job doesn’t come through, there’s still an opportunity to keep in touch with a company for future openings.  Smart.

Unfortunately, there is no 100% sure way to interpret the reposting.  If they reposted the job listing it can sometimes simply be contractual, meaning the company paid ahead of time for a certain number of listings. Or, more often the case, it can indeed be a sign of something less positive. In your case, the fact that it was posted by a recruiter may very well point toward the less positive outcome.

Reposted job to keep options open

Then again, recruiters sometimes repost an ad just to be safe, maybe having heard some doubts but not knowing for sure whether or not you’ll get the job. Or the company may simply be keeping its options open to see what new resumes come in.

Companies do that sometimes, while keeping the best candidates on hold — and in the dark. So Jackie … even though they reposted the job listing, you could still be in the running. But there’s also a pretty good chance they decided to pass.

So what should you do?

Keep looking even while waiting

No matter what the correct interpretation of the re-posted job may be, don’t stop looking! One of the most important things you can do during an interview process is to keep the momentum going. Not only does it help keep the fear monkeys away, but you may wind up getting a better job as a result.

If you do get the job, I wish you all the best. But if you don’t … it may not be such a bad thing after all. Messages like people talking negatively about your potential future boss in an actual interview and the lack of connection in your interview with them can mean a LOT.

Again, I hope you do get it if you still want it, and it turns out to be great. But if not, you may have lucked out. I wish you whichever outcome is best for you, Jackie.

And please don’t cry.  If this job isn’t the one, it could be because the right one is on its way — even if it takes a while to find you.

Good luck!

~ Ronnie Ann

News Flash!

I just got an update from Jackie.  Well … she didn’t get the job. But she tells me she feels ok and is ready to get back out there and find the right job for her. Meanwhile she made sure to let the company know she appreciated the chance to interview and is still interested should anything else come up. Perfect.

Interesting twist. Turns out they fired the HR Director. And Jackie was kept hanging for so long for that very reason.  Add that to the endless list of reasons in the oh-so-frustrating waiting game!

⇒ EXTRA:  Job Rejected You? Sample Rejection “Thank You” Note

About the author…

Ronnie Ann, founder of Work To the Wise and Work Coach Cafe, bases her real-world advice on her many years as an organizational consultant where she helped interview and hire people, added to a certificate from NYU in Career Planning & Development, as well as her many adventures as a serial job seeker.

More tips to help

Please Help Me With My Phone Interview!

How to Tell If a Job Interview Went Well

18 Practical Tips to Help You Ace Your Job Interview

What Is a Behavioral Interview?

15 Things I Look for When I Interview People

After the Job Interview: Why Haven’t They Called Me Yet?

Stuck in the Waiting Game After 2nd Interview

What Is Being Overqualified for a Job?

Job Interview Nerves? Tips for Before, During & After

12 Ways to Stay Sane After a Job Interview

I Got the Post-Interview Temporary OCD Blues

What Is a Phone Screener?

A reader asked “How do I know if my job interview went well?” Great question. But is there really a way to tell a good interview from a bad one? Although you often have some feeling about how you did, truth is you don’t really know how you did on the interview — or the impression you left — until you hear back from the employer.

Maybe (fingers crossed) you’ll get a good-news call soon for a second interview. Perhaps even an offer. But maybe just a prolonged silence as they figure out next steps.

While silence might not always be bad news, it is very very annoying. And leaves you asking yourself all kinds of questions. And rethinking everything you said and did during the interview.

Another annoying part of interviews

Even if the job interview went well, you still might not get the call-back or the actual job. Final decisions are all about fit — and of course depend on the other candidates. Sometimes there’s more than one good candidate. And so, even if they loved you, you still might not get the job.

I’ve interviewed plenty of people that I liked a lot. Sometimes I even bent over backwards during the interview to help them relax enough to show us their true potential. But, in the end, I also knew enough about the particular job and personality of the place to know when they — even some wonderful candidates — just weren’t the right fit for us.

Clues for job interview going well

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Can weekly follow-up calls and emails after an interview help get you the job? Is it the best way to get noticed? Short answer: Noooooooooooo!

People wonder what to do after the job interview. Of course, that’s normal. You want to take action and help yourself. But you also don’t want to hurt yourself.

On that point, I just read a comment from one of my readers:

“I still haven’t heard back from them after my job interview and they stopped answering my weekly follow up calls and emails so I just assume they don’t want me. I think that’s rude not to respond to me, but oh well. I will continue applying for more things!”

Of course, my heart goes out to her. But I almost jumped out of my skin when I read how often she was following up with both phone calls AND emails after the job interview. I get that she was just eager to know “Did I get the job?”

It’s about the overall impression

I know it’s not easy, but there’s good reason not to do what she was doing. What you do after an interview can count as much as before or during. And she was not helping by seeming so impatient and needy.

While I well understand the agony of waiting to hear back after the interview — and do love her positive attitude about moving on to look for the right job — I worry some of you, including this reader, may actually hurt yourself badly with an overly zealous approach.

Bugging a potential employer week after week, no matter how wonderful a hire you might be, is not going to get you the job. In fact, too many phone calls or emails can totally turn off the very people in the company you want to impress.

Say no to weekly follow-up calls

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No response yet interview felt good

Hi Ronnie Ann. Absolutely love your blog! You have a lot of great information and advice on your site. If I may, I have a question for you that I am sure you get all of the time. After a good interview, I still get no response from the company. And I’m at a total loss as to what else I should do at this point.

Last Tuesday I had an interview that I thought went really well. After about an hour and a half someone had to knock on the hiring manager’s door to stop the interview for her next appointment. I really like the hiring manager. And she seemed to like me.

Toward the end, she said she was down to 5 candidates that she wanted to have interviewed by the end of last week. Then she said she has been doing this a long time. And I am definitely on top of her list.

Mixed signals, but lots of good ones

The only concern she had was that I might be overqualified for the position. But she wasn’t sure. Maybe that could be to her advantage since I would be able to help her execute some strategic programs she wants to implement.

She said she wanted to have me come back this week for 30 – 45 minutes to get a feel for the position. Kind of a “day in the life of” this management position. Also, she said that the next step after that would to bring the top 2 candidates back for an interview with her team.

So I followed up with an email thank you letter the next day, reiterating my enthusiasm for the position. And why I think it would be challenging given the region and the change in industry.

But I never heard back from her. Still no response at all to my emails. [Read more…]

For most people, the hiring process (and pretty much every aspect of interviewing for a job) triggers what I like to call the post interview temporary OCD blues. Although you want the decision process to move quickly, the time after your interview can feel endless. And brain-twistingly maddening!

I’m sure many of you can recognize the truth in this all too familiar-feeling scene:

“They haven’t called yet.”

I know.

“They still haven’t called yet.”

It’s only been five minutes since you last told me that.

“But I interviewed THREE whole hours ago. Why aren’t they calling me!!!” [Read more…]

You know the drill. You get the interview. And you ace the interview. In fact, it was the best job interview you ever had. While you don’t know exactly what happens after a job interview, you think you did well.

So you head home dreaming about the job you’re pretty sure you just landed. And then … you wait. And you wait. You wait some more. Until you just want to scream! Maybe you do scream. And rant a little. And even think of all the things you’d like to do to that stupid company you once thought was so perfect for you!

Take a few deep breaths

But before you decide the company purposefully designed some sick waiting game to torture you in, take a few deep breaths. And let me take you behind closed doors.

It’s time you learn more about the mysterious steps of the interview hiring process. What goes on inside the secret rooms. And why you aren’t getting any feedback from the company, even though you send e-mails and call them endlessly (please don’t) hoping for even the tiniest clue.

Hard as it is to believe, sometimes there are good reasons — really — why a company’s hiring process takes so long. And why all too often you have to wait forever (or so it seems) before you hear back from an employer. A lot happens after a job interview — including unexpected twists and turns.

What does go on behind the scenes?

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In a recent exchange of comments on How to Tell If a Job Interview Went Well, the subject of how soon and how often to call an employer after an interview came up. One of my wonderful readers, CE (who recently got a job herself), was helping comfort someone anxiously waiting to hear whether she got the job.

Speaking specifically to the question of how often to call an interviewer or hiring manager post interview, CE wrote: [Read more…]

“Help. I’m stuck in the waiting game!”

Dear Ronnie Ann. I am from Taiwan and found your website by google. My background is engineering. And I focus my job hunting on those positions in the high-tech industry. Currently I am stuck in the waiting game after my 2nd interview. My situation is like this.

I went to the 2nd interview of a large high-tech company on April 17. And I wrote thank you note and follow-up letters after the interview to all the interviewers. But I did not hear anything from them over the past month. Therefore, I called HR last Monday for their decision.

She responded my job application is getting approval. But she does not know which candidate would be selected (It sounds weird). She assumed the approval process would be done by the end of last week and would give me call.

Until now, I still have not received her call. Is there still hope to get this job? I am very desperate for this job, cuz it is what I really want. Could you give me some opinions?

Thank many for your help.

VL
Taipei, Taiwan

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Internal processes after 2nd interview

Dear VL,

So glad you found my blog. Welcome. I love having guests from other parts of the world. I’ll try my best to help you. [Read more…]

Messed up job interview. Help!

Dear Ronnie Ann. Boy oh boy. I think I really messed up my job interview for a job I really wanted yesterday. And now wondering what I could do to try and salvage my chances of getting that job.

This would have been a full time position with benefits and good pay. And I got the interview through a friend, which in my experience is the best way to go.

Now here’s what went wrong:

I forgot my resume on the way there. And so I got off the subway 30 minutes before my interview. So I figured I had time to find a Kinkos to print one off. Well … I finally found a Kinko’s 5 minutes before my interview. Phew!

But with about 2 minutes before my interview, I discovered to my horror that 21st St all of a sudden turned into Gramercy Park. The place I was interviewing for is located on 21st St. So I was confused.

Rather than wander around being lost, I called and confirmed that yes, I was going in the right direction. I finally arrived, but six minutes late.

Impressions formed, real interview begins.

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