Patiently waiting after phone interview
Dear Ronnie Ann: I am waiting patiently after a phone interview with an internal recruiter that went well. At the end of the interview, I was told that I would get a call from the hiring manager if I get a second interview. That was a week ago.
I’m starting to worry. Should I take some action or just wait? And if I it’s okay to call, would be alright to call the hiring manager directly? Or should I only follow up with the recruiter?
Please help!
~ Lowell
Handling time after phone interview
Hi Lowell!
First, congratulations on a good phone interview. Hope it turns into a good job!
I’ve given your question some thought. Part of me said “Why not go ahead and call him or her?” But then I remembered some places I’ve worked where that would have left a bad impression, despite the initiative it shows.
A week isn’t that long. Sometimes the phase after a phone interview takes a few weeks all on its own. And then they have to decide whom to call back — requiring even more time getting everyone to clear their schedules to do that. So the fact that you haven’t heard back yet is no indication of anything.
Give them a little extra time
I think I’d wait until next week, and, if you haven’t heard anything by then, call the internal recruiter. It’s better office politics. Now if you can’t reach / don’t hear back from the recruiter, then you could very politely and “naively” contact the hiring manager.
You could say you haven’t heard back yet from the phone interview and aren’t sure if you were supposed to contact them. But if so, want to let her/him know how interested you are in the company. And to please let you know if there’s anything more you need to do right now. Might help and probably couldn’t hurt.
Good luck. Please let us know what happens, ok?
~ Ronnie Ann
In case you’re curious, you can read Lowell’s original comment and find out what happened. Hint: He wrote back and it’s good news! 😉
Stuck in the Waiting Game After the 2nd Interview
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.
[Post updated in 2020]
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Hi, need advise please! I applied for a couple of open positions for a company that I’m really interested in. The very next day, I received an email from a recruiter requesting a phone interview. The very next day (on a Friday) , I had a 15 min interview with a recruiter. He said to expect a call from the hiring manger for a second interview by Monday. I thanked him and emailed a thank you note the same day. Monday came by and I didn’t receive any email or phone call from the HM. I let a few days pass by and I asked the recruiter to clarify which position i would be interviewed for the HM (bc I applied for 2 different positions. He responded immediately. I waited a few more days to hear from the HM and still no call or email. It’s 2 weeks now after my first interview. I waited a couple more days then sent a follow up email. It’s been a few days and I have yet to get a response. Should I make a phone call to the recruiter or maybe contact the HM directly? Or should I just assume I didn’t the position? Since my first application a couple of more positions have been posted in the same area and the job title has changed for the position I was interviewed. I am so confused on what I should do! Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you
Hi Susan,
I am looking for advice, I received an email from a recruiter a few days after applying online for jobs. We transferred emails for a job and she also verified my clearance. Then she asked about an interview in the next few days. I agreed and had an interview the next day, 21 November. Interview went an hour and fifteen minutes and very well. When completed he stated that the recruiter or the PM would get in touch with me and we could go over the financial stuff and what not. I sent an email to the recruiter thanking for getting my interview right after. My question is I have not heard a thing yet email or phone call and understand thanksgiving was in there and with Christmas coming next week do I send an email or call her and ft a status or what? This is hard as it’s the first time in 25 years I have had to look for a job but since retiring from the military it is what I have to do. Please advice this retired Army guy.
V/r,
Gary
Hi Gary,
I would give the recruiter a call to see what is happening.
It has been very nearly a month since your interview, and perhaps someone dropped the ball or something else is going on – a re-org, budget change, a decision maker on vacation, even job cancellation – millions of things can impact the process.
Good luck with your job search – and GO ARMY!
Susan
Hi Susan,
I had this phone interview directly from the hiring manager, I can say that it went very well as she had advised me more than I expected, like she will forward my CV to her Recruitment team for 2nd round of interview and might be another interview with her Manager as she is currently on maternity leave (she’s working from home when she interviewed me). Then last week (12-Nov) I have received the call from one of her Recruitment team for another phone interview, I felt it was also good but I wasnt able to get the recruiter’s email to send a thank you email and I also didnt get to ask the time frame.
Now its been 6 working days and I havent receive any call for updates, if i’m moving to next round, as advised by the Hiring Manager, there will be 3rd round of interview since she is on leave.
Should I follow up with the Recruiter by phone maybe on the 7th or 8th day?
Thanks in advance
Rachele
Hi Rachele,
Sounds like following up now is appropriate, since you don’t have any idea of the timing of their processes.
Just check in and ask about the status of your candidacy. Also ask what the next steps are for you and the timeline they expect for filling this job.
Good luck!
Susan
I met with an internal recruiter, who setup my phone interview with the Hiring Manager. I had my phone interview with the HM, it went a half hour longer than planned, and at the end she gave me homework and told me I would be scheduled for a second interview. When the internal recruiter followed-up, he told me that they would schedule the second interview in 2-3 weeks.
2-3 weeks came and went. I called the recruiter to see what the situation was – no response. I emailed the HM to ask her if she wanted me to forward my homework to her in advance and she said that I should hold on to it till we meet again (and she was looking forward to meeting with me). A month has gone by, and I tried to follow-up with the recruiter one last time. No luck. Did I contact the recruiter too many 2 many times? Why would there be a wait if the HM seems to be more on board than the recruiter? Would they really give me homework if they weren’t going to follow through?
Help!
Hi Trace,
My bet would be that something has changed internally – hopefully something temporary – that has nothing at all (!) to do with you. The job was put on hold because profits or sales are down, or someone important to the process is out of the office or too busy handling a crisis.
It is also possible that a current employee expressed an interest in the job and was given an internal transfer. So another job will be opening soon (hopefully) IF (big IF!) this job was filled by an employee.
Or any of a million other things.
It sounds like you did everything just fine. I would wait another week or two, and get back in touch with the hiring manager – very politely – to inquire about the status of the opportunity.
Hope this turns out well for you!
Good luck with your job search!
Susan