TheJobBored.com

How long should I wait to hear back?

This is the most common question I get on this blog. You’ve interviewed with an employer, and then you wait to hear if you’ve gotten the job. And you wait. And you wait. I’ve addressed the etiquette question about how and when to follow up. But maybe that’s not enough. Maybe it’s time I give you some ideas about how to encourage an employer to follow up with you.

I don’t know why employers aren’t better about following up after interviews. It seems to be quite common, however. Sometimes it takes forever to hear. And sometimes you hear nothing at all. I think in the end, if you don’t hear back from an employer, it’s probably because they’re just not that into you. But here are a couple of things you can do to help ensure you’ll hear something:

1. Don’t leave it unspoken. Before you leave the interview, don’t be afraid to ask the explicit question, “When can I expect to hear back from you?” At least that way you have the concept on the table, and it can’t hurt to show eagerness because, this suggests interest in the job on your part.
2. Suggest a date. If the employer doesn’t volunteer a time period, go ahead and suggest one yourself. “So, you’ll likely have a decision by the end of the week…”
3. Tell them they should expect to hear from you. If things seem like they’re being left vague and open ended, then one way to politely push the matter is to suggest you’ll be following up yourself. “Well, I’ll drop you an email on Monday then and see where we’re at in the decision making process…”
4. If they balk at a date, ask when it would be appropriate to follow up. It’s not rude to expect an answer. If they say, don’t call us, we’ll call you, then counter with something like, “Well, if I don’t hear anything by the end of the month, would you mind if I gave you a call on the first?’
5. If you haven’t heard anything, come up with some new information to call them about. If you haven’t heard anything at all, sometimes the best thing to do is act dumb. Act like you haven’t noticed the lack of contact, and follow up as if it just occurred to you… not because you’re desperate, but because you have some new information. “I just wanted to call you because I thought of a couple of more ways we can reorganize the division when you bring me on.” Sure, this is a bluff. But it’s a bluff that might intrigue them enough to call you. Just make sure that if you do hear from them you can back up your bluff with some actual new info!

Employers aren’t often very good at calling you back after an interview. But there are definitely some proactive things you can do to at least prompt them to action, and at best, keep them on the line and interested in you.

And as always, hiring a professional resume writer can help make sure call backs are a sure thing!

Related posts:

1. Ask Brian – Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You
2. Ask Brian – How Long Should I Wait To Hear Back? – Some Rules
3. Most Employers Block Facebook and Myspace
4. Retiree Job Search Tips – Job Tips For Over-65 Job Seekers
5. What To Do When You’re Not Getting Any Job Interviews – 10 Tips
6. Job Hunting Tips: Ideas For Undercover, Stealth Job Searching!