Stupid over-paid hamsters ate my post, dammit. Well, this one should be shorter. This is a question about a new job that I’ve had a couple of interviews for.
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Mr. HR - first approached me after I submitted my resume through their website. We had a quick screening phone interview, then we eventually set up a follow-up phone interview with Mr. Big for last Tuesday (July 27).
Mr. Big - one of the guys making the hiring decisions. Wasn’t available to talk on the phone, so I talked to Mr. Medium, who would be my boss. We hit it off well, I think, and he said he’d recommend me to the decision makers.
I called Mr HR back on Friday morning, thanked him for setting up the interview and stuff and stuff, then asked if he had heard anything, and what the next steps were. He said he hadn’t heard anything, but that he would talk to his team and see what was going on. But I never heard back from him.
I know it’s only Monday, but I have no indication what the timeframe is here. Mr. Medium doesn’t make any of these decisions, so he didn’t know what the time frame was. It sounds like Mr. HR is completely out of the loop right now. What do I do? Should I call Mr. HR again (and when)? Should I try calling Mr. Big, even though I’ve never met him (on phone or in person)? Should I call Mr. Medium and see what he thinks? I feel like a 13-year old boy with a crush on the cute girl in 3rd period English. Excuse me while I go check my voice mail. 
If you haven’t already, send Mr. Medium a handwritten thank you card for the interview. That’s your chance to do a couple things: 1. Recap all your stellar qualifications 2. Remind Mr. Medium who the hell you are 3. Show that you have got a grip on job interview etiquette and 4. Pimp him for what the timeline will be on the next steps.
You can also email Mr. Medium as a thank you (whether this is worse than hand-written note depends on industry/company). If you don’t have Mr. medium’s address or email address, this is a great chance for another call to Mr. HR to ask. “Oh, and while I have you on the phone, I was wondering what the timeline on filling that position is.”
If you already talked to Mr. HR on Friday, he really hasn’t had much time to go talk to Mr. Big or Mr. Medium. I’d give him some more time. Call him tomorrow afternoon or Wednesday. Maybe call Mr. Medium on Wednesday too.
A possible long shot – if you have Mr. Big’s email or snail mail, send him a note directly. Tell him how much you enjoyed talking with Mr. Medium and Mr. HR, and how that made you really see how well you you can fit in that organization and contribute. Ask him directly if he is avaiilable to meet with you to discuss things further. In some business cultures, this might seem somewhat aggressive, but you don’t have much to loose.
Keep in mind that sometimes the hiring process goes painfully slowly. Mssrs. Big & Medium are busy – that’s why they’re hiring more people. As long as you don’t come off as being too obnoxious (calling every day or multiple times a day) persistence may well pay off and most likely will not be perceived negatively.