Last Saturday I went on an interview for a part-time job (I already have a full-time job, this is just for extra income). It went very well. The gentleman told me that he had narrowed it down to three candidates to interview; I was Interviewee #2, and he would be doing the third interview on Tuesday. I sent him the usual “thank you” email afterwards, and he responded very positively, telling me he would let me know one way or the other.
It’s now been a week since my interview and I have not heard anything.
I will say that this man seems a little pokey about the process to begin with; it took him two weeks to contact me after I had sent my resume (I had actually forgotten about it), and then another week to set up the interview.
I would really like to get this job, it would fit very well with my current schedule and I am very well qualified for it. Is it being too pushy if I send him a follow-up email, asking where he is in the decision-making progress? Or do I just let it go, figuring he’ll contact me when he’s ready?
How about a note thanking him for the opportunity to interview and providing your contact information should he have any further questions for you?
I mean, chances are, he doesn’t, but he might like a nice example of how you can be polite yet assertive (especially if the position has anything to do with sales or vendor contact), and a thank you note is never, ever rude if it’s sincere.
I wouldn’t bother. It used to be considered the thing to do, but not anymore.
It’s obvious if the company wants you they’ll call you. They’re not gonna say “Gee if only he called, I’d have went with him.”
I just went on a three month interview campaign, long story short, THEY CALLED ME, to initiate things. Then after being flown out to meet them, not once, not twice but THREE times, I didn’t get the job, they didn’t even bother to tell me.
Now-a-days employers figure you’re smart enough to know if you’re wanted they’d call you.
Could it hurt to call them? Perhaps, if it’s between you and someone else you’re more apt to come off as pushy rather than conserned. But that’s a risk. There’s an outside chance that they’d see it that way.
I think it would be fine. He said you were 1 of 3 and that he’d let you know. And it’s just a part-time job, it shouldn’t be a big deal to follow up and ask a factual question.
Sure it is, especially if you want to maximize your chance of getting the job. Contacting people you’ve talked with after the interview is a way of keeping your name in front of them, and gently reminding them of your qualifications and professionalism.
I did have one employer say, after my interview, “don’t call me, I’ll call you.” I didn’t call, and I got the job. He later explained that he did that to weed out who he wanted working there, and who he didn’t. If they called, even after he specifically said not to, it meant that they weren’t listening to him, and so they didn’t get the job.
A friend of mine applied to Target once, and she called about a week later to ask about her status. She got the job because she DID call–her boss later explained that calling made her stand out from among the rest (because no one else called).
So, really, it sort of depends. But unless they said specifically not to, I would call, or send an email, thanking him for the interview again, and inquiring about the status of the decision-making.
I knew a woman who applied to teach at the school where I worked in Switzerland.
How she got the job?
She sent an application, then a follow up letter, then yet again a follow up letter.
After not hearing back three times, she sent the next letter that basically said, “Perhaps you need someone to work in your school office, as apparently you don’t have anyone who can at least respond to applicant inquiries.”
They called her that day and offered her the job in the school office.
That said, give the guy another week. Could be that the interview with applicant number 3 hasn’t happened yet or needed to be rescheduled. In any case, as others have said, he has your number and will call.
See, I DID contact him after the interview; I met with him Saturday morning and sent a textbook “Thank you for the interview, here’s why I am the best qualified” email that afternoon; he responded back to me that evening with “You are extremely well qualified…I will contact you one way or the other.”
That was a week ago. I feel like I had a date and the guy said, “I’ll call you”, and then didn’t. I’d at least rather know he DIDN’T pick me for the job, so I can forget about it, or that he’s still deciding and I should wait longer. I’m still looking for that part-time job, but I hate having this one hang out there without knowing whether he chose someone else, or if maybe he’s on vacation and he’ll get back to me next week, etc.
Which is exactly why you should contact him again. Something as simple as:
“I was wondering if you’d had a chance to review the candidates and make your decision. I enjoyed meeting you and your team and look forward to hearing from you.”
Another approach might be to “converse”, sort-of unrelated to the job. e.g. an email saying “I recall you mentioned thinking the company might be branching the wool-gathering business to include belly-button lint. I stumbled across this great article in Fabric-making Weekly on just this topic, hope you enjoy it”. That’s not pushing on the job, but a) reminding the guy of your existence, and b) incidentally reminding him you’d be a fantastic asset.
Sometimes hiring decisions take time. In general, no, it’s not a good sign, but it doesn’t really make a lot of sense to press at this point.
My last job lead, they promised to get back to me and asked a ton of questions about my availability for an interview. Never called me back, didn’t answer my follow-up. I checked with someone who works at the company and they never hired for the job, or for that matter, interviewed anyone after I talked to the guy. No idea what happened but basically the position was just yanked and never filled.
As long as the tone of your email is polite and not pushy, I don’t see a downside. Just say you enjoyed meeting with him and wondered if he had made a decision regarding the position yet.
Okay, it’s now been TEN days since the interview with no word. I’m going to try sending him an email and see what happens. If he’s not going to hire me, then me sending an email won’t matter. If he just hasn’t made a decision yet, at least I’ll know. I’ll keep you posted.
UPDATE: Okay, well, I sent the guy an email that said what **Telemark ** suggested, nearly verbatim; this morning I got an email back that said, “I hope to let you know by Friday. Thanks.”
