Employer said they’re excited to be moving forward, but I don’t hear from them.

Anonymous

December 2,2021 at 10:33PM UTC

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Employer said they’re excited to be moving forward, but I don’t hear from them.

I have been job searching for the last 20 months, ever since losing my job following pandemic shutdowns. My industry was hit hard and there weren’t any roles available for a long time. For the last 2+ months, I have been speaking and following up with a company that I’m interested in joining. The problem is the constant waiting on the company’s recruiter to get back to me with updates. When I finally was asked recently to provide my availability and salary range, along with references, it seemed like it was finally near the end.

Surprising to me, I was given a questionnaire to send to my references to complete. With all requested materials submitted back to this employer, I was informed they would give me an update in 3 days, before Thanksgiving. Those days have passed and I haven’t heard from them. I sent a follow up email a week after providing my references, asking if they had any questions for me and that I was looking forward to hearing about next steps - but again no response.

I understand the hiring process takes time, but being given a bit of hope that I would hear from them soon, only to have me be the one to repeatedly reach out for an answer is getting tiresome and insulting. And it makes me question if they are serious or just leading me on until they find a “better” candidate.

I am still applying but with my long stretch of unemployment and job searching, it would be nice to get an employer to make an offer soon.

Aside from being courteous and following up, what more can be done?

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AnonymousDecember 3,2021 at 1:18AM UTC
Nothing can be done really. And it's only been a week so give it some time.
AnonymousDecember 3,2021 at 8:02PM UTC
At the end of the year, things slow down even more than usual. You are doing the right thing by continuing to apply. The email you sent them was also well crafted, but leave it there.
LisaDecember 5,2021 at 1:15PM UTC
The only thing you can do is what you were doing. Apply, follow up, but you have to move on.
Some of these employers can take 3 months. Don't wait for them…. Ever.
I'm looking as well and I get the pain and frustration!
Isabella NyamahDecember 5,2021 at 1:26PM UTC
Please do not give up regardless of the challenges. Its closer than you think.
KR
Suzanne Nash McMillionDecember 5,2021 at 1:36PM UTC
Check with your references as they may be having trouble getting in touch with them. Good Luck!! Your patience will pay off!
AnonymousDecember 5,2021 at 1:36PM UTC
I hate you’re having to go through all of that. I would have similar feelings in your shoes. However. The flip side could be that the recruiter and/or managers could have taken extra vacation days for Thanksgiving. Many businesses have a use it or lose it policy and if they were understaffed all year, they may be taking extra days around the holidays. I find that my office is on a skeleton staff from thanksgiving to New Years. There could be a logical reason they are moving slowly.
Jessica Hill-KnudsonDecember 5,2021 at 1:37PM UTC
Don’t stop applying to other companies, just in case. I was told I was the top applicant and they really liked me, blah blah blah, but they ended up going with someone else and not responding to my recruiter to even let me know. And here I was patiently waiting for them to respond because the process was delayed. Boo!
You’ve done a great job following up but you can only control yourself. So look out for #1 (that’s you, you’re the best!) and don’t give up hope.
AnonymousDecember 5,2021 at 3:05PM UTC
I had a similar experience where they even called to ask me not to accept another offer if I got one (or give than a call) then nothing, totally ghosted. Eventually I found out the position had been eliminated! That’s a fairly easy call back to make because I may well have been the first candidate, but their hands were tied!
AnonymousDecember 5,2021 at 1:42PM UTC
It’s a very hard time of year for anyone to get answers or approval on things because of the holidays. You might be held up by internal red tape. As others have said, hang in there and don’t stop applying and making other opportunities for yourself. Good luck!
Jennifer FingerDecember 5,2021 at 1:45PM UTC
The only thing you can do is keep applying for other jobs so that your eggs aren't all in one basket.
I agree with you that one of the most annoying things employers and recruiters do is lead candidates to believe that offers are forthcoming without following through.
AnonymousDecember 5,2021 at 2:02PM UTC
The best strategy I see that works all the time is to let the company know you are getting another offer from another company and will need to give them an answer. Tell them they are your first choice and ask when they will have an answer
Now you need to be prepared- this will force their hand and they may let you go but if they are truly interested- this will hurry them along. I have never seen a manager change their mind about offering a job if that was the intention in the first place and I’ve seen this light a fire and get things going. 30+ years in recruiting ! Good luck.
AnonymousDecember 5,2021 at 2:33PM UTC
I don’t think there’s more you can do but I just wanted to validate your feeling that this is not OK. If they told you they would get back to you, and they haven’t gotten back to you a week later than that even to apologize for taking longer than they expected, that IS insulting and not respectful of you as a candidate or even just as a person. You have been looking long enough that I’m sure you are aware that this is common practice but it’s still the furthest thing from common courtesy.
AnonymousDecember 5,2021 at 2:38PM UTC
I have had this happen before and over time,I begin to lose respect for the potential employer..... you are being placed in a position in which you are literally begging for information I'm getting nothing. That's a very bad sign....not about you, but about this company is casual disregard for people's time and other responsibilities. Might be a sign that this isn't some place you want to work
AnonymousDecember 5,2021 at 4:13PM UTC
Verifying education, work history and reference is not "begging" for information. It's part of the hiring process. You're not entitled to anything during the process, so your comment of "I'm getting nothing" is off.
AnonymousDecember 5,2021 at 6:29PM UTC
I do think this candidate is entitled to something: respect and two-way communication.
AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 2:02PM UTC
“I know we said we would get back to you before Thanksgiving, but I’m so sorry that the verification process is taking longer than we expected. We are still very interested in you.” That’s all the OP is “begging” for.
AnonymousDecember 9,2021 at 7:54PM UTC
begging for more information, and getting no response, means "I'm getting nothing from this company". and, it's a very bad sign. An individual is entitled to clear communication; this isn't communist Russia, after all!... If clear communication isn't provided from the potential employer, after numerous requests and understandable follow up from the applicant, then yes....you can consider that this employer is rude and disrespectful of the applicant's time. Don't bother. I agree with the others on this!
Erica NicholasDecember 5,2021 at 2:39PM UTC
It honestly sounds like you're joining my company. It is an incredibly long process to start there! They want transcripts from all your schools, those questionnaires from your references, a background check and finally a health screening. If just one is those things isn't back yet, you're held up. Sooo frustrating!
Tasha PattersonDecember 5,2021 at 3:12PM UTC
It sounds like the job I am waiting for too. I applied 9/24/21, interviewed like 10/1/21 and had to call them to see if they were interested in moving forward around 10/23/21 because I haven’t heard anything. They apologized and sent me an offer letter and asked me to fill out background information which required degree verification, cps background check, criminal background check, fbi background check, central registry background check, reference check, and I think credit check. I completed everything that day and stuff was coming back throughout November. November 7th mentioned a orientation date of 12/2/21 due to waiting for background information. Come the week of thanksgiving it was pushed back to 12/7 and now pushed back to 12/14. Mind you, I have nothing on my background and completed the same background check for a job with my school and it came back 4 hours later. I’m almost at the point of ghosting them during orientation because so much of my life has changed since September 2021.
AnonymousDecember 5,2021 at 3:30PM UTC
I am speaking from experience. Please be patient and do not give up. I interviewed for a job October 4th 2020. I did not actual start with background check, holidays, and whatever process they had with Human Resources until Feb 22, 2021. This is the first time I have been out of work in over 20 years. It was difficult and frustrating but in the end I said GOD is going to put me where I should be. So if its not for you he’s going to give you something else that is. Things are different now. There is a behavior that employers do not care because they have options. Within the last 3 years there has been a lot of ghosting candidates after promising them positions or saying we want to move to the next step in the interview process. Then you hear nothing and when you try to contact them you are ignored. Trying to get feedback from these employers is a joke too. You MUST keep forging ahead and don’t personalize the actions of others that you have zero control over. Good luck and all the best!
JYJDecember 5,2021 at 4:16PM UTC
This time of year, I can tell you that employers will often put off "officially" hiring until January 1 due to budgets, but identify who they're bringing over during the holidays. This happened to me before and it wasn't unusual to start the interviewing process in October, but not get the offer until the second week of December.
Keep creating more options for yourself with other companies. You will land soon!
Tricia BurroughsDecember 5,2021 at 4:16PM UTC
I have heard background checks are running behind. I would write and ask if they were just waiting on your background check and if things were good to go then.
KathrynDecember 5,2021 at 4:48PM UTC
Employers are still up to their old tricks. Ghosting was common now not so much as employees have started doing it wholesale as well, Bad companys with bad hiring practices still are around. Move on and be happy you dodged that place. Keep your head you Will find a great place
Lori LunaDecember 5,2021 at 5:03PM UTC
Have you called? Emails get lost and buried.
Catherine KuubetesuriDecember 5,2021 at 5:35PM UTC
Research! And keep looking. The world might surprise you ?
Carolyn HipkinsDecember 5,2021 at 7:35PM UTC
No. I wouldn't follow up anymore. If they're really interested they'll make an offer. Time to move on.
AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 6:18PM UTC
Very true.
ElizabethDecember 5,2021 at 9:07PM UTC
It’s the time of the year. They intentionally string us along and don’t plan to put us on payroll until end of January. When you have given up on them, multiple employers will call you on same day (approx Jan 11th) and say “are you ready to go to work NOW?”
AnonymousDecember 9,2021 at 7:16PM UTC
Maybe so.
Angela BlackmonDecember 5,2021 at 9:47PM UTC
The same happened to me. Fortunately, for me, I had friends who were in the same type of company for which I was applying. My friends stated that they are prone to budget issues, and may not be meeting the quarterly financials they expected. They may respond later when it gets better, but by that time, you'ved moved on to something else.
Peggie Arvidson * Career Consultant | Adoptee Advocate | RecruiterDecember 5,2021 at 11:36PM UTC
Definitely use your network - or build your network - to have some connections in this company. They may not be hiring authority - but like Angela - you may understand better what's going on. And your connections can help you get a REAL idea of what it's like to work there....I mean -- if this is how they do before they've hired you - how will they treat you once you're on board?
AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 6:16PM UTC
Very true.
MidwestMaven456December 6,2021 at 1:53PM UTC
We've all been there. Even though companies need employees now because of the competent worker shortage, they still have constraints. This could be anything from new budgets, new hires can't begin until January to following up with all the final round candidates. Don't dismiss that the holidays are here and are putting everyone behind, particularly with smaller office staff overall.
Hang in there, stay positive and do some things to move you along. Keep buys and work part time, preferably in your field, but anywhere if you have to keep busy and money coming into your household. Try a "growth" class to show potential employers that you are serious about learning and your career, i.e. training, new language, etc. Finally, keep sending out resumes. Slow and steady may not be super fun, or easy, but it will get you there.
AnonymousDecember 9,2021 at 7:15PM UTC
I agree. Just keep applying elsewhere in the meantime.
Katrina PeltersDecember 6,2021 at 2:05PM UTC
This just happened to me I got a verbal offer about the same time as you and now nothing ....it is soo unbelievable
AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 6:17PM UTC
I k ow what you mean. This happened to mea few times. But I never heard back fro. The HR manager.
AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 2:28PM UTC
This has been happening to me too and it seems like recruiters are becoming more and more rude. I feel like I have to be agreeable about everything or else they are immediately turned off and I dont proceed to the next round. I ask questions because its MY LIFE I am investing! They should be more accommodating to the candidate. I too am frustrated and don't know what else I can do.
AnonymousDecember 9,2021 at 7:13PM UTC
I agree with you.
Ellen Smith FaganDecember 6,2021 at 10:25PM UTC
We are determined to win through these challenging days, but when an interviewer, says “Moving on from here..” I think they are being snide and playing you. Do they mean they are following up on your hiring process…or moving on to someone else for the job? If they were being odd on purpose…YOU move on…you do not WANT that kind of company.
Karen GongawareDecember 7,2021 at 6:44PM UTC
Nothing. Ghost them back. You have done everything and now will be coming across as desperate. They will be thinking about low balling you on salary too. Stick to your guns and something good will happen on the job mart.
Rosa GoesDecember 8,2021 at 3:53AM UTC
You did a great job following up and showing interest. The rest is up to them. I recommend looking at other opportunities, possibly another recruiter. This way you have options. Good luck to you!
AnonymousDecember 9,2021 at 7:12PM UTC
I agree with you that she needs to explore other opportunities.
AnonymousDecember 8,2021 at 8:02PM UTC
I don't have advice, but I had 3 rounds and interviewed with 4 different people, was asked to provide references and never heard another word. I've decided an organization that would ghost me after asking for references may not be one I want to join. I did get a comparable offer (which I accepted) about a month later so don't give up.
AnonymousDecember 9,2021 at 7:14PM UTC
J agree with you. I haven't found another job offer. UtI did apply fora computer teacher job earlier in the summer. The HR manager was rather rude though.