While continue to job search, how long should you consider you're still in the running after a final interview.

37 Comments

1. Cyndi RosenblattJuly 12,2022 at 2:49PM UTC

   I've extended offers a couple of days later, and I've extended offers 2-3 weeks later. Mostly because of HR stuff, but also because the top candidates were so close it was a coin toss, so we were happy to make an offer after the first one declined. I've had job offers come in as long as six weeks after the interviews.

   Don't decline other interviews (or job offers), but don't write this one off until you get something definitive either way.

2. Anne KrookJuly 12,2022 at 3:12PM UTC

   They will likely let you know. Bear in mind that it is vacation season, people are still calling in sick from COVID, and recruiting and HR are still overwhelmed, so you may want to allow a little extra time.

3. Kimberly SweeneyJuly 12,2022 at 3:37PM UTC

   I would follow-up to ensure they understand your interest level and follow-up at least 3 times before giving up. What timeline did they give you at the end of the interview?

4. AnonymousJuly 12,2022 at 3:44PM UTC

   It will take time so I would give it a couple of weeks. 5 interviews indicate that this company likes to over compensate with its process

   I you don't hear by Friday, I would reach out for an update.

5. Megan LeasherJuly 12,2022 at 6:03PM UTC

   I agree with giving a little extra time before presuming you might be out of the running. Even one person out of the office can significantly stall a hiring process.

6. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 12,2022 at 8:07PM UTC

   Did you ask what the timeline for a decision would be?

   First of all, do not take your foot off the pedal of your job search - go all out until you have a written offer letter in your hand.

   I wouldn't assume you're out of the running - it's only Tuesday. If you don't hear something by Monday (depending on if they communicated a timeline to you or not), I would reach out to the recruiter and ask for an update.

   Hopefully they will not ghost you - you've invested a lot of time in their interview process. If they do, consider it a bullet dodged.

7. AnonymousJuly 12,2022 at 8:12PM UTC

   Thank you all. I'm actively job searching after leaving my last role so I decided to accepted another interview next week. If I hear from the other company, it will be a bonus. I need to find a position so these long lead times are difficult to manage. When I asked about a timeline, they expressed a faster turnaround and that's why I wanted to know if that signaled that I was out of the running.

8. AnonymousJuly 12,2022 at 9:27PM UTC

   With a process that includes 5 interviews, I have a feeling that they make decisions by committee so that always takes a lot of back and forth.

   Fingers crossed you have several offers to choose from.

9. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 12:19PM UTC

   Definitely continue interviewing until you get an offer. As they say, a bird in the hand… but after five interviews, I think it’s reasonable to expect a response, favorable or not.

10. Nadine BonnerJuly 15,2022 at 12:38PM UTC

    Reasonable but not guaranteed. I did four interviews with a faith-based organization. I wrote thank you notes to everyone. Then crickets. I checked the website and saw they promoted someone within. She had actually interviewed me. I support promoting your own people but they could have sent me an email. I naively expected better from religious leaders.

11. AnonymousJuly 13,2022 at 3:04AM UTC

    You had five interviews? If they made you do projects or had you troubleshoot solutions to a problem that constituted business or consulting services, they stole your work for free.

12. AnonymousJuly 13,2022 at 3:09AM UTC

    if an offer isn’t made in 3 weeks you are not the top candidate. More than 1 follow-up after an interview (besides the initial thank you) comes off as needy. Top candidates to beg if an employer is too thick to want their talent or skill.

13. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 12:19PM UTC

    I don’t think this is true. An HR person told me I got the job over someone else because I kept checking back to confirm my interest

14. Maegan, Nike Sales Rep & Career CoachJuly 13,2022 at 3:53AM UTC

    Speaking from my experience at a very large company, the HR process can be slow and daunting. It may take longer than a week, unfortunately, for them to get back to you. If it's been longer you can always email and ask for a timeline of when you can expect to hear back.

15. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 12:41PM UTC

    You should be notified within 2 weeks if you got the job or not. Try not to sweat it. Continue doing your other interviews and applications.

16. GirlBossanova934974July 15,2022 at 12:41PM UTC

    Just as a hunch, I wouldn't expect a company to extend an employment offer after 1 week considering 5 interviews were involved to get to that point. Hope this company has a lot of things going for it because 5 interviews tells me up front that these folks don't like to move very quickly. In case you do get an offer, I hope you are OK with very slow decision processes. If very slow and steady is not for you, it is best to be looking elsewhere.

17. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 12:43PM UTC

    A little late to the party... but will weigh in. Let's say you might be their second choice. They will wait until candidate 1 accepts or declines before they get back to you. I also had 5+ interviews with a company - last one was a week ago yesterday. At the final interview they told me they would decide in a week "or so". I started a contract position in the meantime while i wait :)

18. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 1:35PM UTC

    I have experienced the delay while the #1 ch

19. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 1:01PM UTC

    Not a response to this question but brings up a pet peeve for me. Ghosting is one of the single most unprofessional things that happens often in the recruiting process. It's completely understandable that a company will not be able to respond to 100's of applicants for a position but generally speaking only a small fraction are being selected for even a first round interview. I think all those interviewed (in any round) should hear an outcome directly even if they wait until the end of the process when the position is filled to keep all options open. Declining a candidate via the absence of a response entirely should not be considered an acceptable practice.

20. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 1:07PM UTC

    wow.

    Five interviews?

    This place must be something, or you're interviewing for VP position with a hoard of others?

    I have a pet peeve with places that call you back, and back, and back...Past experience has shown me that EVERY PLACE I've ever interviewed (or accepted a position with) that exercised these strenuous interview processes ended up being very disorganized and in hindsight, I should have paid attention to the (horrible, lengthy) process and moved on. I advise you to do the same. You're sitting here still "guessing", after they've run you in and out 5x...! OMG... They are rude! You should have been clearly informed about their process and timeline. ..but you are not informed at all. Very sad. Move on. you won't be happy there, even if you get the job. guarantee it!

21. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 1:09PM UTC

    After FIVE MONTHS I literally just received a note in the mail that another candidate had been selected. LOL

22. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 1:30PM UTC

    WOW! That is so bad!

23. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 1:55PM UTC

    I received a notification a YEAR later that they were moving on to another candidate. I clearly dodged a bullet in joining that place and so did you! LOL!

24. shaz1972July 15,2022 at 1:28PM UTC

    NO way is 1 week too long. You may be surprised weeks later when they call. Just continue your search but these days these things can take a lot of time! Don't give up. Even more so in summer when people are on vacation etc. I have waited weeks.

25. shaz1972July 15,2022 at 1:30PM UTC

    Great advice below, yes maybe email your contact every week or so. I had 5 interviews at a company I literally had to bed the HR girl to let me know the status.

26. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 1:42PM UTC

    Hoping you mean "beg"

27. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 1:36PM UTC

    Tbh, I like to make sure my calendar’s booked but not overwhelmingly so. If I’m waiting to hear back from a company, even if I’m 99% sure I got it, I’m still going to follow up with them while trying to book an additional interview somewhere else in case the first one falls through. And if I’m not confident about the first 2 I’ll add a third but that’s it. It’s hard to keep up and keep details straight after 3 companies. Lol

    Bottom line, do as many interviews as you can mentally and physically keep up with. There’s no harm in looking around and getting a ton of interview experience. If you have to refuse a position when offered a better one, good for you. That’s a win. The company will find someone else and do what’s best for them. Always.

28. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 1:47PM UTC

    I’m in the same boat as you right now; seven interviews already and they still want to have lunch before deciding.
    I appreciate hearing everyone’s feedback and advice!

29. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 2:18PM UTC

    Wow...5 interviews? Sounds like they need someone who can make decisions. Hope you are entertaining a position where you will be able to &/or have the authority to make an impact. If this is a smaller company, hopefully you have completed some serious DD on them.

    While you wait, I would continue your search. Best wishes!

30. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 2:21PM UTC

    This is definitely a frustrating position to be in.
    As a lab manager in academia, I have recently witness exactly this scenario while trying to hire a replacement for one of our techs. We interviewed 3 applicants, knowing full well which one we wanted to hire. Post-interviews, the prospective new hire was solidified amongst the hiring committee, and the information was sent to HR Administration. After not hearing from HR for 3 weeks regarding the next step I made the executive decision (literally not mine to make) to contact HR regarding the next step in the process. The response was "oops, I forgot" (I'm paraphrasing, but that was essentially the message). Fortunately for us, our selected candidate was not in a rush to start and had likely been given some indication of our desire for her to join us by a higher up.

    The pandemic has definitely affected usual protocols, and like many other companies, we find ourselves short-staffed (despite having a significant number of excessive administrative positions), so balls are being dropped pretty regularly.

    That said, five interviews is a lot. Unless the competition is extremely fierce, a hiring committee should know which candidate they want after 2 interviews. It's really up to you if this particular position is worth the likely headaches it may cause. Best of luck to you!!

31. Enza CampioneJuly 15,2022 at 2:47PM UTC

    I can completely relate! I have been out of a job for six months now and have been on numerous interviews via zoom and in person. All are always impressed with my skills set and I know I have the qualifications for the positions I am applying for, however, I only make it to minimum second round of interviews, after that most of the time there is no response at all or if I rarely get a feedback, I was not chosen. Even more frustrating is that after a couple of months those same positions are reposted again......what in the world is going on? I have never had any problem in finding a job in the past, however this time around has been overwhelming and frustrating to say the least!

32. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 3:12PM UTC

    Thank you all. I appreciated your advice and I have another interview with a more responsive company next week.

33. AnonymousJuly 15,2022 at 3:58PM UTC

    Hi I am in recruitment here. Recruiters try to let candidates in the final stages know the outcome of the interview process, but sometimes people/reqs fall through the cracks. It wouldn't hurt to reach out to the hiring manager/recruiter to inquire about the status of the position once it's been a week. Also in this market, you should keep interviewing until you have an offer letter in hand. Good luck.

34. MichelleJuly 15,2022 at 4:08PM UTC

    I've always thought it was strange when a company didn't tell me when to expect a response after an interview...and another and another and another AND another? I've never had more than three, but I would think not only as employees, but human beings, somebody would be empathetic and reach out to you at least. I agree with everyone who advises you to keep searching. Congrats on making that it that far in their process, though! You definitely have some drive! ;-)

35. Communication CoachJuly 15,2022 at 9:03PM UTC

    It's good to hear you are being active in looking for another position. A good company has good follow-up. They will thank you for your time and ask your permission to keep your name on file, that even though you were not the right fit for said position, your excellent skill set and experience would be an asset to them or any company. Some companies say they will let you know and never do - that may even worse! Recruiters are usually good at follow-up. Five interviews - wow! You would expect a more professional follow-up!

36. Rupali AJuly 16,2022 at 2:03AM UTC

    Am in the running if they connect within a few days and say something to that effect. Else am out, and HR is a conflict-avoiding person who doesn't know how to tell me.

37. Christi MillerJuly 27,2022 at 6:58PM UTC

    It depends on the layers of corporate red tape the hiring people have to go through. I have had to wait a month for an offer and I have received an offer right away. Keep looking while you are waiting to hear back.