Trying to navigate the interview market and feeling confused and frustrated.

Anonymous

June 22,2022 at 4:37PM UTC

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Trying to navigate the interview market and feeling confused and frustrated. I had what I thought were two great interviews last week. I received positive affirmations throughout the meetings and was excited about moving forward. It's been a week later and while I'm continuing to apply for other jobs, I'm confused. Why tell me that I would be a great fit and then ghost me? Did I do something wrong or was this just lip service?

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AnonymousJune 22,2022 at 4:52PM UTC
Be sure to follow up via email with a thank you, regardless of how you are feeling emotionally. It's a professional courtesy to thank those who took the time to meet with you. Express your interest and in a bulleted format, reiterate why you are a great fit. By doing so, reminds you why you are a good fit. In the end of your email, end with "I look forward to hearing from you and hope for a mutually beneficial and positive outcome". It works. If you still do not get a response, move on. If it's a state job they are notorious for taking months to get back to folks due to internal procedures. Good luck!
AnonymousJune 22,2022 at 5:29PM UTC
They're not aligned on what they need and by when. It's nothing did or didn't do. The economy is losing its steam, so companies are rethinking their hiring needs, business strategies and just not very clear. So headcount that was previously approved is being reconsidered. My company just put a hiring freeze into effect.
The company you interviewed with may regroup and get back to you but you are wise to keep looking.
Things are extremely unsettled and not the fertile ground they have been in the recent past. Give it time and something great will come along.
Eva DunnJune 22,2022 at 5:30PM UTC
I have that happen time and time again. I send a thank you email the day of the interview, one week later, and then vary when I email again, either a week after that or sometimes a little longer. I had an interview a month ago where the contact said I was a top candidate and have been ghosted since. I know sometimes the process can take longer and they can't loop in candidates but it has happened often enough that I eventually go to the website and see who was hired for the position. Disheartening. I think the only thing to do it what you are already doing..keep applying elsewhere. Only once did I have someone contact me after and tell me why I wasn't the right hire and while I understood the reasons it came across very odd. I think they'd rather be safe than sorry.
AnonymousJune 23,2022 at 2:00PM UTC
This is very common and it doesn't necessarily mean they are lying to you. Could they be? Sure but they could also have two very strong candidates and they do believe you would of been a good fit but for some other reason they went with the other person. Or they could be straight bullshitting you. That's part of the problem...we often will never know.
Ghosting also happens way more than it should. They will rely on their automated system to send you an email which for interview candidates I hate because you took the time to personally talk with them the least you could is send an email. At most they interview 5-10 in the first round (at least it should be a small group) it wouldn't take that long to send an email. Second rounds are even smaller. If you did everything right, you may just need to move on. I personally chose where I was working in part because they communicated so well during the interview process.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJune 24,2022 at 2:11AM UTC
Did you ask what the timeline looked like for them to fill the position?
For you to hear about next steps? They could be just working their way through their slate of candidates.
AnonymousJune 24,2022 at 3:26AM UTC
Thank you all and I appreciate your advice. It's been almost two weeks since I had my second interviews and I didn't hear anything back. They mentioned there were still candidates to interview but that the next round would require a project and presentation. They mentioned timelines, salary and next steps. That being said, it's been radio silence after initially following up with a thank you and looking forward to hearing about the next steps. The one interview, I unfortunately was sick but still held my own during the Zoom call while the other, I really thought I would have been a top candidate. Oh well, moving on and of course continuing to send out resumes.
AnonymousJune 26,2022 at 3:07PM UTC
Good news to report! I have a third interview set for early July. This has been one of the longest interview processes I've been part of but I've learned I need to relax before thinking of I'm out of the running. I had the first interview in May and I'm currently not working so it adds more pressure to get the job. That being said, I'm continuing to send out resumes until receiving an offer. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!