Following up with a job after months
Hi all,
I was in the middle of an interview process for a position I was very interested in back in March when the pandemic hit. Through networking, I found that an associate of a friend was leaving her position to go back to school and was in charge of helping find someone to fill the role. Between January and March, she and I had an informal interview, then later she introduced me to the staff and told them she believed I would be a great fit for the job. I then interviewed with her direct supervisor and another person I would be working with. It seemed to go very well. Initially the job had not yet been officially approved, but they were very communicative, informing when it was approved, then informing me that there would be a 2nd interview with the committee after the job was officially posted (This was a grant funded research position so a lot of processes to go through/wait on). After COVID hit and not hearing anything for awhile, I reached out in April to follow-up. I was told that due to the pandemic they were having a hiring freeze—likely until after the summer months, but I would be given more information when possible. I never heard anything else. I’ve periodically went on the job site and have seen some jobs posted. There are multiple positions with the same title [Research Assistant I, II, or III] and some of the info overlaps for each, although they are different. The position I was applying for was in this category, but none of the descriptions look exactly like what I was applying for. Is it too late to reach out again? With everything going on in the world, they may have forgotten about our communication back in March. It could be that the position isn’t open, because it did focus heavily on group research and activities that may be affected by COVID. It could also be that some of the people I spoke with then are no longer there or are working in different capacities. I do know that the young woman who introduced me is officially gone. Should I try to reach out to her? Should I forget about it?
Interested in thoughts about this particular situation but also following up in general.
Aleyda DelaFuente
Making things happen
167
10/29/20 at 6:09PM UTC
My opinion, move on, keep looking. After 7 months of looking I know if they don't call you, they don't need you. You can do both, reach out and move one.
Aly BrineHelping Corporate Hippies thrive on LinkedIn!
1.59k
10/27/20 at 8:08PM UTC
Career Alignment Coach here! There's definitely a fine line when it comes to reaching out and following up. As a previous recruiter, if someone got a little too stalkerish, it was a red flag and put them on the no go list, so I appreciate that you're being mindful in reaching out. In your case, they told you you'd hear something back after the summer months and it's now fall. I don't think it would hurt to reach out one more time and ask or an update.
Katie KristlCustomer Support & Success Professional, Denver
138
10/27/20 at 3:26AM UTC
Oh my gosh -- REACH OUT! It's very possible that the original people you talked to aren't there, but don't let that deter you! I'd check in with anyone that you interviewed with and keep branching out from there - someone will reply and let you know who to get in touch with!
And you've got a great segue - just checking in to see how their work is going, what kind of impact COVID has had, if the positions you've seen open up recently would be similar to the role you interviewed for previously, do you need to submit a new resume/application?
COVID has been insane; it's very likely that things got pushed back and you might not be top of mind (especially if your original advocate is no longer there!).
Go for it!!
Anonymous
12/29/21 at 12:09AM UTC
I thought I responded to this before, but thank you for the feedback! Instead of reaching out formally, I decided to add the supervisor on LinkedIn and we stayed in touch for a while there. She ended up sending me a couple of different roles, but I decided not to apply to those. Just last week after deciding not to job search anymore, she reached out to ask if I was still interested in the original job I was interviewing for pre-covid. I told her I was, so we will see how that goes! It's funny that right after that, cases seemed to rise all at once, but I'm optimistic. It's been a long covid journey!
Anonymous
08/26/24 at 6PM UTC (Edited)
I am the original poster here, checking in almost three years later. If anyone is reading this and likes to hear happy follow-ups, I got the job in February 2022 (two years after my initial communication!). The role was retitled Program Coordinator. I've been with the company for 2.5 years and counting and was promoted to Program Manager last year. I'm looking for a new role now, but I've learned a lot here and am grateful for the experience!
