Four Steps to Restart the Interview Process When an Employer Has You On Ice

You interviewed with an employer for a job about a week ago.

You felt it went well. Really well.  But you haven’t heard anything.

And you’re getting frustrated.

What do you do?

Tread gently. This is some delicate territory, and how you handle this will demonstrate to the company your ability to negotiate a challenging situation. I would recommend the following.

Step One: Send an email to the hiring manager to thank them again for their time on the date of the interview, and reiterate your interest in the position, and that you look forward to hearing great news about the opportunity to work with them. Thank them for their time and consideration.

Step Two: Reach out to the Corporate Recruiter in a polite email reiterating the same as you have to the manager.  Ask for any feedback they can provide in terms of when they believe a decision will be made, and if you can provide anything else which may help them in their hiring decision. Thank them for their time and consideration.

Step Three: Wait. Be patient. I know, this is difficult, but if you reach out too often, people will think of you less as a potential candidate, and more as a stalker (think: John Cusack in “Say Anything”).

Step Four: If either individual replies, listen to the message. If the answer is that they are continuing to interview, you may or may not still be under consideration (the other interviews may have been scheduled at the same time as yours). Anything they ask of you, do quickly. i.e., Need references? Done.

If they tell you they have decided to proceed with another candidate, thank them for their time and reiterate what a great experience you had interviewing with the company, and that you hope you may be considered for a future opening.

Try to remember, companies can – and do – often go back to other candidates, especially if their dream candidate falls through. Never burn that bridge. Sometimes things just move at a glacial pace.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.