After interview, how long should i wait.

[imported_vr6]

How long should i wait before i contact the interviewer for an update?

I had my interview on monday, its wednesday and i hav't heard from them. Should i call or e-mail?

 

[blackdogdeek]

what did they say at the end of the interview?

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek
what did they say at the end of the interview?

Exactly.

Did you send them a thank you note?

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek
what did they say at the end of the interview?

 

[alkemyst]

Well technically you should have followed up with an email or letter to them thanking them for the interview. Whether they just delete/throw it away is another thing, it's still good manners.

I am looking for a job...one to two weeks seems to be an average between things like applying->phone interview, phone interview-> f2f, f2f->2nd f2f, etc.

Many jobs have a selection date two weeks to a full month from when they start looking and a 'start' date two weeks to a month after that. All the record/background searching, drug testing, and stuff is probably contributing. Gone are the days of a stop by with your resume, get a quick face to face, exchange handshakes and contact info, and then find out when you start or that they aren't looking the next day or two.

Å

 

[Ameesh]

make sure you send cookies




hahahahaha

 

[Ness]

It also depends on factors like if they are interviewing other people and how busy the person hiring is.

 

[imported_vr6]

well, he said that he will notify me, but i am just anxious to find out if i was hired. What is the deal with a thank you note? Its just for a simple internship, don't think a thank you card would be needed. Interview was on monday, its thursday now.

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: Kwan1
well, he said that he will notify me, but i am just anxious to find out if i was hired. What is the deal with a thank you note? Its just for a simple internship, don't think a thank you card would be needed. Interview was on monday, its thursday now.

Always send a thank you note, this shows your interest in the position as well as is a common courtesy.

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: Kwan1
well, he said that he will notify me, but i am just anxious to find out if i was hired. What is the deal with a thank you note? Its just for a simple internship, don't think a thank you card would be needed. Interview was on monday, its thursday now.

A thank you note is important for several reasons:

It shows you are interested
It shows you are polite
It puts your name in front of the decision maker again
It gives you an opportuinity to emphasize your interest and address anything about your interview that wasn't perfect

 

[GrouchyLadybug]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: Kwan1
well, he said that he will notify me, but i am just anxious to find out if i was hired. What is the deal with a thank you note? Its just for a simple internship, don't think a thank you card would be needed. Interview was on monday, its thursday now.

Always send a thank you note, this shows your interest in the position as well as is a common courtesy.

Yep. You should thank them for even granting you an interiew to start with...with the economy like it is, scoring an interview is hard, and scoring a job is even harder. When I was applying for jobs this past summer, I applied at about 5 or 6 different places but was only granted 2 interviews out of all of that. Read any book on job interview etiquette or talk to your local career counseling agency, and they'll all tell you to always write and mail a thank you note as soon as you get home from the interview. Good luck on getting the job!

 

[DaVortex]

I had a job interview last thursday during the interview she said the next process is to have a second interview with the regional manager. At the end of the interview she said I am the top candidate for a second interview. As soon as I got home I wrote a Thank You letter and overnighted it to her so it gets there the next day (fri) I forgot to put the company name so I wasnt sure if USPS delivered it to the right person so I emailed her when I saw the letter was delivered. She said that she did receive it and was very impressed with my interview. She said she will get her secretary to call me to set up the second interview. I received the email about 2-3 days ago and havnt heard anything from them yet.

Am I being too impatient or should I call?

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: DaVortex
I had a job interview last thursday during the interview she said the next process is to have a second interview with the regional manager. At the end of the interview she said I am the top candidate for a second interview. As soon as I got home I wrote a Thank You letter and overnighted it to her so it gets there the next day (fri) I forgot to put the company name so I wasnt sure if USPS delivered it to the right person so I emailed her when I saw the letter was delivered. She said that she did receive it and was very impressed with my interview. She said she will get her secretary to call me to set up the second interview. I received the email about 2-3 days ago and havnt heard anything from them yet.

Am I being too impatient or should I call?

You're in a tough position. She didn't give you a time line for the second interview (you should have asked for one). The ball is now in her court with no expiration date. This means if you contact her, one of three things will happen:

1) You upset her for being too pushy.
2) You do nothing to hurt or help the situation.
3) You impress her for not letting the ball drop.

The only way to make this judgement is to gauge her as a person, look at the job type and the company you were applying. Taking these into consideration should help make the answer easier.

You should try to always have control of the situation. You could have regained control after she told you about the second interview by saying something like:

"Great! I really look forward to meeting the regional manager and moving forward with the process. I am really busy this week, but I am wide open next week. How does that work?"

OR

"Great! I really look forward to meeting the regional manager and moving forward with the process. If your secretary is available now, I would love to speak with them to make the appointment."

OR

"Great! I really look forward to meeting the regional manager and moving forward with the process. I am going away camping for the weekend and will not be available at all. I would hate to miss this call, what is your secretary's name and number so I can call them before I go to set up the appointment?"

In all cases, you have implicitly requested more information without being too pushy. In addition, the responses will likely show you how serious she was about setting up the second interview. The ideal situation is to make the appointment immediately. The next best scenario is to get the secretary's name and number and call her on your terms. The third best is to get an idea of when the secretary will phone you (so if they don't you can call them or the lady who interviewed you). The worst case is not to know whether or not you will really be getting a call or even a second interview.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: Kwan1
well, he said that he will notify me, but i am just anxious to find out if i was hired. What is the deal with a thank you note? Its just for a simple internship, don't think a thank you card would be needed. Interview was on monday, its thursday now.

Seriously, no offense, but this attitude will NOT get you hired.

 

[DaVortex]

You are right Garetjax during the interview she did tell me they are looking to hire someone no later than April 15th.

This is for a data entry clerk position at HomeProperties.com, there is room for advancement so thats a good thing

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: Ilmater

Originally posted by: Kwan1
well, he said that he will notify me, but i am just anxious to find out if i was hired. What is the deal with a thank you note? Its just for a simple internship, don't think a thank you card would be needed. Interview was on monday, its thursday now.

Seriously, no offense, but this attitude will NOT get you hired.

He's right and I guarantee you it comes across in an interview through your answers.

 

[StageLeft]

Employers can be tricky. You want to show interest - and always send a thank you note (I use email personally), but something a lot of job seekers err on, in my opinion, is thinking that the employer has decided to hire you but is basically waiting for you to call to express interest, THEN they'll say "Guess what - it's yours!". In my experience (albeit limited), beyond the basic thank you and what not, if the employer wants you they will probably jump in it quickly. If you've not heard in a while you're almost sure to gain nothing meaningful by contacting them again. They probably aren't interested, and more likely than not will stroke you a couple of times to further your liklihood of vacational blue balls when, 3 weeks later, you're still holding it wondering if you'll ever get a job.

It sucks but employers can be dick heads.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: DaVortex
You are right Garetjax during the interview she did tell me they are looking to hire someone no later than April 15th.

This is for a data entry clerk position at HomeProperties.com, there is room for advancement so thats a good thing

This is a stretch, but attention to detail and timeliness are always important traits for employees. You might call her and say something like:

"The April 15th deadline you set for completing the hiring process is fast approaching. I know that you and the regional manager are very busy so I thought trying to get into the schedule sooner than later would be helpful. Since I haven't heard from your secretary yet, I thought I could facilitate the process by touching base with you again."

and see what she says.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: DaVortex
I had a job interview last thursday during the interview she said the next process is to have a second interview with the regional manager. At the end of the interview she said I am the top candidate for a second interview. As soon as I got home I wrote a Thank You letter and overnighted it to her so it gets there the next day (fri) I forgot to put the company name so I wasnt sure if USPS delivered it to the right person so I emailed her when I saw the letter was delivered. She said that she did receive it and was very impressed with my interview. She said she will get her secretary to call me to set up the second interview. I received the email about 2-3 days ago and havnt heard anything from them yet.

Am I being too impatient or should I call?

2 - 3 days? WHOA! Calm down. If you haven't heard anything after a week or so, THEN contact her, and MAKE SURE TO GET A TIMETABLE FROM HER THIS TIME!

 

[Nanotech]

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: Kwan1
well, he said that he will notify me, but i am just anxious to find out if i was hired. What is the deal with a thank you note? Its just for a simple internship, don't think a thank you card would be needed. Interview was on monday, its thursday now.

A thank you note is important for several reasons:

It shows you are interested
It shows you are polite
It puts your name in front of the decision maker again
It gives you an opportuinity to emphasize your interest and address anything about your interview that wasn't perfect

 

[Gibson486]

Ummm...the thank You note is not as important as people think it is. My coop advisors told us to make them, but to becareful because they can see it as 2 things....

1. You really are interested anxious and you are restating your worth

or

2. You're doing it because your advisor said it would be a good idea or people told you to do it.

They will know by the email you wrote or the phone call you make.

 

[z0mb13]

on a side note I just got an internship!!

and yes I did send a thank you email

I interviewed on tues, and I heard back on FRI from a HR lady that asked my salary and when I can start.

Then I called the HR lady back on wednesday since she promised to call me back but didnt... her reason was because she was super busy

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
Ummm...the thank You note is not as important as people think it is. My coop advisors told us to make them, but to becareful because they can see it as 2 things....

1. You really are interested anxious and you are restating your worth

or

2. You're doing it because your advisor said it would be a good idea or people told you to do it.

They will know by the email you wrote or the phone call you make.

That doesn't make sense, for one your are looking at this from only a college applicant level. Also most of what anyone does is because someone else instructed them at one time or another. Good manners are taught, it's not instinctual to say 'Please' and 'Thank you' either, but no one says 'you are just saying that because mommy and daddy taught you to'.

The thank you letter will at no time hurt your chances should it be simple and to the point 'a thank you'. Should you get an asshat for a HR person/Hirer then all bets are off, chances are they may have a 'friend' already in mind.

Also if you go psycho in your thank you letter, you can count on not getting hired.

Something like this is all that's needed .... it's going to be rough, I am just banging it out:

Dear Mrs. Doe (comma is more polite, but use a colon if you feel ackward)...

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to interview with me. It was great to see first hand who and where I may possibly be working, I think it would be a good fit for me (or some other qualifier that you are interested for a good reason and not just hunting for a paycheck). I hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you

...

as opposed to:

Dearest Jane,

I really loved meeting you today and I am in the process of trying to find where you live so I can talk to you more about this. I have wanted to work for your company since I was born even though you only were founded in 2000. I knew it was my destiny. If you don't hire me you are an idiot and I will be forced to possibly launch a lawsuit against you personally as well as the company - CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED! However, I doubt all that nonsense is needed, we are both intelligent adults and I am sure you will agree any other one of these SOB's cannot compare with me.

See ya sweetie!


Then if you do get a rejection letter it is good to follow that up with a thank you along the lines of:

Dear Mrs. Doe

Thank you for letting me know I was not selected for this position. I appreciate this as I am interviewing with others as well. I felt it was a one of the better matches for my personality and skillset, however, your own criteria found a better match for the company. Please consider me for similar positions should they open up, I am still very interested in working for your company.

Thank you and good luck with your new candidate. (or whatever)

as opposed to

YOU FREAKING BISH!

HOW CAN YOU TELL ME I WAS NOT SELECTED!@!1@2!2! ARE YOU ON X OR CRACK? SERIOUSLY DID YOU EVEN LOOK AT MY OUTSTANDING RESUME, I WAS HAD A 3.5 IN JUNIOR COLLEGE AND 3.2 AT STATE!@12!!@1 (excuse my bad shift key). I WAS IN MANAGEMENT TRAINING AT MCDONALDS AND TACO BELL!!21212, I MAY EVEN BE OVERQUALIFIED FOR THIS SILLY JOB.

ANYWAYS YOU ARE IN FOR IT NOW, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? MY LAWYERS WILL BE CONTACTING YOU SOON YOU IDIOT...I WILL OWN YOUR COMPANY. YOU WILL BE SORRY WHEN YOU ARE FIRED1!12121121 (THOSE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SHIFTED000000) ACK1

NEVERMIND1!1

YOU SUCK

hehehe

Å

 

[imported_vr6]

Well it might be a little late, but i just send out an thank you e-mail. My internship coordinator didn't tell me that it was common courtesy to send a thank you note. Hopefully that won't impact his decision too much.