5 Reasons Why Employers Don't Respond After a Job Interview

5 Reasons Why Employers Don't Respond After a Job Interview

 

Here are five reasons why employers don’t respond after a job interview — and what, if anything, you can do about it.

 

1. They’re just not interested

 

The reason: Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Even though you thought you rocked the job interview, someone else may have won over the hiring manager’s heart. Instead of contacting you with an "it's not you, it's me" email, the interviewer opted to just not say anything at all. 

 

The fix: If another candidate has been chosen for the job, there’s really not a lot that you can do. "You can follow up with an email to express your continued interest in the company," says Alexandra Levit, a workplace expert and CEO of Inspiration at Work. "Reiterate your enthusiasm for working at the organization and express that you hope to keep in touch in the future." This showcases that you can lose graciously and will help keep your application top-of-mind for future openings.

 

 

2. They’re afraid of legal issues

 

 

The reason: After weeks of stalking your cellphone, you haven’t heard a peep. All you want is closure. Though you may desperately want an answer as to why exactly the company passed you up, unfortunately you may not get one. Many companies are afraid of a potential lawsuit by disclosing the reason(s) that a job candidate wasn’t chosen for the position.

 

The fix: Once you're certain that you are no longer in the running for the position, consider sending a follow-up email offering to sign a release stating that the information you seek (i.e. why you weren’t hired) is for informational purposes only. Spend some time carefully crafting the message in a polite — and not bitter — tone, and let the company know that you desire the information in order to become a stronger, more qualified job seeker. Explicitly state that you have no intentions of taking the company to court based on their overall decision. Keep in mind that this approach won't always work, and you may need to learn to live with the company's silence.

 

 

3. They’re still interviewing/negotiating

 

The reason: Maybe you were the third person the company interviewed — out of a possible 20+ candidates. Or maybe they’ve decided on another candidate and are in the middle of deep negotiations with that person.

 

The fix: It’s perfectly acceptable to follow up within two weeks after your interview to find out the status of the hiring process. Levit suggests that the best form of communication is via email, not a direct phone call. If you don’t hear back after your first email, you can email again — a maximum of three times in a span of two months. "If you still haven't heard from them after that, move on to another opportunity," says Levit.

 

 

4. The position has been eliminated or put on hold

 

 

The reason: After you went in for your job interview, the company might have — unbeknownst to you — experienced sweeping budget cuts that meant they needed to eliminate positions. The hiring process may have been frozen as a result. In another scenario, perhaps the company is in the midst of reconfiguring the role based on unforeseen circumstances (a manager quit, or the company decided to explore a new avenue and is still hammering out the details). 

 

The fix: In these situations, it’s really a wait-and-see game. While you might want to ride out the process to see if anything pans out or the position you applied for reopens, it might be better to continue on with your job search. If the company does contact you again regarding employment, you can decide whether you want to reapply, or perhaps seek more stable employment elsewhere.

 

Regardless, it's important not to spend too much time and energy wracking your brain about all of the possible extenuating circumstances that might have resulted in the company's radio silence. Don't drive yourself crazy over the what ifs — instead, give yourself a pep talk and get back on the horse.

 

 

5. They’re just rude

 

The reason: Jobs are a precious commodity and unfortunately job seekers are in surplus. The company may have had a cattle call of job applicants come in for interviews, and now it doesn’t have the time or inclination to respond back to each and every person individually.

 

The fix: You may be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but can you ever really teach someone good manners? "Unfortunately, [the practice of not contacting a candidate if they aren't chosen for the position] is the norm," says Levit

--Source=> Timesjobs