They generally don't let you know.

Now that recruiting has moved more and more online (even the old recruiter firms are dong few retained searches), there can be hundreds or more applicants for each job. I've been applying for senior-level jobs, where the requisite qualifications and experience would make the applicant pool smaller. Yet LinkedIn shows hundreds of applicants for such jobs -- and that's only for those who submitted through LI. (Jobs can be on multiple sites, so the numbers are likely higher.) Given that on-line submissions are likely screened by software, or maybe by HR staff spending less than a minute of a resume, job hunting is really becoming a game of chance.

I have not gotten a number of jobs after in-person interviews. Not one of the companies ever told me I didn't get the job; I always had to call them. It stinks but it doesn't surprise me anymore.

Anonymous wrote:It's rare that they let you know anymore. Pretty rude, but that's the way it seems to be.

I had 3 interviews at one local university for a job and then not another word, even though I was thinking I'd probably get an offer. I kind of clued in when my two emails a couple weeks later went unanswered.

This.

I remember times when I got official rejection letters in the mail having applied for summer internships. Alas, things are different now.

Anonymous wrote:I really feel it is so rude not to at least send a brief email to non-selected candidates who have actually be interviewed, thanking them for their time but stating that they were not selected. If you have actually met with a candidate and had a personal interaction with them, I feel they are owed the courtesy of a brief email/letter stating thanks for your time, many qualified candidates etc. etc.

Agreed. This isn't just a professional issue. It's an issue of common human decency.

sorry "actually been interviewed," iphone fail.

I really feel it is so rude not to at least send a brief email to non-selected candidates who have actually be interviewed, thanking them for their time but stating that they were not selected. If you have actually met with a candidate and had a personal interaction with them, I feel they are owed the courtesy of a brief email/letter stating thanks for your time, many qualified candidates etc. etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok...so the fact that he hasn't heard after 1 week isn't necessarily bad--it often takes longer than that to make a hiring decision?

You have to assume that they are also interviewing other people -- if they were already scheduled to interview others by the time your DH came along, they're not going to cancel them in order to give your DH an offer. They will likely finish up with everyone and then make a decision. Sometimes it happens that they meet a candidate that is such a show stopper that they must make an offer right this second -- even if that means cancellations with everyone else, but the typical process is -- pick a number of first round candidates (maybe 5-10) and invite them in; narrow it down from there and invite a few back to second round (maybe 2-3); some places do a third round and some don't; and then make a decision. Even once the decision is made internally, it can take time to get back to the chosen candidate if HR is putting together an offer package and it can take even more time to get back to the non-chosen candidates -- as many places don't release them until their offeree has accepted.

I'd say give it 2-3 weeks before you worry or even consider reaching out to anyone. And at this point I'm not even sure if reaching out does anything. From your behavior at interviews and thank you notes, they know you're interested; you expressing interest again won't cause them to choose you if they have found someone with a better fit.

I once had an interview scheduled - call on Friday, interview set for Tuesday. Got another call Monday night, around 7:30pm, cancelling my next day interview because they offered the job to someone on Friday. I was pissed. I will always remember the name of that firm and be sure to tell the story every time their name pops up in any conversation. It's not just a lack of common courtesy, but of decency. I was in a full-time job while looking for a new one and had set up time off to go to the interview. It's just complete disrespect for someone's time! I totally understand if, like PP pointed out, they had a candidate who just blew them out of the water, but at least have the decency to follow through with your other scheduled interviews. So rude.

Few companies respond negatively to applicants. It is sad, but I think this is a function of reduced profits, time-savings, the current imbalance of power between worker and employer. I also feel that some companies will NOT respond, simply to avoid any blunder which may result in a lawsuit. So they opt to go the course of being extremely unprofessional, and, lacking of any common courtesy. It is a sad state of affairs.

I'm in the middle of the hiring process right now. We received 186 applications for the position. I have sent Rejection notifications to about half the people so far and hope to get to everyone. The surprising thing is how many people have written me back thanking me for letting them know! Apparently no informs anyone these days about not getting a job!

Kudos to those hiring managers who've posted that they contact applicants who haven't been offered the job. Last year, I was interviewing (after many years in the same job so hadn't interviewed in a long time). After getting great signals from one company - and coming in for multiple interviews, talking about start dates, the works, suddenly I heard nothing. They didn't return my follow-up phone calls or emails. They didn't contact me ever. To this date, I haven't heard from anyone there. It left the worst impression. I'm quite sure I dodged a bullet and wouldn't have wanted to work in a company that treats someone like that, but still, yuck.

Anonymous wrote:Ok...so the fact that he hasn't heard after 1 week isn't necessarily bad--it often takes longer than that to make a hiring decision?

You have to assume that they are also interviewing other people -- if they were already scheduled to interview others by the time your DH came along, they're not going to cancel them in order to give your DH an offer. They will likely finish up with everyone and then make a decision. Sometimes it happens that they meet a candidate that is such a show stopper that they must make an offer right this second -- even if that means cancellations with everyone else, but the typical process is -- pick a number of first round candidates (maybe 5-10) and invite them in; narrow it down from there and invite a few back to second round (maybe 2-3); some places do a third round and some don't; and then make a decision. Even once the decision is made internally, it can take time to get back to the chosen candidate if HR is putting together an offer package and it can take even more time to get back to the non-chosen candidates -- as many places don't release them until their offeree has accepted.

I'd say give it 2-3 weeks before you worry or even consider reaching out to anyone. And at this point I'm not even sure if reaching out does anything. From your behavior at interviews and thank you notes, they know you're interested; you expressing interest again won't cause them to choose you if they have found someone with a better fit.

In my experience, one rarely hears back after an interview. Which is stupid, because if they can't give me the courtesy of a call or email, then I will never do business with them again in any capacity.

HR Manager here. At my company we do let those that were interviewed know if they were not selected. It can sometimes take a few weeks for everyone to advance through the hiring process so the notification is not immediate.