Should I play it cool?

April 23, 2013 7:51 AM

I had an interview a week ago with an HR person and was told the company would be in touch soon, they liked my resume, etc. Since then... nothing much. I know who my next interviewer would be. Would there be anything weird about... emailing them and asking for an interview? Or should I wait?
posted by kettleoffish to Work & Money (10 answers total)

What you want is to e-mail a post-interview thank you letter.
posted by smitt at 7:53 AM on April 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

And send said letter to the HR person you interviewed with, NOT the person you think would be your next interviewer.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 7:56 AM on April 23, 2013 [4 favorites]

Agree with both. And if you hear nothing within a week, call them afterwards.

In general, you have nothing to lose by asking what's going on: you look interested in the job, and if they're lame enough to not like being pestered in such a situation, you probably don't want to work for them anyway.
posted by lucullus at 7:59 AM on April 23, 2013

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I was told I'd be scheduled for an interview by tomorrow.

So if I don't hear by 5:01 tommorrow, I'l call the HR recruiter to follow up.

I wouldn't contact the hiring manager, that may totally piss that person off.

You never know what's going on in the background.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:05 AM on April 23, 2013

It's also quite possible, depending on the size and variety of the organization, that the hiring manager has no clue right now where HR is in this interviewing process. Calling her directly doesn't seem likely to accomplish anything except marking you as unprofessional in their eyes.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:16 AM on April 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

I agree with all of the above 100%. Unless you are applying for a sales job. If you are applying for a sales job then yes call the hiring manager. That is the only time that is ok though.
posted by magnetsphere at 8:28 AM on April 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Yeah, don't call the hiring manager. And "a week" in hiring terms is usually more like "a week or two". If you haven't sent the thank you letter then do that. If you have then give it a few more days and call the HR person.
posted by dawkins_7 at 8:31 AM on April 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

I would not send a thank-you letter. It's a little late for a thank-you, and it doesn't require any action on their part - they will just read it and say "oh that's nice" and go about their day.

Contact the HR recruiter and specifically ask for their expected time frame.
posted by payoto at 8:32 AM on April 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Or, tell the HR person that you are sitting on another offer and hoped to know soon whether they were planning on having you back for another interview so you could manage the other offer accordingly.
posted by Dansaman at 9:31 AM on April 23, 2013

Don't contact the hiring manager; if someone did that to me all they're doing is giving me a problem. The recruiter is there to manage the process; as a hiring manager, I don't want to talk to you until the interview, which doesn't happen until I agree to have it. Don't make me do the recruiter's job.
posted by spaltavian at 10:22 AM on April 23, 2013