Getting the job offer

October 28, 2013 7:00 AM

Been in a long interview process and now I'm waiting... how to seal the deal without looking desperate

I have been in an interview process that has taken me through 5 separate interviews including a trip to the location I would be managing. In my last interview with the hiring manager she let me know there were two other candidates she wanted to finish interviewing.

I asked her if there were any concerns over my candidacy and she said she had concerns from the "technical side" due to my interview with the technical lead. She said he expressed I didn't have all the experience he would like but he thought I could overcome it. (Side note is that I am very technically gifted and apparently that didn't come through enough.)

They did ask me for references. I got all my references to send a letter (all very nice) pointed to the areas I thought would be most beneficial. I had a technical colleague detail past experiences in order to address concerns she expressed.

What should I do to keep myself as the top candidate without looking desperate?

Linked in posts? (they are all my connections now - very networked company)
Emails? (Don't like this option.)

Thoughts?

posted by jseven to Work & Money (10 answers total)

There is very little you can do to raise your odds, and very much you can do to lower them. Sit back, keep doing the things you've been doing, and leave it alone. If you're already a frequent poster on LinkedIn, keep doing that; if not, don't risk saying the wrong thing and having it stick out more.

If the hiring manager gave you a timeline, respect that. If she didn't, maybe send one email saying, "What's the timeline you're looking at for this job?", but nothing else. It's a fair question to ask and won't make you look desperate.
posted by Etrigan at 7:06 AM on October 28, 2013 [4 favorites]

Sadly, you wait. The ball is entirely in their court right now, and it takes companies a long time these days to get back to candidates.
posted by xingcat at 7:06 AM on October 28, 2013

At this point, after writing your thank you's, you wait.

You made the short list, and that's pretty great. Sometimes there's just someone better out there, and thems the breaks.

Good luck.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:08 AM on October 28, 2013

It never hurts to make a call to follow-up. Speaking is better than e-mail.

"I'm just wondering if you've made a decision so I know if I should continue to pursue other opportunities," is a completely reasonable explanation. Be patient.

If you did not make a successful impression in five interviews, there is honestly spoken not much more you can do now. It might help to send a short, hand-written note to the people you interviewed with thanking them for their time and expressing your interest in the position (and nothing more than that.)

Back when I was interviewing people out of hundreds of interviews this happened exactly once and was, at least by me, very well-received

This will make you stand out.
posted by three blind mice at 7:08 AM on October 28, 2013

Yes, take a deep breath (several) and just wait. Earlier on a short email thanking for the chat can help but you're way beyond. Sounds like a fair sized company and there are unknown committee and inboxes that may be just slowing the process. But there is no way to know. Hang in there.
posted by sammyo at 7:12 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

Silence is a cornerstone of successful negotiating. Be it a business deal, government deal, or an interview process, less is usually more. There is almost nothing you can do to improve your standing now than during your 5 step interview process. But, You can certainly do yourself harm by following up.

Continue your search while you wait.
posted by Kruger5 at 7:36 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]

All you can do is nothing. If they want you, they will get in touch.
posted by futureisunwritten at 9:33 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

I asked her if there were any concerns over my candidacy and she said she had concerns from the "technical side" due to my interview with the technical lead. She said he expressed I didn't have all the experience he would like but he thought I could overcome it. (Side note is that I am very technically gifted and apparently that didn't come through enough.)

Start looking elsewhere. I have been a hiring manager many times.

Putting aside the fact that companies almost never tell you up front that you are not a match (most just drop communication), the only time we put people into a holding pattern is when we are trying to find a better fish.
posted by rr at 10:47 AM on October 28, 2013

You move on, keep applying and interviewing, and you hope you hear back. If more than, say, two weeks goes by, you can send a quick follow-up email asking about the status.
posted by radioamy at 10:50 AM on October 28, 2013

Looks like Ask a Manager has some good advice for you today.
posted by radioamy at 4:40 PM on October 28, 2013