You went through the interview process for a job you really want. Your answers were perfect and your test went well. But even 1 week after interview no response is sent.
It could get really frustrating to wait for the interview result as you don’t know whether to proceed with other job applications or not. On top of that, it happens quite often.
The HRReporter says that as per the CareerBuilder survey 75% of candidates said that they never heard back from the employers.
But why employers don’t always respond right after interviews? The reasons below might help you understand it.
Reasons Why There is No Response After Interview
The recruiter not responding after interview is difficult to deal with, but sometimes there are valid reasons for the delay. Let’s see what those reasons are.
They’re Too Busy
Perhaps your interviewer is not only handling the hiring process of the job you applied for but also screening candidates for other positions as well. So, the recruiter might be working on –
- Reviewing potential candidate applications,
- Scheduling tests & interviews, and
- Evaluating their performance.
It also makes sense that going through all the candidate’s profiles and selecting the right ones for a particular position takes time.
Oftentimes, being swamped with work is the main reason why employers don’t respond right away.
They’re Still Interviewing
You applied for the position after discovering it online through a job portal or the company’s website. The thing is, maybe 100 other candidates did that too.
Hence, the company might still be in the process of picking candidates from the stacks of job applications and following up with the applicants to proceed with the interview process.
Another reason is, when they have more than one position left for a job role, it is possible that they are still in the process of interviewing other candidates.
Also, at times when they see a potential for hiring a candidate with more experience or skills, they will be following up with them.
Overall, when the employers are still in the process of interviewing the candidates, they will not yet declare the results.
Things Changed
In an ideal world, the hiring manager would inform you if the applied position is not available anymore. But that is not always the case. Sometimes in the company unexpected happens after the job is posted.
- The position you got interviewed for might become obsolete or revamped,
- It might be passed on to an existing employee,
- There may be budget issues,
- The project timeline might have changed,
- They reassessed the need for a new hire in the department and decided against it.
Therefore, there is no need to hire someone anymore. In this case, the employee does not see any need to inform the candidate, or they might get busy with other tasks and forget to respond.
On the other hand, if the position is put on hold, they will hold the interview again. So, it is useful to stay active with the company. And, to stay on their mind, send a follow-up email.
They’re Afraid Of Legal Issues
As per the discrimination act, you cannot fire or hire someone based on their race, religion, gender, age, disabilities, or sexual orientation. Therefore, the recruiter might be afraid to disclose information about why they did not hire you.
In this litigious age, you can use any excuse to file a lawsuit. The organizations know that all too well. So, even when discrimination is not involved and there are other valid reasons such as you don’t have the required skill set, the employer might adopt silence in the matter.
You Got Lost
Mistakes can happen during the hiring process. Your application/ profile might get deleted from the company’s database. The HR might forget about you as they interview a lot of people.
That is why it is crucial to send a follow-up email, especially for the jobs you are most interested in. It relays that you are serious about the job and allows you to correct any mistakes you made during the interview.
Most importantly, it refreshes the interviewer’s mind and puts you in front. Plus, if your application is misplaced, it can be retrieved.
To learn how to follow up, check out the article on what you can do while waiting for the interview result.
There’s No Real Reason
Sometimes there is no particular reason for not sending any response.
It was not like you did extraordinarily in the interview. You are nice enough but did not stand out. Your answers were fine but not good enough to seal the deal.
In such situations, for an HR, it is difficult to articulate that you did nothing wrong, but you won’t get the job. It will confuse and upset the candidate. Therefore, they might choose not to give any reply.
You’re Not Selected
This might be one of the obvious reasons why you did not hear from the interviewers. But still, many people would agree that it is polite to send an email or a phone call about the result than to ignore and not reply to anything.
It has been a few weeks post-interview and even after a follow-up, if no response is sent, then it is safe to assume that you are not selected for the job.
Also, read – 11 Remote Job Interview Questions to Prepare For
Giving Yourself a Review
Even when the employers did not tell you the reasons for not getting selected for the job, you can give yourself a review. It helps you to avoid making the same mistakes again in the next interview.
If by any chance you think that your cover letter is the reason, then think again. Because LinkedIn reveals that 63% of recruiters consider cover letters as not important while 18% of them think that cover letters are an important part of a job application.
It clearly states that a cover letter is not a deciding factor in hiring a candidate. There are other reasons like the ones mentioned below. So consider them while evaluating your performance.
You Didn’t Follow The Instructions
Did HR give you a task and you missed the deadline or not do it correctly or followed the instructions improperly? When the employer asked you for any references, maybe you did not follow up appropriately.
That sure is enough reason to not get a callback from a recruiter. When you cannot follow the guidelines provided, HR will not take a chance on hiring you.
Therefore, you should always make sure to read every email you receive and take notes to not miss any important information. In case you are unsure about anything, ask the recruiter to clarify.
You’re Out of Range
Maybe when the salary question came up in mid-interview, the range you mentioned is out of reach of the employer. Obviously, the hiring manager would not select the candidate who expects more salary than they intended to give.
To avoid this, you need to do your salary research before the interview starts. Thus, when the question comes, you can give a justifiable answer.
You’re Not a Good Fit
You may think that you are perfect for the job. And also, you love the company and its mission. But there is a chance that rapport with some employers is a bit off and/ or there is a potential for clashes because of personality differences that the interviewer could see ahead of time.
You can never know if that is the exact reason, but it is always better to not get hired now than to get employed and have conflicts.
Also, read – How to Write a Cold Email for a Job [Steps & Tips]
Interesting Facts
The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated has conducted a survey on 3,000 employees from 8 different countries. The results revealed the following details.
- Nearly half, i.e. 45% of full-time employees said that if they worked without any interruptions, it would take less than 5 hours each day to complete their tasks.
- In case pay remains constant,
- 34% of employees would work for four days a week while 20% work for three days a week. With this, we can know that 54% of employees support shorter work weeks.
- One in four employees, i.e. 28% are content with the normal standard of working five days a week.
Finally!
We hope the article helps you to understand why you are not getting any reply after the interview.
Even 2 weeks after interview no response is sent, then don’t take it too personally. Instead of wondering why you can use the time to review yourself and rectify the mistakes that you think you did during the interview.
Prepare your resume well and get ready for the next interview.
If you are looking for remote jobs, then visit HomeJobsHub. You can find job postings in a variety of fields and in different countries. Such as HR, writing, assistant – in US and design, customer service, accounting – in India, and so on. On top of that, its AI system informs you whenever a job matching your skills and requirements is available.
So, just sign up here and start applying for jobs.
Finally, all the best for your journey!
