5 Reasons You Haven’t Heard Back After an Interview (And What to Do Next)

If you’ve ever interviewed for a job and then not heard anything back, you aren’t alone. In a recent survey by CareerBuilder, 75 percent of respondents said this situation has happened to them. 

Unfortunately, getting ghosted by a potential employer happens all too often. Fortunately, job seekers like you aren’t completely helpless. It helps if you know why employers go silent after a job interview. Below are five reasons why an employer isn’t getting back to you and suggestions on what you should do about it. 

1) They’re Busy 

A hiring manager might be attempting to fill not only the job you interviewed for, but also multiple others as well, possibly all at the same time. In this scenario, it’s reasonable for a hiring manager to be too occupied to keep every applicant up to date in their status. Reviewing resumes, setting up interviews and checking references all require a lot of time. Because of this, it’s very common for hiring personnel to not move quickly on any given job opening. 

2) They Went with Someone Else 

One of the most common reasons why people looking for work don’t get a response from their interviewer is because someone else was hired. Most people would think it’s common courtesy to send an email letting candidates know they won’t be hired for the position they were seeking, but unfortunately, this doesn’t happen in many cases. If it’s been a few weeks since the interview and you didn’t get a response after checking back about the position, you can probably assume you didn’t get the job and should move one to other opportunities. 

3) Liability Concerns 

These days, it feels like almost anything can be cause for a lawsuit, and businesses realize this all too well. So rather than calling applicants to explain that they weren’t hired, businesses play it safe by avoiding that tricky discussion altogether. 

4) They Don’t Want to Counsel Disappointed Applicants 

Hiring managers know that getting turned down for a job can be a devastating situation and might worry about candidates pestering them with all kinds of questions. To steer clear of that line of conversation, and the chance of saying the wrong thing, they don’t reach out and hope candidates simply move on. 

5) They’re Talking to Other Candidates 

One of the major reasons why hiring managers don’t reach out after job interviews is because they’re gradually making their way through piles of applications and talking to others who are seeking the same position as you. Sometimes, the job opening doesn’t need to be filled immediately, or some part of the position has changed, and management is sorting out the new details of the job. In either situation, the company has time to review more applications after your interview. 

We Always Keep Candidates in the Loop 

When you apply to a job through Career Concepts, you can rest assured that we’ll always keep you in the loop. Please contact us today to find out how we can help you with your job search.