Asking for followup during an interview process?

Question

I recently applied for a company. I was contacted by their recruiter on Linkedin. I had a short interview with the recruiter (basically the "english filter", as english is required and this position is remote).

Then I was invited to take an online test, which I passed.

Then I was interviewed by the company's CEO, who gave me some more details about the position, even told me what client it was for and gave me some specifics about the project. So I thought everything was going well. They even asked me how soon I would be available to start.

This was almost 2 weeks ago and I haven't got any updates since then, except for a couple of LinkedIn notifications about "someone from said company looking at my profile".

I contacted the recruiter again last friday. She told me she asked about my case the day before but she didn't have an answer yet.

Is it too early to ask for updates? Should I try writing to this CEO who emailed me directly and intervewed me?

Does this answer your question? How do I properly follow-up with a hiring manager, to check on the status of a position? — mcknz, Sep 09 '20 at 02:20
2 weeks is far, far too long. I've done entire interviewing cycles from initial call through to negotiating the job offer in less time than that. Personally, in the absence of specific deadlines, I give companies/recruiters 2 working days and then follow up. So if you interview on a Monday and you don't hear anything, you should be following up Thursday morning. — Kaz, Dec 01 '20 at 18:02
Honestly this sounds more like a scam than a real job opportunity. — Geoff Griswald, Dec 04 '20 at 17:09

Sourav Ghosh · Answer 1 · 2020-09-07T14:25:52.923

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So, how the discussion with the CEO concluded? Did they ask you to check with the recruiter through whom you arrived at interview? Did they connect you with someone else from the hiring team or the hiring manager? Did the CEO gave you their personal mail / phone number for following up?

If no specific contact info was given to you, your best best is to reach out to the recruiter and ask for an update. The sooner the better - and possible through a phone call, if you got a number to dial.
If you don't get a response, and somehow you can connect to someone else in the organization (the CEO or someone from HR/Recruitment), do that.

And no, two weeks is not "too early", it's borderline of "too late".

edited Sep 07 '20 at 14:25

answered Sep 07 '20 at 14:22

Sourav Ghosh

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Well, it concluded me with them asking me how soon I would be available, and that they would contact me again. I was contacted by them via email in the first place so I do have their personal (company) email. – hjf Sep 07 '20 at 14:24
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@hjf in cases like these, emails are not the best way to communicate, a phone call is. However, if the email is all you have, use that. – Sourav Ghosh Sep 07 '20 at 14:26

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 29 '20 at 17:52

As Sourav has answered, two weeks is a bit on the "too late" side. In the future and maybe in this case, I would suggest you:

To follow up every 1-2 weeks or so, depending on the stage of the recruitment process and your location, because these things can vary a lot.
To ask smart questions, like when can I expect to hear from you, what's the earliest date when I can start and so on, to gauge a timeframe of the current hiring stage and the possible end.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 01 '20 at 17:45

If you're very interested in the position and have had an interview with the CEO, it's OK and probably better to follow up with them directly in email. The recruiter has largely completed their job by making contact with you. Now hiring managers are likely sorting through candidates for the next stage, if they haven't already completed that.

Expressing some enthusiasm for the job and asking about status won't be a problem unless you do it too frequently or aggressively.

That said, most orgs will "ghost" (stop contact with) candidates that didn't make it past the first round. It's mildly rude but everyone does it. So don't be alarmed if you don't get a response.

Asking for followup during an interview process?

3 Answers3