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I had an interview on May 30th, which resulted in an interview with 3 other people on the same team. My last interview was last week on Tuesday. I felt that the interviews went well. I emailed them on Friday to check my status and I was told they would have a better idea come Monday. It's now Tuesday and no response. I really want this position and have been wondering whats going on.

I get that no one here is going to know the reason for this delay, so my question is more general. When organizations and hiring managers are interviewing for a particular position do they usually interview all applicants and make a decision or do they typically stop the second they feel that they have found a match? I have a feeling if it is the former then I am out of the picture?

wondering
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  • Voting to close, looking for opinions (or else better served by some of the related questions on the right) – The Wandering Dev Manager Jun 16 '15 at 21:49
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    Every organisation is different, but generally if they have scheduled interviews, they do all of them. You might have a good match, but what if the person you didn't interview was better? – Jane S Jun 16 '15 at 21:49
  • @mcknz While that is the context of the question, the question itself is different. It's asking about the interview process, not necessarily why the OP has not received any notification of progress. – Jane S Jun 16 '15 at 22:11
  • @JaneS true. I agree with your answer, but maybe the problem is that the question requires an opinion-based response. – mcknz Jun 16 '15 at 22:18
  • @mcknz As in my answer, I think it's actually really quite logical that most employers (there are exceptions to any rule) would go through the entire process. Recruitment is expensive. If you have taken the time to short list, it would make sense to ensure that you check the entire list you felt would fit your role. – Jane S Jun 16 '15 at 22:22
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    @JaneS maybe you're right -- I can't imagine someone would schedule an interview with a candidate and not follow through, unless the position were eliminated. – mcknz Jun 16 '15 at 22:24
  • You don't get to make the rules. All you an do is ask and wait. If you ask to many times they may just say no bases on you are a pest. Continue to pursue other opportunities. – paparazzo Jun 16 '15 at 23:46

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It could well be different from organisation to organisation, but logically most organisations would go through the entire interview process.

The reasoning is simple: Your "match" might be awesome, but what if the person you didn't interview was even better? You can't go by CV because some people's CV is perhaps enough to obtain an interview but only in person can you ascertain the depth of their knowledge.

A secondary reason is... that it's polite. If you have schedule a series of interviews, told people that they have been short listed then cancel out, they are not going to be impressed. It seems like a lack of following proper process.

Jane S
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When organizations and hiring managers are interviewing for a particular position do they usually interview all applicants and make a decision or do they typically stop the second they feel that they have found a match?

I don't usually stop the second I have a match. It generally doesn't make sense to do so, since that first "match" might not accept an offer, and the second or third "match" might be better.

Here's how I hire:

  • I gather resumes for a while (days or weeks depending on the specific position, the recruiters I'm using at the moment, etc)
  • I conduct telephone interviews with the applicants which look promising
  • I invite three or so of the best applicants in for one or two face-to-face interviews with me, a few folks on my team, and other stakeholders
  • I make an offer to the single best candidate, while waiting to respond to the other two next-best candidates
  • If the best candidate doesn't accept the offer, then I move to the next-best candidates, in order

Sometimes, these things take time. Sometimes, I need to get re-confirmation on the job requisition from higher-level management. Sometimes, I need to bring a candidate in for an additional interview if the candidates were very close, or if one of the important interviewers was on vacation. Sometimes things just get very busy and I have to divert my attention away from hiring for a few days.

So, you still might be the top candidate. Or you might be one of the next-best candidates. Or you might not yet have been notified that they aren't interested.

There's just no way to tell.

Joe Strazzere
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