How to respond when a recruiter asked me how I feel about the interview and told me they couldn't make a decision right now?

Question

I just had my second interview about 10 days ago. Today I finally (the follow-up was expected to come up in 7 days actually) got an email from the recruiter in which the recruiter started by asking me how I find the interview with the interviewers. Then in the second paragraph, they told me they couldn't make a decision right now because they are interviewing one more candidate but will get in touch with me next week.

---

Are they trying to probe for my interest in the position or are they just starting a conversation? Anyway, how should I reply to them to increase my chance of getting the offer?

Answer 1

Are they trying to probe for my interest in the position or are they just starting a conversation?

This is simply an attempt on the recruiters part to see if you caught any red flags from the folks you interviewed with or about the company itself.

how should I reply to them to increase my chance of getting the offer?

I might say something along the lines of, "Ok, please let me know as soon as you can, as I am still actively interviewing. However, I am most interested in this position thus far and hope it works out." This shows that your interested, but aren't sitting on your hands either.

Answer 2

The note you got from the recruiter doesn't seem unusual. Offer a brief reply that both acknowledges the question and the update. Perhaps something like:

Thank you for the update. I very much enjoyed connecting with X, Y, and Z during the interviews and am excited about the position. I'll look for your update next week and be sure to reach out to you if my availability changes.

Be aware that you're still being considered for the role, treat your email exchanges as an extension of the interview. A formal and professional tone will serve you best.