I followed up with the HR regarding my onsite interview. I did not get a chance to ask for timeline during the interview. Did I commit a blunder?

Question

Had an interview on Friday which consisted of 5 back to back technical rounds. Just as the last round was about to be over, the HR person came inside the room and told us we needed to end the interview right now, since the taxi they had arranged to drop me off back to the airport was already waiting outside, and she didn't want me to miss my flight.

It was at this moment that the interviewer got up and asked me to follow the HR person back to the taxi. There was no chance for me to ask the last interviewer about the timeline and next steps. The interview ended abruptly.

I was asked "Do you have any questions?" type of questions on every step of the last four rounds, but all I asked during those rounds was about the work they did, technologies they handled etc., since I knew I could ask the timeline at the end of the final (5th round).

Since Friday I have spoken to a couple of friends who work at this same company I interviewed for and all have said they all got their offers within 3 days of interview. So today (being the 3rd) day after my interview, I sent a follow up email to the HR as she was the only POC during the entire process. My email reads:

Hi XXX,

Hope you are having a good day.

I just wanted to thank you for meeting with me on Friday and arranging the interview process. I really enjoyed talking with the team.

I wondered when I might expect to hear a decision about the next step (timeline) from you. I totally missed the chance to ask this on Friday itself as the taxi back to the airport was already waiting.

Thanks a ton to you and the team for the experience.

Regards

Did I jump the gun too early? Is this a mistake? I am well aware that I sent a follow up mail asking for timeline, and not specifically asking for the result of the interview.

Answer 1

Getting hired is about whether the prospective employer likes your skills and style, and hardly at all about tiny details of the interview process. You have to work hard to make some sort of spectacle of yourself with an HR contact to have any negative influence. There's nothing rude about asking your contact for feedback or some idea of the schedule or both, so long as you were polite.

All kinds of complex phenomena pop up during a hiring process, and they can drag it out at great length. Until you are in a position to communicate, "I have another offer," you just have to be patient.

Answer 2

In this case, I would follow them up every couple of days and over the phone, since the last interview finished abruptly.

Containing the follow-up would be how to pick things up where you left off and to possibly combine all the remaining steps of your hiring process. Of course, choosing words that indicate impatience or rudeness on your part is not an option.

This will be possible to happen if the hiring staff wishes you to join their company.

Hope this helps. Best of luck.