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I've noticed a few similar posts about contacting companies after an interview asking for progress however i'm very much of the opinion that if they do not contact you they are no longer interested.

However my instance feels somewhat different, I applied for a position they were advertising and I didn't hear anything back for a month. I had, in this time, assumed they weren't interested. However I got an email requesting a call, with an apology, for the delay which was due to annual leave and busy workload on her return for the hiring officer. They seemed very keen to get me an interview with their boss, but said that he's not always in the office that I would be going to & he is very busy.

After about 2 weeks from the original call, I sent the hiring officer an email asking if I should be expecting something soon or if the interest was dropped, which is fine if so. However she said he is just very busy and that I should hear something soon. Another 2 weeks has passed since this conversation.

I'm not in any rush to change jobs, so it's not like I'm desperate to hear back, I just wondered the opinion to contact again? It feels to me like they are being very unprofessional, especially considering it's a big company and a position they advertised for.

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    If you aren't in a hurry, just wait. If you think they are being very unprofessional, then you wouldn't want to work there anyway.
    – WorkerDrone
    Oct 3, 2016 at 11:36
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    If you're in no rush to change job what do you want to achieve by contacting them again? They seem in no great rush to interview for the position and will contact you (or not) when they want to. I don't see you gain much by ringing up to tell them they're unprofessional all that might happen is the decide to remove you from consideration. It seems unlikely your thoughts will change the hiring practice of a large company.
    – Dustybin80
    Oct 3, 2016 at 12:02
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    @gardni - petty urges probably won't help your job search. And if you think they are this unprofessional, why do you think they care about your opinion? BTW are you and Adam the same person?
    – WorkerDrone
    Oct 3, 2016 at 12:45
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    @gardni this tends to be a thing when company isn't doing well and try to save it's 4 letters by restructuring itself and such which creates an awful mess. Maybe they aren't doing so well financially? Or maybe they're just unprofessional. You know the situation better. But if you feel like it takes too long and/or they don't respect your time, you should probably look for another offer. This might save you from working with terrible management.
    – RoughTomato
    Oct 3, 2016 at 13:10
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    @gardni In my experience the larger the company the slower than can be with this sort of thing. Most likely your complaint would either stop at a jaded HR person or escalate no further than the hiring manager who might himself be fighting bureaucracy to progress things. The point being you're unlikely to achieve more than put someones nose out of joint. I don't think being slow is always a sign that a company is terrible but it is food for thought when deciding to move to them.
    – Dustybin80
    Oct 3, 2016 at 14:02

3 Answers 3

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I'm not in any rush to change jobs, so it's not like I'm desperate to hear back

Keep them in the loop by doing a regular ping, but keep looking.

There could be a hundred reasons why they can't interview you, maybe as they sound they are busy (which could be a good or bad thing), maybe just disorganised.

Maybe they are waiting for someone else to leave or be promoted, or (has happened to me as a hiring manager) they haven't got the boss x levels up to sign off on the hiring budget yet, so they can't move just yet.

But don't pin your hopes on this one, keep it bubbling with regular pings (drop a line once a week just to show you're still interested), and keep looking.

Sometimes interest from another will stir them into action.

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TL;DR: call him. Keep calling if you are interested.

Like everyone else, hiring officers vary in their efficiency. Some are great and take care of candidates in good time. Others not as good. This is frustrating for both candidates and hiring managers. This doesn't necessarily mean that you would had a bad experience at the company if you were hired.

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After about 2 weeks from the original call, I sent the hiring officer an email...

Another 2 weeks has passed since this conversation.

This could be a case where they are trying to "keep you warm," in the sense that they like you, don't have a specific spot for you yet, but want to maintain your interest and availability as long as possible.

I just wondered the opinion to contact again?

You can follow up, but here are some possible scenarios from their side:

  • they have already filled the original position, but may have something later
  • the need for the position fell through
  • that they don't have a position yet
  • they don't have funding for the position anymore, or won't have it until next quarter/year

In each of these cases there's no set timeline when/if any of these might be resolved.

So continuing to contact them is fine, but I would not expect a guaranteed resolution any time soon.

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    "This could be a case where they are trying to "keep you warm," in the sense that they like you, don't have a specific spot for you yet, but want to maintain your interest and availability as long as possible." ...That can be flattering but not always practical. You made an important point nonetheless.
    – SaltySub2
    Aug 15, 2018 at 8:00

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