Interview Etiquette?

[rachelh]

Does anyone know what the proper "interview etiquette" is for a situation like this?

I had an interview on Thursday. The people interviewing told me they have another person coming in on Friday, want to see how it goes and will be in touch Monday afternoon. Of course I did'nt hear back and I have another job offer that I have to give an answer to today. I would really much rather take the first job - assuming I can negotiate with them a little.

Normally, after an interview you only get a call back if they are interested but I thought the interview went really really well and they said they will be in touch on Monday.

Can I call them "just following up because I have another offer that I need to give an answer to today"?

[KBecks]

Is it a smaller organization? All kinds of things can come up that they could be distracted and busy with. I think it's perfectly fine to give them a call to follow up.

[rachelh]

Thanks Karen!

Very small organization.

I just called...:thumbsdown:

The recptionist asked for my name, puts me on hold, comes back to ask what its in reference to, and then i get the womans voicemail. It was obvious she went back to the woman and the woman said "just put her to my voicemail."

That can't be good! I left her a message and was so nervous since I didn't have anything planned to say and I sounded like a disaster which makes it even worse!

[KBecks]

Oh don't count yourself out just yet. The person you were calling might have been in a meeting or using the restroom or something. It doesn't necessarily mean you were bumped to voicemail as an avoidance tactic.

Best of luck! I hope you get a return call from them soon.

[JustMe]

I agree that being put to the voicemail doesn't mean that you would not get the job. Its incredible how many things people are juggling, and she may have other priorities regardless of whether she is considering you or not. There also may be some delay and she may feel that she doesnt want to talk to you until it is resolved.

Did you say on the voicemail that you have an offer and need to give them an answer? If not, I would call back and leave the message on her voicemail. If you are sure you would take this job if offered, I would say that as well.

I understand not wanting to be a nag (and I certainly understand not wanting to be turned down!), but in my experience showing that you really want the job by calling and letting them know that works in your favor not against.

Good luck!

[dhano923]

I'm the HR Manager as well as the Controller for our company. Don't think that being put to voicemail means you're no longer in the running. I have a very busy schedule, so I tend to send a lot of calls to voicemail, then I check the messages while I eat lunch, or when the rest of my staff has left and I can breathe a little.

From an HR perspective, it's possible they got some last minute interviewees in, or that the first person called and asked to reschedule. They could be doing a second round of interviews to make sure they are picking the right person.

[rachelh]

Thanks for the advice.

I actually did let her know in the voicemail that I have another offer I need to give an answer on today. I left a message for her about 11AM and no call back the whole day.

She also specifically told me she only was interviewing the two people who took the initiative and followed up with her after sending in their resume because the market is flooded with people now and she just doesnt have time. I am trying to think where I went wrong with this interview - maybe I was too friendly?? Is that possible?? They volunteered so much info to me -spoke about their kids, their dogs...

Anyways, I really cant hold off any longer so I will just take the job offer I got and hopefully have some type of agreement that gives me an out after two weeks if I find something better.

[dhano923]

It's definitely possible to be too friendly. I look for employees who are friendly, but don't over do it ie. they don't know when too much is enough. I've gone through many an interview where the applicant has told me than than I needed to or wanted to know. Oftentimes, people who talk too much in interviews tend to talk too much while at work too. When you say you were too friendly, I'm not sure what you mean, but if you talked a lot, or told them too much about your personal life, that could have worked against you.

I also wouldn't have mentioned the other position. They may be thinking "well, we can knock her out of the top 2 since she seems to interested in working elsewhere". A simple voicemail saying "Hi this is Rachel X. I interviewed with you on Friday, and was calling to see if you had made your decision yet since you mentioned you should know by Monday. I'm available for a second interview if need be. I can be reached at 999-1212. Thank you once again for your time and consideration."

This is nothing personal against you -- I'm just giving an HR point of view. For me, a "good" applicant would be someone who has a firm handshake, dressed well for the interview, answers my questions direct and to the point (it drives me nuts when I ask someone "what can you offer our company as an employee?" and they give me a 5 minute long speech after which I still don't know what they can offer me) and gives me a follow-up call and/or sends me an email/note (this earns extra credit with me).

BTW, you mentioned they discussed their kids and pets. Did you also do the same? It's illegal for them to ask you about marital status, kids, etc but if you volunteer that information, that's ok. It's possible they were trying to get that info from you without asking you directly.