How long should I wait after an interview?
Joe Homan gives great advice here, and I’ll just add to it with a few additional insights.What’s happening at the employer, while you’re waiting? Why is there a delay, at all?Sometimes it’s hard to get everyone who interviewed you back together to share their thoughts about meeting you. Usually that should happen within 48 hours of your interview, but sometimes it takes over a week to reconvene everyone. They need to meet as a team to reach a decision, often—so that might be one reason there’s a wait.You might be the first person they’re meeting. Almost no hiring manager makes a hiring decision with just one interview. It could be weeks before they identify another equally qualified candidate to compare you to—and even though they might risk losing your candidacy to another company, hiring managers seem willing to take that risk. It could be weeks!You might be part of a several interviews for several candidates over several days. If so, they probably won’t offer you feedback or a decision until all of those interviews are done. That could be several days—or longer.You could be a “silver-medalist,” and they’re extending an offer to the “gold-medalist,” but keeping your candidacy in the wings, in case that offer goes bust (wow, that was a lot of metaphors!). It takes time to extend an offer, negotiate it, try to rescue it, and then come around to you. Days or even weeks.The position might be being reconsidered. Maybe they don’t need this position any more. Maybe they’re changing some of the specs. Who knows? This is rare, but happens.Someone on the hiring team is on vacation, ill, traveling, or something else.As a general rule, email your “Thank You” email the night of your interview. Then, follow up with the recruiter once a week, each week following your interview. Show them your interest, and keep in the front of the recruiter’s mind.It’s also been my experience that if you’re a great fit, they’ll give you some words of encouragement, and they’ll stay close-or act immediately. If they’re not keeping close to you, the odds of your getting the job diminish. I’d start putting your effort into other roles.