At the end of the third job interview, the hiring manager told Helene, "Congratulations, I'm going to recommend you for the position. Expect a call from HR." Helene breathed a sigh of relief because her job search of six months was finally over.
Helene never received the call. Dumbfounded, she accepted another job offer, even though Company A was her first choice. You can visit here http://www.mittelstandskarriere.de/ to get an idea about the job offers.
Unfortunately, this happens to many jobseekers. They are offered the position by the interviewer and they never hear from HR or it takes months before a firm offer is made. The reasons range from an unexpected hiring freeze to a bad reference.
But there are steps to minimize the risk of being hung out to dry.
An easy and often neglected step is to find out what comes next after each interview. Establishing the next step gives you some control over the hiring process, and helps avoid the guessing game. Make it a point to leave each interview with a clear understanding of what you're supposed to do and what the hiring manager is supposed to do.
In Helene's case, she could've asked for a specific day to expect HR's call and what she should do if the call never materializes. Armed with this information, she would've been better prepared to manage the silence.
As a double armor, she also could've emailed a follow-up letter thanking the interviewer for the job offer and mentioned she was looking forward to hearing from the HR department.
