Waiting to hear back from a job interview can be excruciating, but there are ways to alleviate difficult feelings. Sometimes impatience while waiting for a job offer can lead professionals to make unwise decisions. Read on to discover what you should and shouldn't do while waiting for an answer about a possible job offer.
Follow up.
To help alleviate some of the uneasiness of job offer anxiety, ask the hiring manager in your initial conversation what their typical hiring process is and how long it may take. Ask if, when and how you can follow up with them. That way, you have a plan to follow up and you won't be left wondering.
Add a reminder to follow up with the hiring manager on your calendar, phone or computer. When you do follow up, ask if there is an update, if there is any other information you can provide for them and if there are any other questions you can answer for them.
Don't be aggressive.
According to Indeed, job applicants wait up to two weeks to hear back from a prospective employer. Having to wait makes most people impatient, but resist the temptation to get aggressive with the hiring manager. This will not contribute positively to your professional image and could actually harm your chances of landing the job.
If they did not give you a specific time frame of when to follow up with them, you can check in by phone or email one week after your interview to ask about the status of the position. However, do not contact the hiring manager repeatedly.
Notify your references.
You should notify each reference you provided to the hiring manager that you gave their information. Explain what the position entails so they know what they should speak about if they are contacted. Their recommendation will sound that much more professional and relevant if you have prepared them and they know what they need to tell the prospective employer about you.
Update your voicemail.
Make sure that your voicemail message sounds professional so that if you miss a call from the hiring manager, your message will leave a good impression. Make sure that it sounds upbeat and confident. Ask someone you trust to listen to it and give you feedback.
Don't lie about job offers.
Do not lie to the hiring manager and allude to having another job offer if you don't have one. A hiring manager can easily call your bluff, either by researching the company where you supposedly have a job offer or by contacting recruiters they work with. The only impression this will leave is that you are not an honest professional, and this will not help you get a job offer. On the contrary, a hiring manager will not hire someone they feel they can't trust.