Staying in touch after interview follow-up

techfiend

I had a second face to face interview earlier this week and things are going good. I followed up with a thank you email and they replied with a great message and near the end they wrote 'stay in touch'. After a few days I was thinking about staying in touch with an email but I'm unsure of what to say. Some things I've thought of:

a. hope the remaining interviews went well, just not as well as mine
b. ask when the process might proceed to the next step
c. ask to be notified even if not the choice
d. be overly confident and write like I already have the position

What would you suggest?

Justin-

Hi techfiend. I had a similar experience where after firing off a thank you email, the employer also said to 'stay in touch'. I personally would avoid sending an email right now to them. I think to 'stay in touch' means that they would like to communicate with you in regards to other possible openings that you are qualified for. It's good that you sent off a thank you email because normally a lot of candidates for a job opening never do that.

techfiend

Do you mean the 'stay in touch' may have meant I wasn't the choice but I might be for another opening in the future?

They did write this the same day I interviewed and sent in the thank you email. They also said I did great and interviews would conclude in a couple days (2 days ago). Then they'll go through the process of deciding and offers. My communication goes through the company recruiter, who performed the phone screening. The interviewer's, first HR F2F, then lab with network architect, I don't have their emails and when asked they preferred I communicate through the recruiter which is kind of odd.

networker050184

If it's only been a few days then I'd just wait it out. Maybe by a week or so shoot them an email checking in and ask what the next steps are.

techfiend

It's my impatience that's getting to me. I kind of put other things on hold while I was dealing with this position even if it's not the best pay it's the experience I want to get at this time. It's only been four days but this is the longest stretch of time we have been without contact since the process began three weeks ago.

Justin-

Hi techfiend, when the interviewer replied back with a 'stay in touch' comment, that can mean either. Today is Friday, so they won't be getting back to you tomorrow anyways (not a business day). If they are conducting more interviews that you mentioned (2 days ago), then they may still be deciding who to hire. If you are still pushing to email the recruiter, I would do it on Monday. That'll be about a week's time in total.

I would try to mention again that you are thankful for them allowing you the opportunity to interview and that you learned a lot about company X. Just confirm with them when you will hear back regarding the next step in the process. I also did this when I had 2 job interviews and 1 offered the job right away and I heard back quite late from the second company. Luckily I waited it out though.

Good luck.

OctalDump

"Stay in touch" Hmmm... that's an odd thing to say. I would have thought that they would be contacting you to let you know if you got the job or not.

Saying "stay in touch" is them asking you to make the next contact. I think you could read too much into it. It might have just been a slip. It does sound positive in that they seem to want to continue the relationship, that they think you are good for something.

Me, I'd wait to hear from them or ask when they will be making a decision, and then take it from there. Once you are out of limbo of not knowing if you have the job or not, I think it might flow a bit more naturally.

TechGuru80

networker050184 wrote: »

If it's only been a few days then I'd just wait it out. Maybe by a week or so shoot them an email checking in and ask what the next steps are.

Concur...wait like a week and see if you hear anything. Depending on the company, the process can be lengthy so give them some room to breathe.

TheFORCE

Following up on interviews is overrated! All the positions that i was hired for i never had to follow up. When i did follow up, there was no response from the other party. Following up to me just shows lack of confidence and basically screams "I want the job, and i'm trying to get an edge" which is not bad, but it shows desperation. If they want you they will call you, i dont think a follow up gives you an advantage, it just shows that you are polite. It might work for low level positions but the mid-level and up positions, if you cannot do the job or are not meeting the qualifications, no matter what follow up you send, chances are you will not get the job.

Besides, it would suck and feel worse having followed up and then received an email saying they went with someone else.

scaredoftests

Follow up on Monday. It doesn't hurt and shows that you are interested. After that, the ball is in their court. You should also still send out those resumes. In addition, don't worry if you don't hear anything in the next week, it is the holidays, so, you probably won't hear anything until Nov. 30.

TechGuru80

Following up shows a lack of confidence? Haha that is hilarious. More like unwilling to follow up shows fear of not being selected or given feedback. I would rather hire somebody who really wants the job instead of somebody who lacks the drive and "just quits". Everytime you interview you should try to get feedback...positive or negative. The feedback is what helps you improve for next time...especially if you don't get the job.

From an employer pov...if you don't want candidates following up it shows you might lack a backbone and the ability to give tangible facts why you didn't pick somebody. You should always be able to defend a decision...not that you need specifics about the selected candidate to people who weren't selected but you better be able to explain why somebody wasn't selected.

techfiend

The email before that the company recruiter asked if I had other offers. I responded with nothing pending but I'll keep them informed. Then they left a voicemail saying I did good and they were interested and interviews conclude on (last) Wednesday then they'll go through the decision and offers and to stay in touch. Maybe they only wanted to hear from me if I had other offers?

With the short week coming I think I'll wait until the Monday or Tuesday after to contact them if I haven't heard back. They're probably more focused on holiday plans then hiring someone at the moment. They aren't moving all that fast as I applied over a month ago. I'll thank them again and express my interest and ask when the process might advance. I don't want to be forgotten but I also don't want to be a hassle.

scaredoftests

Hang in there!!

NetworkingStudent

I found some tips here:
What to Say When Following Up on a Job Interview - US News

From the website:
Now, if you didn't think to ask for a timeline in your interview, you can still send a similar email. Wait about two weeks from your interview before checking in, and write something like this:

"Hi Jane, I wanted to touch base with you about the Communications Manager position. I'm still very interested in the role. Do you have a timeline you can share for the next steps in the hiring process?"

Note in both these examples that you're not simply asking for an update on how the search is going. That's because doing so isn't as likely to produce the information you're really interested in, and it's also easier to ignore, especially if the hiring manager doesn't have anything definite to share yet. You're also not just asking, "Did I get the job?" (After all, if they've decided to offer you the job, you'll know – because you'll be contacted with an offer.) Instead, you're asking for something quick and easy to provide, and something that will give you a better sense of what to expect next: an updated timeline.

Other things to remember when writing your follow-up note:

techfiend

Thanks I will use something like that. Another thing is I wasn't sure how to ask directly without pushing or feeling desperate.

scaredoftests

Also should ask 'What is next or how long will the process be? during the interview.

techfiend

I sent an email today, found out I was a runner up but the offer was given to someone else. Oh well, it would have been a great opportunity to gain some nice Cisco experience. This was 1 of 2 network positions in the past few months that doesn't require 5+ years of experience. Must be an overabundance of network engineers around here. I'll pick myself up and try to find other interesting positions while I remain stagnant at my current position.

scaredoftests

Aww. I am sorry to hear that. You have a good attitude. You will find something.

OctalDump

techfiend wrote: »

I sent an email today, found out I was a runner up but the offer was given to someone else. Oh well, it would have been a great opportunity to gain some nice Cisco experience. This was 1 of 2 network positions in the past few months that doesn't require 5+ years of experience. Must be an overabundance of network engineers around here. I'll pick myself up and try to find other interesting positions while I remain stagnant at my current position.

Well, if you were runner up it probably means they would hire you if they had the opening. I guess that's why "stay in touch". Do you know what it was that made the difference? Because that could be an idea where to focus your efforts.

It's probably the most positive "no" you can hope for

techfiend

It came down to technical ability, it was an interesting lab where you setup a network with various protocols and it was allowed to look online. I figured I'd use it as a test and get done what I could without looking online, which was about 90% of it. One thing I forgot was how to reset passwords, I knew 2142 and 2102 but I forgot how to get into rommon. I didn't get that switch configured but I was just getting back to look it up online when it ended. I was supposed to have a face to face first then the lab but they were switched on me, which added some stress. I'll keep my eyes open at that place, they seem to have interesting openings every few months and this is the second position I've applied for, first set of interviews.

Meanwhile I have to find an admin in a more complex environment or a low level engineer position that will take a chance on someone with only one year of corporate experience. Currently, after architecting a new system I'm engineering most of the infrastructure in a lab during downtime at my current position. Learning a lot and hopefully it pays off soon I already know it won't in my current position. I've already been told I'm way too ambitious for the company.

I also have to figure out which cert to pursue next, I was getting going on CCNP switch using the OCG until I got this news. Now a CCNP with no experience seems a bit strange so I'm thinking of pursuing either VCP, MCSE or continuing on with a masters at WGU since I should be graduating any day now.

EDIT: 5 seconds after I posted this I got the email that my capstone is completed, new graduate, yay!