I recently had a conversation with a close friend who was involved in a lengthy job search.  At the time, it had been two weeks since his first interview and he had not heard back about his status.   Hearing this, a few more of our friends began to rant about how frustrating it is to wait to hear back from employers.  Obviously, I recommended that my friend call and follow up on the job himself.   However, he had a right to be frustrated.  Employers should follow up with candidates post-interview, or at least tell them what to expect in the following days or weeks.

Although it may not be a requirement, candidate follow-up is common courtesy.  Many employers may contend that they don’t follow up because they don’t know how long the process will actually take.  And while this is often true, we at Safari Solutions have found that any news is better than none.  This means it is better to call a candidate after a week and tell them that you do not have an answer for them, rather than not calling at all.  Often times, the candidate simply wants to hear whether they are still being considered or not.  If you know that you are going to pass on a particular candidate, it is best to let them know right away.  Furthermore, waiting too long for follow up is very risky, as you take the chance of losing qualified candidates the longer you wait. 

The best solution is to give the candidate a rough timeline during your interview.  Tell them that while you do not know how long the process will take, you will call them within a couple of weeks to keep them updated. And be sure to call.  Also, encourage the candidates to contact you if they are wondering about their status.  While it may seem like more work for you, your candidates will appreciate the extra time and effort.