Don’t Make These Mistakes While You’re Waiting to Hear Back From a Recruiter
Waiting to hear whether or not you’re getting a job offer can be agonizing. Time seems to stand still. You jump every time the phone rings or you get an email alert on your phone. The waiting game can cause stress and anxiety, but don’t let those feelings take hold and drive you to take actions that could actually harm your chances of getting the offer. Here are mistakes most job seekers are tempted to make while they wait, but you should never do.
Checking In Obsessively
If you were told you’d hear in a week, be patient and wait that full week without giving in to your overwhelming desire to ask where things stand. If you don’t hear back by the date you were given, wait another 24 hours and then check in. Once you make that check-in, try and stay patient again. If you email and call every day, you won’t look persistent; you’ll just be a nuisance.
Be careful not to call the recruiter and hang up if you get her desk voicemail. Most office phones have caller ID and even if she doesn’t have a message from you, she’ll see that you called multiple times in her missed call log, and that can be just as off-putting as if you’d gotten through each time.
Bluffing A Second Offer
If you do have another offer you need to respond to, is it absolutely appropriate to reach out and tell the recruiter that you are now operating under a time constraint. However, some people think that by bluffing and saying they have an offer that doesn’t exist, they can speed up the decision-making process.
Bluffing is a dangerous game. Employment decisions often move slowly, and most companies won’t speed up their process just for one candidate. Odds are high that the recruiter will tell you that they will remove you from consideration to free you up for that second offer.
Stopping The Search
No matter how well you did in your interview, no matter how much you think you are the frontrunner, and no matter how positive your recruiter’s feedback, don’t assume you’re going to get the offer. You never know what could happen. A decision-maker behind the scenes could throw a wrench in the works, the CEO’s son might need a job, hiring budgets might suddenly freeze, etc.
There are many reasons why you might not get the offer so until you have that offer in writing, don’t stop searching for other jobs. If you end up losing out on the position, you’ll have wasted weeks with no activity, and you’ll have to build momentum all over again.
If you are an experienced IT professional looking to take the next step in your career, partner with the tech recruiting experts at Talon today. Contact us to learn more about our track record and our commitment to your success – we promise to keep you in the loop every step of the way.
