You recently had a job interview and walked out feeling pretty good about it. You seem like the perfect fit for the position, you clicked really well with the interviewing team and they said you’d be hearing from them very soon. But then you don’t.
After a week or so, you’re probably wondering if that offer is going to come—and when. You might even decide to take another job because you can’t keep waiting. Why does it take so long for some companies to make a job offer?
Believe it or not, employers take an average of 24 business days—in other words, 5 weeks—after an interview to extend an offer. Here are the five most common reasons for such delays:
They’re Not Quite Ready
Maybe the position is a newly created role and they want to make sure they’ve covered all the bases before filling it. They may just have been testing the waters to see what kind of talent is out there. And they may be holding out on making a decision until the job has been open for a certain amount of time.
The Decisionmakers Are Out of the Office
Unfortunately, hiring speed can be affected by vacations, seminars, out-of-town meetings or other business travel. Usually there are several people involved in hiring decisions, and if they’re not all around to sign off, the process could take awhile.
The Budget Is Up In the Air
It may come down to money. Each department’s budget dictates whether they can hire new people and how much they can pay those new hires. If there was a change to the budget, that can hold up the process. Or, the hiring manager may be trying to shuffle the numbers so they can afford to hire you, and that can take time.
The Position Is On Hold
Somebody else may have been offered the position first, possibly an internal candidate. If this is the case, the hiring manager may be waiting to see if that candidate accepts the offer, and negotiations with that individual might be taking some time. But the employer won’t let you know the position has been filled until it’s been formalized.
The Position No Longer Exists.
Unfortunately, between department reorganizations, budget issues or other internal changes, sometimes the position you interviewed for may be eliminated without warning. And if the internal changes are major, it may take the interviewer a long time to get things settled on his end before he can deliver the bad news.
Yes, it’s frustrating and stressful to have to wait. Just remind yourself it’s probably nothing you did, or didn’t do—it’s just the way things are.
If you’d rather not go through this type of aggravation, why not sign up with Synerfac? We send you to great jobs with great clients—one of whom might hire you with no waiting! To learn more about our great career opportunities, contact us today!