Thought interview went well.. feeling bummed

[Khtchkn]

So I’ve been made redundant after my maternity leave ended in March. My son starts nursery in August and I’ve been looking for jobs the past 2 weeks. I had a job interview this time last week for an assistant accountant role and I thought it went really well, it lasted for 1hr, they were really selling the company. A day later the person who was doing the interview emailed me and asked me a few more questions such as; when am I available to work, to send proof of my qualifications, what’s my expected salary, give 2 references from my previous job so they can talk to them etc.. I replied back, and the 2 ppl who I asked for my references told me they gave excellent reviews about me.. that was last Friday. I haven’t heard anything since! Last time I spoke to the ppl interviewing me said the process would be second interviews this week and they would make a decision by this Friday. I think it’s pretty obvious they’re not going to contact me as it’s been 7 days and second interviews should’ve started by now. I just feel so bummed, I haven’t had a job for over a year and I was looking forward to getting back to a routine and having some sort of life!!! And it’s also frustrating to not know what went wrong as they didn’t even call to let me know I didn’t get the job or give any feedback to where I went wrong.. I’m thinking is it bcos I have a 1 year old? For any of you searching for jobs during these uncertain times, how easy was it to find a job? ESP part time I think it’s not that easy to find.. just want to have a moan!!

Have you emailed to follow up?

Don't panic. Pop them an email and ask. They may have just got behind with the recruiting process. It happens!

They might still get back to you, I would send an email chaser and see what they say.

I know it’s hard not to think the worst but I’d bet that it’s just that the timescale has slipped. I’ve been involved in lots of recruiting and timescales are usually hopelessly optimistic. Someone who’s on the board is sick, or on leave, or has childcare issues. The HR IT system has gone down. The ceiling in the meeting room has collapsed. (All these are real reasons for interviews or decisions have been postponed where I am). Or there’s a question about budget. And so on, and so on.

Unless you’ve been told you have t got it, I’d say it’s too soon to give up on it. But it’s still wise to move on in your search, and that way if this does progress it’ll be a nice surprise.

Email them and ask. You've got nothing to lose.

Hmm. Firstly for you OP. I've also been made redundant and had the stress of finding a new job during these very strange times.

I can remember very well going for several interviews upon returning to work from mat leave that I thought went well, to get a flat no and no further feedback. Previous to this I've almost been offered every job I've gone for, so it was very frustrating and I did start to wonder if it was 'the baby'

I suspect that having such a small baby is unfortunately a reason employers may not select you for a role. They're thinking you'll want lots of time off, flexible working and so on. Whilst their thinking is highly questionable I believe this attitude does exist and it's very frustrating.

DH also had the same experience, great interview, met the team, tour of the office then nothing.

You can either not mention baby until you've been offered the job, or be completely up front and honest. Eventually I was offered a role with a boss who also had two small kids so was more empathetic, and also understood that my skillset and experience far outweighed occasional family emergencies and flexible working.

Keep trying OP. You'll get there in the end. If they turn you down for this reason then they're likely to be dicks to work for going forward in any event..

Email them. I reckon they haven’t done/got back the references for all candidates now.

Don’t panic!

I'd just drop them an email. Reiterate that you very much enjoyed learning more about the role, that you're keen to progress things and that you hope to hear from them soon.

not quite in the same boat, but have had 2 knockbacks in the last month or so.

one was a very speculative application, so that was fine.
second and most recent - had a teams interview and face to face 2nd interview - both went really well.

feedback was that although they could see i would be great for the role, they were concerned i would get bored quickly and i wouldn't have enough new/different things to do to keep me interested!

am still not really sure what to do with that!

onwards and upwards OP!

Get in touch and ask for feedback on your interview.
Say you really enjoyed the process and they sound like a great company to work for so you're keen to know what more you need to do to be a better prospect for them.
I reckon they've just let their timetable slip.

Send a happy email. From interview to job offer and staring work for me was about 5 months so I wouldn’t give in just yet!

If it was because of your child then they probably wouldn't have asked for salary and references etc.

They're probably just running behind. But for the future, do you need to mention that you have a child? If you've been made redundant, surely there isn't any need to mention maternity leave.

Op have you not emailed and asked and also asked for feedback?

It's not over til the fat lady sings! - I think you should bide your time, or email, but either way don't give up yet.

I was interviewing last week - every single candidate would have been ideal for the job and you could not put a hair between any of them. It was a nightmare trying to make a decision. I guess what I am saying is that even if you do not get the job, do not feel that you are in some way wanting.

They checked references before an offer? I think that's odd why do that if no interest in second interview either?

@Bluntness100

Op have you not emailed and asked and also asked for feedback?

But you would not ask for feedback until you had been told you were unsuccessful.

I had an interview which I thought went really well, but I knew there was an interval candidate and someone from a rival firm also due to be interviewed.

I was told that the next stage was a second interview with the director. I didn't hear for a while so assumed it had gone to one of the others.

No, I was offered the job without a second interview!

It really sounds promising for you. Fingers crossed!

Oh wow- thanks everyone for all the replies and kind words! I haven’t emailed them yet.. I’m not sure if I should as I’m worried it will be a bit too pushy! (This really is like dating! Lol) I will wait till this Friday (when they said it would be decided by then), and if I don’t hear anything then I’ll just accept it and move on 😞

@maxbabi- exactly!! Why would they email me AFTER my interview, ask what day I could start, salary expectation AND 2x references to speak to! even after the 2x ex co workers told me they made sure they gave great feedback, I still haven’t heard from the company! They should’ve spoken to my 2x ex co workers after my second interview/final decision - I feel like it was a waste of their time. 😤

@AdoptAdaptImprove you are right.. one of my ex coworker who gave my references said they asked what previous salary I was on and then said the only issue they had was their budget... however I requested £2k under their maximum salary offer 🤷🏻‍♀️ I just don’t know.. It is a small company (15x ppl in the London office) and it’s just the manager and director that’s making the decision so I don’t see why it would take so long 😓..

@Treacletoots you are so right about wether I should or shouldnt say I have a 1 year old. I’m close friends with my previous coworker who’s head of HR and she told me before I had my interview to definitely not say I have a baby, but I did as I’m completely honest. Also they advertised for part time flexible working hours so I thought it would’ve been fine. in the future when I have an interview and get asked “why do you want to work part time 4 days a week” I don’t know what to say to that! I Must think of something!

Definitely email them and they shouldn’t be asking for references until they’ve made an offer to you. It may be the case that they’ve decided not to do a second interview as they really liked you and you did well.

You can't be too pushy! I've got two jobs where I thought I had been turned down, off the back of asking for feedback.

But you would not ask for feedback until you had been told you were unsuccessful

Of course you would.

Dear x

Many thanks for your time at my interview, it was lovely to meet you. I was very excited about the prospect of working for your organisation and enthused by your approach. It would be great if you could give me some feedback on your thoughts on my suitability and where you are in selecting candidates for the next round.

Looking forward to hopefully meeting you again and thank you

Op.

i’m with you op, i think the email is a bit pushy the interview is where you sell yourself really.

sounds like you have it though.

accountant here also, good luck!

think it’s pretty obvious they’re not going to contact me as it’s been 7 days and second interviews should’ve started by now.

it honestly doesn't mean anything, one way or another. You can't assume anything when you are looking for a job. People are busy, people get sick, things happen at work and there are sudden things to deal with before finishing the recruitment process.

The rule is to keep looking until you have been given a firm offer! It takes your mind off things, and it's a good thing not to be desperate. 2 days late in getting back to people is nothing.

Always remember that when a company tries to employ someone, they need a spare set of hands for a reason!

Honestly drop them an email. Everything is so all over the place at the moment that this sort of thing slips. Don’t panic.