Ten Reasons The Interview Process Can Take So Darn Long

iStockphoto.com / Dmytro Lastovych

iStockphoto.com / Dmytro Lastovych

 

You interviewed for the job weeks ago, and you still haven't received a definitive answer – welcome to the world of corporate bureaucracy. Here are 10 reasons the interview process can take so darn long:

  1. Company protocols dictate that the team interview at least five candidates. Although you're the most qualified, interviews continue.
     

  2. The team is expecting a particular highly-qualified internal candidate to apply. But the internal candidate hasn't decided whether to apply.
     

  3. After defining the requirements for the job, the team started interviewing and a new project came up. They're rethinking the job specifications.
     

  4. Decisions simply move slowly at the company.
     

  5. Your hiring manager contracted mononucleosis just after your interview. He's convalescing at home.
     

  6. While all the candidates they've met have had the technical skills for the role, the hiring manager is, "just not feeling it."
     

  7. The CEO has decided to take a "special interest" in the role.
     

  8. The interview team is split - half of them loved you, the other half wish you the mumps. The hiring manager is trying to build consensus.
     

  9. The company is distracted with new and changing priorities, so they're not sure that hiring is the priority at the moment.
     

  10. They can't decide between you and another candidate. You've accepted another job.


Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.