At the beginning of this year I applied to a company that I am well networked with and in the same industry, pretty much a shoe in. However, I was not offered the position, rather they flat out ghosted me with no responses to my follow ups.

Fast forward a few months later and the founder reaches out about a new role they think I would be a good fit for. Over a period of about 8 weeks we have various calls and meetings, essentially making sure the role is the right fit for both parties.

Three weeks ago we meet, I say I am all in, they shake my hand indicating there will be a formal offer within the week, if not the following. 3 days later I get an email from HR to consent to a background check. The next day, Friday, I get an email from them indicating my "offer letter is delayed" due to my "background processing taking longer than expected, but expect to have it completed early next week."

There is nothing on my background check, I literally just got my LTC.

Nothing happens early the next week, I follow up at the end of the week and get no reply. I reach out again, 2 weeks now from the handshake, and get another excuse about traveling and meetings and that they need "additional time to reconnect with the leadership team."

It has now been three full weeks, what do I do at this point? Continue to follow up or write them off?

That sucks. I probably wouldn't reach back out, but who knows. Is it a well known company or a mom and pop type? I know where i work it takes forever to hire someone now, but that is more of a process of the HR system. I would at least be in contact with the people we intended to hire as to not lose them.

Smaller company, startup, but established.

Unless you are flown in for an onsite, I wouldn't expect to hear anything from anyone unless it is an offer.

If you do, great but don't expect it.

I had a similar experience earlier in the year. Was told to expect someone to reach out in a couple of days, at most - nothing.

6 months later, they reached out, and things moved fast at that point. Turns out, they had a higher up leave them, and they wanted to make sure that whoever they brought on board had a chance to talk to candidates.

Point being, things happen that aren't predictable. Something like that could have happened.

I would let them reach out to you, at this point though, as you have made multiple efforts to do so.

You wouldn't expect anything even after an in person (final) interview? That's surprising to me.

Normal activity. I applied for a job with a university (not A&M) and went through four in-person interviews and two phone-interviews and then never heard anything until someone I interviewed with accidentally included me on an email about a random golf cart months later. I emailed back and said I was accidentally privy to the email and still didn't hear anything.

With the job market the way it is, employers don't have to be polite or treat you like a human being. Just how it is. Dont take it personally.

Your background check isn't just criminal. Are you sure there's not a hiccup somewhere on there? A supplier of ours was trying to hire an admin and the background check came back and said she didn't graduate college but she put it on the app. Turns out she graduated in the 70s from UH but there was some kind of clerical error. It held her up from being hired for a couple of months while she had to physically go there and get it cleared up.

The good news is that they are at least replying to you (even if it just means more time).

• They could be close to closing an acquisition (or being acquired)
• They could have had a major customer go to a competitor and they may not be able to afford you
• The internal team could have pitched a fit and said they wanted a shot at the job
• Another candidate could have come in at the last second and they want to process them through ASAP to offer a fuller comparison (especially if you were one of the first into the process)
• They could have a major shakeup on the leadership team and they don't want to bring you on until that has been straightened out
• You may be making more money than they really want to stend

Could be any number of options. All you can do is check in occasionally and keep an eye out for any news releases or anything that gives you a reason to follow up w/ them. (see if they have added any new openings on their website as well - especially if it's adjacent functionally to what you interviewed for)

All valid points, just wish there was more courteous communication if it is delayed for any "valid" reason.

The fact they shook my hand and said there would be an offer and that they apologized for it not being sent the same week is what has thrown me off. The only communication since then was the vague response after I emailed them twice.

Totally agreed, it's odd behavior; but, just know that sometimes it doesn't mean that offer isn't coming. Hoping that it works out for you! Are there any behind the scenes connections that can gather some insight for you?

I still get rejection emails for jobs I applied and interviewed for two years ago.

Seriously. LOL.

MouthBQ98 said:

---

Seems rude and impersonal and unprofessional and lazy but that's just me.

---

It is but what do they care?

Plot twist, I have an interview Friday with another company in the same building. Wonder if I will run into them.

As someone who works in HR, I have seen this situation play out over and over again. That's why I'm very careful not to promise or guarantee anyone an offer because things can change on a daily basis.

A number of things can go south after a candidate has been selected for an offer: New management comes in and wants to put the opening on hold, new management wants to bring in their own person, company is going through a re-org, layoffs, scope of work has changed for the role, hiring manager gets cold feet, high potential internal candidate applies late in the process etc.

Sorry you have to experience this. But never count on an offer until you see it in writing, have cleared new hire screening, and have a start date confirmed. So many things can go wrong.

Sorry you are going through all that. I think that is just the way companies handle things now a days. For me, I would be cautious about the job. If a company can not figure out when and if they are going hire some one then they probably are not a good fit.

I have worked for the same company for the last 17 years and our company is getting that way. Having management that can't make the right decisions for over managing a company can lead to indecisive hiring.

Good luck to you.

Not to hijack the thread but I'm kind of in limbo with a job prospect. A family friend put me in touch with the hiring manager of a posted job. I submitted application online and sent the manager a personal email. He responded "that my resume is in the right hands and he would be contacting me soon." That was on July 28th and still haven't heard anything. Is it okay to follow up again or should I continue to wait? TIA

Maybe the person in HR handling your hiring is on vacation?

Well the position has been filled by someone else. Still no communication from them. Disappointed in this Aggie 100 company and Aggie co-founder that shook my hand and told me I would receive an offer for the position.

AG07 agreed. I've been on a few interviews like this where it was a done deal I was getting an offer, then communication broke down a week later and I never received Anything.

Now I never assume anything until I have the offer in writing, and have cleared pre-hire screening and have a start date identified.

ea1060 said:

---

AG07 agreed. I've been on a few interviews like this where it was a done deal I was getting an offer, then communication broke down a week later and I never received Anything.

Now I never assume anything until I have the offer in writing, and have cleared pre-hire screening and have a start date identified.

---

I'll go one better. Offer in writing and processed. Gave two weeks notice to start in three weeks. They then terminated the offer via hiring freeze the next week. Someone in corporate halfway around the world decided not to honor it.

Life happens. Thankfully had multiple offers so I'm fine, but it was a good lesson for me and former coworkers.

ea1060 said:

---

As someone who works in HR, I have seen this situation play out over and over again. That's why I'm very careful not to promise or guarantee anyone an offer because things can change on a daily basis.

A number of things can go south after a candidate has been selected for an offer: New management comes in and wants to put the opening on hold, new management wants to bring in their own person, company is going through a re-org, layoffs, scope of work has changed for the role, hiring manager gets cold feet, high potential internal candidate applies late in the process etc.

Sorry you have to experience this. But never count on an offer until you see it in writing, have cleared new hire screening, and have a start date confirmed. So many things can go wrong.

---

This kind of thing has happened to me more often than I care to count. Ultimately it turns out to be one of the things that you mentioned and it sucks.

After numerous discussions and emails, a position is created at an out of state university athletic department. My resume was the job description. I even had the opportunity to review the job description before it was finalized. All the athletic administration had to do was get everything finally approved by the Board of Trustees and it was mine. I was already looking at some real estate in the area.

Then everything goes quiet. No responses to any emails or phone calls. I finally reach out to a mutual contact who had originally recommended me for the position. He makes the call in front of me and is told that the Board said the position had to be a minority hire (which I'm not a minority) but they couldn't tell me that.

And, if I'd thrown a fit about it, I never would have worked on the college level again.

PDEMDHC said:

---

I'll go one better. Offer in writing and processed. Gave two weeks notice to start in three weeks. They then terminated the offer via hiring freeze the next week. Someone in corporate halfway around the world decided not to honor it.

Life happens. Thankfully had multiple offers so I'm fine, but it was a good lesson for me and former coworkers.

---

This one scares me the most. I've had a friend and then another colleague go through this very situation. It almost makes me not want to give two weeks the next time I change jobs.

I've heard way to many stories of people getting burned by giving two weeks notice to be really comfortable in doing so. Its a sad state of the world we live in but I don't blame people at all for not giving any type of notice.

Lack of communication from companies about the process is a VERY frustrating.

I went to interview with a company, who had a last-second mis-scheduling problem and had to break up my full day interview into two separate days (which was a bit stressful on my end trying to navigate this with my current employer at the last second).

A week goes by after the interview without any communication, I emailed the hiring manager and HR lead person a little bit after with no reply. I even tried calling the HR person two weeks later, they actually picked up and said someone will get back to you.....no one ever did.

I don't mind being rejected, its part of the process. But I took off two work days to come to talk to your company, I felt I was at least obligated an answer on my application. I felt like this was very unprofessional.