Question by lanza1977: How long should I wait to call my job interviewer? What does it mean when…?
(Sorry for the length…thanks for reading! I promise promptly give a best answer!)
A couple weeks ago I did a phone interview with a company and at the end the Human Resources woman asked me for a salary expection (which I gave because I feared if I didn’t I wouldn’t move on in the interview process). Since she said she couldn’t even give me salary range to work with because their policy is not to give one out until they make an offer, my number was based on research I did online on Salary.com for the same position.
The following morning she called me back to invite me for a second interview. The interview went very well. They even had the big boss come down, unexpectedly, to meet with me and ask questions.
Five days later the Human Resources woman (the same one who did the phone interview and who was part of the face to face interview) called me. I thought she was going to make an offer, but instead she told me that my salary expectations were too high. On a good note, however, she also told me that she received very good feedback from the managers and big boss who interviewed me. She did not make an offer (therefore, again she couldn’t give a salary range), and it seemed like she was trying to start negotiations without an offer. So, instead of me telling her a new salary figure, I told her that I am very willing to negotiate because I would really like to work for them. I said that am looking for a compensation package that is motivating, value-based, and in line with the market rate. She then asked me how I could justify my expected increase from my last job and I said that I was moving from a non-profit to the private sector. I couldn’t quite tell if she was satisified with my answers about salary, but she was pleasant and said that another HR person would be caluculating amounts based on some factors (that I don’t know) and that I would hear from them in the “next day or two.” Friday was day 3.
I am nervous because I haven’t heard from them (and it’s now the weekend) and I really want this job. My main concern is that I get compensated fairly (in the past, I have been underemployed and underpaid for my worth) while providing them excellent work.
Is it a bad sign that they didn’t call back by Friday (one day later than they said they would)? How can I negotiate without knowing their terms? Should I give them a call tomorrow or does that seem too desparate?
Thanks so much for any of your suggestions/opinions! =)
Best answer:
Answer by Heather
Give them time. I bet they are busy sifting through hundreds of applicants (especially because good jobs are so scarce right now). Give them until Thursday or Friday and even then, just call and “check on the progress of your application.”
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