Why Employers Dont Always Respond After Job Interviews

Why Employers Dont Always Respond After Job InterviewsWhy Employers Dont Always Respond After Job InterviewsYou had a great interview for a job you really want. Your answers were spot-on, you connected with the interviewer, your test went wellbut you havent heard back from your future boss-to-be. As frustrating as it might be, this happens quite often.According to a CareerBuilder survey, a staggering 75% of people said they didnt hear back from a position they had applied for. The reasons below might help explain why employers dont respond after job interviews.Why Employers Dont Respond After Job InterviewsTheyre too busy.A potential employer might be trying to not only fill the position you applied for, but several others as wellsimultaneously. So it makes sense, then, that they might be too busy to get back to just one candidate about just one job opening. And while it might not seem like a real reason, being swamped with reviewing job applications, scheduling interviews, and scree ning candidates can oftentimes be the real reason why employers dont respond right away (if at all) after job interviews.You werent chosen.This might be one of the most obvious reasons why job seekers dont hear back from employers. Still, most people would agree that they would rather get a friendly Thanks, but no thanks email or phone call than the alternative- being ignored. If you havent heard back after a few weeks post-interview (and you didnt hear back even after you followed up on your job application), its safe to assume that you didnt get the position and should keep interviewing with other companies.Theyre afraid of legal issues.In todays litigious world, it seems like almost any excuse can be grounds for a lawsuit- and companies know that all too well. So instead of calling to let you know why you specifically werent hired (e.g., you didnt have the required skill set, you didnt get a good reference from a previous employer, etc.), hiring managers may adopt a silence is go lden rule when dealing with those not hired.By not responding, the door is closed.If by some chance a hiring manager did offer a reason as to why you werent hired, they might fear that youll contact them again with follow-up questions. To avoid having that line of communication- and potentially getting into trouble- they keep the door closed to prevent future questions and prevent hurting your feelings.Theyre totenstill interviewing.You applied for a job almost immediately after you spotted it online. Thing is, maybe 100 other eager job candidates did, too. One of the big reasons why employers dont respond after job interviews could be because theyre slowly weeding through the stacks of job applications and following up with applicants theyre interested in interviewing.Another thing to keep in mind is that maybe the position doesnt have to be filled immediately, or some aspect of the job has changed and management is working out the new specifics of the role. In any case, the employ er has extra time to go through the hiring process and might get back to youeventually.The job isnt available anymore. In an ideal world, a prospective boss would clue you in if the position you diligently applied for wasnt available anymore, but thats not always the case. Sometimes, the unexpected happens after a job is posted (for example, the position is eliminated, revamped, or its given to a current staffer), and employers dont always explain what happened to the job they just go radio silent instead.They forgot about you. Accidents can (and do) happen during the hiring process. Applications are deleted and job candidates can be forgotten about. Thats why its so important to always follow up on job applications (especially the ones that youre really interested in). Not only does it show your continued interest in the job, it also allows you to correct any potential blunders you may have committed during the job interview. But most importantly, if a hiring manager did manage to misplace your application, it puts you front and center in his mind again.Theyre totally rude. To you, the job you applied for could change the trajectory of your career- and your life. For a recruiter or hiring manager, you might be just another applicant. Dont take it too much to heart. If you dont hear back from a potential employer(and youve followed up and done everything that you can as an interested job candidate), dont take it too rolleally. While its painful to sit and wonder why you never heard back, just remember- the job thats truly meant for you could be just around the corner.Theres just no real reason why. Sometimes, an employer doesnt get back to a job candidate for the reason that there just isnt a reason. It wasnt like you bombed the interview- but you didnt exactly ace it, either. You were nice enough, but you might not have been a standout candidate. Your answers were good, but not enough to seal the deal. And for an employer to try to articulate that you did not hing wrong (but still didnt get the job) can be confusing and upsetting to a candidate.You didnt click with your interviewer.Sure, job candidates should be judged based solely on their qualifications and prior job experience. But that doesnt always happen. Like it or not, some employers base their decisions on factors that are completely not related to the job, such as a persons appearance, their lack of eye contact, or even their self-confidence level. And even though it might not be fair, if personalities dont mesh well during a job interview (or worse, they clash), it can negatively impact your chances of getting hired. So if the reason for not hiring you is a personal one, it could open up an employer to a potential lawsuit if they were to disclose it.You didnt ask for it. It might seem strange to ask a prospective employer for a reason why you didnt get hired as the job interview is actually happening, but it could be a smart move. Lets say that youre on-ramping back into the w orkforce, just recently graduated from college, or are still an interview newbie, for example. Asking ahead of time (either at the end of the interview or during your follow-up communication afterwards), for an employer to assess why you might not get the job shows that youre mature enough to realize that there are probably a lot of candidates vying for the same job, and you might not get a job offer. In this case, its not so much about placing blame towards your potential employer about not getting hired, but finding out what you may have done incorrectly so that you can improve your job interviewing skills for subsequent job interviews.As you can see, there are a myriad reasons why you may not hear back from employers after an interview. Keep your spirits up, tighten your interviewing skills, and get back out thereWish you could talk through your job search and career questions with someone? now offers one-on-one online career coaching sessions where our experts work to review yo ur experience, provide actionable feedback, and answer questions.SIGN UP FOR CAREER COACHING TODAY This is a version of a post that was originallypublished April 11, 2015.