Stuck in the Middle

This week, I kept busy with applying to new jobs (or recycled ones) and fielding questions for a I was contacted about late last week. One thing I learned long ago: in tech, you can't consider a job truly in the bag until you arrive at work on Day 1. That said, I've been wondering where I stand with regards to those two jobs for which I recently interviewed.

First, there was the face-to-face interview I had last week for a local company. I have been excited over that opportunity, perhaps more so than any in recent memory. Yet the phone screen that I was told would occur either last Friday or yesterday never materialized. As for the email I sent late yesterday asking whether or not the screen was still pending- no response. While I recognize that most probably the two principals are busy hammering out the final terms of the company's latest project, the silence is hard to decipher.

Then there is the company I interviewed with back in Canada. While the interviewer showed definite interest in me for the position, she was supposed to have crafted her shortlist by the end of last week. I have yet to hear from her and given my lack of response from scenario #1 above, I'm leery to enquire as to my status.

It's always a tough call how to proceed when you're this far along in the interviewing process. That is, truth be told, one major benefit of dealing with a recruiting company: they take the guesswork out of the equation. But when you're interviewing without that benefit, deciding whether or not to contact the company will instead depend on how your enquiry will be received. On the one hand, if contacting the company will brand you as overly aggressive or desperate, then it's pretty much a no-brainer that you should just sit tight and wait for them to contact you. On the other hand, if by showing your continued interest and availability you'll be judged favourably, then that you might consider that route more closely. In the end, it will have to be your call, based on what you have learned of the company and interviewer during the interview process.

For now, I'm going to follow the latter route. While the waiting game is no fun, the prospect of losing out on an opportunity due to an interviewing misstep is no fun either. Because, as I try to remind myself, it's not just what you do but what you don't do throughout the entire candidacy process that will net you either the job or the royal "Thanks but no thanks".

Happy job hunting!