What To Do If I Don’t Hear From An Employer? 5 Practical Tips

Face-on rejection is a bummer, be it in relationships or at the workplace. But what’s worse than hearing words of non-acceptance? Not hearing anything at all! Such is the case jobseekers face when, after all’s said and done in a job application, they find themselves in a period of wondering, “Will I be hired or not?”

It doesn’t just happen to those who feel like they’ve give their all during the assessments and interviews. Sometimes, candidates who believe they have aced the process can go through the same motions. So, it’s time to ask: What to do if I don’t hear from employers?

Also read: 7 Unexpected Questions You Get Asked At Interviews

Why don’t I hear back from employers?

In many cases, silence simply means no. As in, hirers decided to no longer pursue your application as your background isn’t suitable enough for the job. Or they have found someone else with experiences that are more in line with their requirements. However, there are also other reasons why employers don’t respond to you after submitting or even completing your application needs.

Decision-makers don’t consist of just one person

Especially true among larger companies, who makes the decision on whether to hire a candidate or not is actually made up of more than one, if not multiple persons. Who are these people, you might ask? Aside from human resource personnel, there are supervisors and managers.

Yes, having several people involved in evaluating a candidate’s performance is a great way to gather multiple perspectives. However, it’s also inevitable for some of these perspectives to conflict with one another. That being said, it would be more difficult to come to a consensus. Hence, prolonging the outcome.

There are several other people vying for the post

If it’s not the employers, then it’s probably the candidates who are eyeing the same job as you are. It’s not always surprising when the job description has appealed to so many jobseekers that hirers face the “good problem” of receiving a throng of applications. Often, more than the number they are capable of handling. Therefore, they find it challenging to keep up with everyone in the running.

Some companies make concerns like this clear to candidates early on to set expectations. But there are also those who tend to keep applicants hanging without further information, which you should be wary of.

Employers are meticulously evaluating your profile

Waiting longer doesn’t always mean that the client has forgotten about you. Rather it may even mean that they have developed a greater interest in you after your assessments. So much so that the hirers are now facing indecision about how to move forward with your application.

For example, after knowing more about you during a few interviews, the hirers have decided that you are qualified to take on a much bigger role. One that is even more advanced than the one you originally applied for or the one that the employers have considered you for from the beginning.

There’s been an adjustment in the hiring process

Hiring processes, like the companies themselves, are not always stagnant. Particularly true among newer employers, requirements and procedures can change at any time to make sure that hirers get the best from it and don’t end up wasting resources they might not need after all.

If the hirers decide that they can still do something about these matters before making agreements with a candidate, it’s possible that this is the reason for the delay or extension of the decision-making for hiring or rejecting candidates.

The company is undergoing something unexpected

As mentioned, companies can always be flexible whenever they see the need to. And this will trigger major adjustments not just in the human resources aspect, but their entire operations in general.

Instances like restructuring and financial limitations, for example, can have vast effects on resources, so companies are faced with setbacks in dealing with potential new hires. If not delays, these can even cause hirers to completely cancel their selection process without seeing the need for a formal notice to their applicants. Meaning, you are most likely not to hear from them until they’ve settled everything from their side.

What to do if I don’t hear from an employer?

Whichever the reasons employers don’t contact you after applying for a role may be, the good news is that you can always do something about it as an applicant. If you don’t hear from hirers within a few days of your interview or on the period promised, here are some of the things you can do without crossing lines:

1. Follow up politely

Let’s face it, not everyone’s fully comfortable reaching out to hirers after being evaluated for a position. When in fact, some employers actually appreciate gestures like this as they show how dedicated you are to the role. You can follow up with hirers through a phone call, text, or email. Below is a sample template of how to send a follow-up message to employers on an application.

2. Know more about the job

Waiting for progress about your application is also a good time to learn more about what the role and company are like. Spend the time to read online reviews about both. If you have friends or connections from within the company itself, you can also ask them for these types of information. You might even learn from them directly why their employer has taken this long to reply which could help you prepare how to better approach the situation.

3. Find other opportunities

One of the worst things you can do in searching for a job when you really, really need it is not having back-ups. Even when you feel like you did a well at writing your resume or responding to your interviewers, there’s always no promise that you will land the role. Who knows? You might find a job that you actually like more and fits your skills better. Nothing’s final until you receive that job offer!

4. Keep on waiting

No matter how frustrating it can get, sometimes waiting longer can really pay off. As discussed earlier, there are many reasons why hirers don’t immediately get back to applicants at any stage of the application process. If you’re not in a hurry to find a new job, you can opt for this only if you are really keen on the opportunity at hand. Follow-up emails like the one above may also be necessary, as long as you don’t flood your hirers’ email with them.

5. Move on completely

When you feel like you’ve done everything you can to understand and respond to the situation yet still have not heard back from hirers in any way, then you simply have to move on. Go and pursue the opportunities you’ve found while you were on stand-by and focus on them instead. You can also use this time to self-evaluate your experiences in the last application. If there are aspects that you can improve on, like resume writing or interviewing skills, this is your chance to work on them!

Other things to remember when in this situation

No matter what the circumstances are, remember to stay professional when responding to the situation. For your peace of mind, you can even send a formal notice to the hirers. Let them know of your decision to either wait or forego your application. Then, don’t end your contact there. Ask them for feedback about your performance and request that they consider you for other opportunities that fit you better.

Looking for other opportunities?

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