Of course, there is an end to your job search – that’s when you land the job you want, at the compensation you want, and then you start your new job and it’s what you anticipated and you’re making a great living doing work you love! If you manage your job search right, there is an end, and it’s a happy ending.
However, as a recruiter for over 20 years – in start-ups and Fortune 500 companies, in non-profit and private sector, and for roles in various functional areas and levels – I can confirm that the hiring process differs a LOT from company to company. Some companies have few interviews and bunch them together so the process is quick. Some companies deliberately schedule multiple rounds across weeks, even months. Do this across multiple candidates, and you can have a long search – I have worked on searches that took years (not a typo) to complete.
Therefore, you don’t really know when your job search at any one company is going to end. Sure, you can ask (and you should) where you are in the process and what the expected timetable is. But you can’t be sure that the company is being straight with you, or that things aren’t going to change based on an interviewer’s schedule or another candidate’s availability.
The open-endedness of the interview process raises the anxiety. That’s understandable, and knowing that going in can hopefully help you manage it better. If the interview process seems to be taking forever, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s not necessarily your fault. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the company is not genuinely interested in you. It really could be a function of hiring style and interview schedules.
If you don’t realize that the long nature of an interview process is not necessarily a red flag, you may drive yourself crazy for no reason. You may start to lose interest because you assume the company has lost interest. You may not interview as well because you’re upset about the process.
Instead, if you just focus every interview to get to the next interview – and not necessarily to the end – you will navigate the process with more positivity and less anxiety. Trust me, employers notice when a candidate loses steam or interest or patience towards the end.
Sharing this type of inside information on the hiring process is a key way that I help my candidates get hired. If you want someone to help you navigate the hiring process to a successful close, schedule a consultation call to discuss 1:1 coaching with me.
