No response after an interview: what to do next
When to check in, what to say, and when to move on, without reading too much into the silence.
Ghosted editorialPublished 10 min read
On this page
- From the interview to the last note
- A thank-you isn't a follow-up
- If they gave you a date
- If they didn't give you a date
- Who to write to
- A polite status check
- The last note
- When to stop chasing
- What to do while you wait
- What silence does and doesn't mean
- Mistakes to avoid while you wait
- Questions people ask about silence after an interview
The short version
From the interview to the last note
Most waits after an interview follow the same pattern. Here it is in order, with the one thing to do at each step.
| When | What to do | Example |
|---|---|---|
| At the interview | Ask when you'll hear back, and write the answer down | "By Friday 15 May" |
| Within a day | Send a short thank-you | Thursday 7 May, after the interview |
| Their date passes | Wait two or three working days | Monday 18 to Wednesday 20 May |
| Then | Send one status check | Wednesday 20 May |
| A week later, still nothing | Send one last note, then move on | Wednesday 27 May |
If they didn't give you a date, start the clock from the interview instead: about a week, then the same steps. Two notes after the thank-you is the most anyone needs to send.
Write down what they said
"We'll be in touch by Friday" is easy to forget by the following Wednesday. Put the date with the job the moment the call ends. Everything below starts from it.
Start here
A thank-you isn't a follow-up
They do different jobs. A thank-you goes out within a day of the interview: it thanks them for their time and mentions something you talked about. A status check comes later, once the time they gave you has passed, and asks where things stand.
Sending a thank-you doesn't use up your follow-up. It's good manners, and it keeps the conversation open.
Keep the thank-you to a few lines: thank them, name one thing from the conversation, and say you're still interested. Leave timing out of it. That's what the later note is for.
If they named a day
If they gave you a date
Their date is the one that matters. Wait until it has passed, then give it two or three working days: decisions slip, and the person you met is often waiting on someone else.
Then write once. Mention the role, the day you interviewed and the date they gave, and ask whether there's an update. A few lines is enough.
If they write before their date to say it's delayed, the new date replaces the old one. Thank them, say you're still interested, and start counting again from there.
23.7 days
The average interview process in Glassdoor's study of 83,921 interview reviews from 25 countries, from application to offer or rejection, for reviews shared from January to mid-June 2017. In the US it was 23.8 days. A quiet week in the middle can be part of a normal process.
Source: Staffing Industry Analysts, on Glassdoor's 2017 study
If they didn't
If they didn't give you a date
Ask at the end of every interview: "What are the next steps, and when should I expect to hear back?" The answer tells you how long to wait.
If you didn't ask, about a week after the interview is a reasonable time to check in. Leave longer for roles with several rounds, or around holidays.
62%
of professionals in Robert Half's survey said they lose interest in a job if they don't hear back within two weeks, or 10 business days, after the first interview. Employers have their own reasons to keep you posted.
Source: Robert Half, 2021
Who
Who to write to
One person, in the thread you already have. Which person depends on who has been running things.
The person who arranged the interview
Usually a recruiter or a coordinator. They know where the process is, and keeping candidates posted is part of their job.
The hiring manager, if they're your only contact
Smaller companies often hire without a recruiter. Then write to the person you met, and keep it to the same few lines.
One person, not everyone you met
A note to the whole panel puts each of them in an awkward spot, and nobody answers it. Pick one, and let them pass it on.
In the same thread
Reply to the last email you had from them. The role, the interview date and your CV are already there, so nobody has to look anything up.
The email
A polite status check
Replace everything in square brackets:
Subject: [Role] interview: checking in
Hi [Name],
Thank you again for speaking with me on [Interview day] about the [Role] role. You mentioned you'd have an update by [Date], so I wanted to check in on where things stand.
I'm still very interested, and happy to send anything else that would help.
Best, [Your name]
The role and the day
They may be hiring for several roles. "The Support Engineer interview on Thursday" puts you in the right place in their head at once.
Their date, in their words
"You mentioned you'd have an update by Friday" reminds them of what they said without accusing them of anything.
Still interested
One line. It tells them a yes would still land, which is what they need to know before they call.
Nothing else
No recap of your CV, no new achievements, no question about salary. Those belong to a later conversation.
They didn't give you a date? Leave out the second sentence and ask instead: "Do you have a sense of the timeline for next steps?"
Need a thank-you note, a reply to a delay or a last note? They're in Follow-up email after an interview.
Short is the point
Three or four lines get read on a phone between meetings. Anything longer starts to sound like worry, and it's harder to answer in one line.
One more
The last note
If a week passes after your status check and you still hear nothing, send one more short email. It isn't another chase. It closes the loop politely and leaves the door open.
Say you'll take silence as an answer
"I'll assume you've gone in another direction" is honest, and it takes the pressure off them to write a careful no.
Thank them once more, briefly
One line about something from the interview. It's likely the last thing they read from you, so make it specific.
Leave the door open
"If anything changes, I'd be glad to hear from you." Roles reopen, and first choices sometimes say no.
Then stop. There's a last note to copy in the same follow-up email template.
Letting go
When to stop chasing
- After two follow-ups with no answer. A third rarely changes anything.
- When they've asked you not to follow up. Respect it.
- When you've accepted another offer. Tell them politely and withdraw.
Stopping isn't burning a bridge. Some employers come back weeks later; if one does, answer as if nothing happened.
A no is an answer too
When it comes, reply in one line: thank them, and say you'd be glad to hear about future roles if you would. It's the last impression you leave there.
Meanwhile
What to do while you wait
Waiting is easier with something to do. These four things help whatever the answer turns out to be.
- Write down what they asked. Questions, names, and anything you'd answer better next time. If there's a second round, this is where you start. The interview prep sheet has room for it.
- Keep applying. Don't pause your search for one decision. If the answer is yes, leaving the other processes takes a short email each.
- Line up your references. They often come up near the end. Ask the people you have in mind now, so you aren't asking in a hurry.
- Put the next dates with the job. The day you'll check in, and the day you'll send the last note. Then you can stop refreshing your inbox in between.
Reading the silence
What silence does and doesn't mean
Silence after an interview is frustrating, but it isn't proof of a rejection. Hiring can stall while a budget is approved, another candidate finishes their rounds, or the person deciding is away.
Usually means it's over
- Two weeks past their date, and two polite notes unanswered
- A rejection email, even an automatic one from their application system
- They told you the role is on hold, with no new date
Usually means very little
- No reply to your thank-you
- An out-of-office reply to your status check
- The ad still being up, or posted again
- A few days past the date they gave
In Ghosted, an application you've interviewed for stays in Interviewing until you move it. Only applications with no reply at all are marked ghosted for you, and a reply you forward later brings the card back.
In the meantime, keep applying. Having other options in progress is the best answer to waiting.
61%
of job seekers in Greenhouse's survey of 2,500 workers in the US, UK and Germany said they had been ghosted after a job interview, up 9 percentage points since April 2024. If it happens to you, you're in the majority.
Source: Greenhouse, December 2024
Mistakes
Mistakes to avoid while you wait
Following up the day after
A thank-you the same day is fine. A "just checking in" before their date has passed tells them you weren't listening.
Writing to everyone you met
Several people get the same nudge, and each assumes someone else will answer. One person, one thread.
Guilt in the first line
"I haven't heard anything" reads as a complaint. Say what you're asking for: is there an update?
Asking for feedback in a status check
Ask for news first. If the answer is no, then ask whether they'd share anything that would help next time.
A third or fourth chase
After the last note, more emails don't change the decision. They only change how you're remembered.
Putting the search on hold
One maybe isn't a plan. Keep applying until you've signed an offer.
Questions
Questions people ask about silence after an interview
How long should I wait to hear back after an interview?
Until the date they gave, plus two or three working days. If they didn't give one, about a week. Leave longer for roles with several rounds, or around holidays.
Is it OK to call instead of emailing?
Email first. It's easier to answer between meetings, and it keeps the date they gave in writing. If they've been calling you and asked you to ring them, a call is fine.
Should I follow up on LinkedIn?
Only if that's where you've been talking. Otherwise a message there skips the person running the process, and it's easier to miss than an email.
Does no response mean I didn't get the job?
Not always. Budgets, other candidates' rounds and holidays all slow decisions down. But two weeks past their date, after two polite notes, it's safest to act as if it's a no, and be pleasantly surprised if it isn't.
What if they get back to me after I've moved on?
Answer as if nothing happened. If you've accepted another job, thank them and withdraw politely. If you're still looking, pick up where you left off.
What if the person I was dealing with has left?
A bounce or an out-of-office saying they've left isn't a no. Write to the hiring manager, or the company's careers address, with the same few lines and the name of the person you'd been talking to.
Can I ask why I wasn't chosen?
Yes, once they've told you no. Keep it to one line: "Is there anything you can share that would help me next time?" Some companies don't give feedback as a rule, so don't read too much into a short answer.
I had a second interview, and now nothing. Is that different?
Only in timing. Later rounds often wait on more people, so give their date a little more room. The steps are the same: one status check, then one last note.
Know when to stop waiting.
Keep the interview, the date they gave and your follow-up in one place.