Here at Spark Hire, we want to help candidates find their dream jobs using the power of online video. We get a lot of questions from readers about how to use online video in their search for a great job. These posts will address those questions about how to find success in your job search.
Question: How do I find out about the next step in my video interview without being pushy? -Margaret from Palo Alto
Thanks for your question, Margaret. It is so important for job seekers to inquire about the next step in the hiring process. If you simply rely on the employer to tell you what comes next you could be waiting for a very long time. Plus, if it’s a job you are really interested in you should be very curious as to what the next steps are in the hiring process. Expressing that curiosity to the hiring manager or employer shows that you aren’t just looking for a paycheck but are genuinely very interested in getting this position and working for this company.
Once your video interview is close to being over and you have asked all of your interview questions, simply ask the employer what the next steps are in their hiring process. When can you expect to hear from them? Obviously you are not the only job seeker they are having an interview with, so you will have to wait until they are finished with their video interviews with other job seekers. Simply asking the hiring manager when you can expect to hear back from them is not pushy. However what is pushy is trying to contact them earlier than the time they gave you.
For instance, if the hiring manager told you they would get back to you in a week and you contact them a couple of days after the video interview to see if they have made a decision that is pushy. Hiring managers have a lot on their plate and have many job seekers they need to keep up with. If they said they would get back to you in a week, and after a week you still haven’t heard from them, then it is acceptable to follow-up and inquire about the timeline. Another thing you want to avoid so you do not come off as pushy is asking the hiring manager to follow-up earlier than their projected time. If they say they will be in contact again with you in two weeks, don’t ask them to contact you earlier than that because that is too long for you. Making a request like this is pushy and may just take you out of the running for the job.
Lastly, you should ask the hiring manager in the video interview if there are other steps to the hiring process you need to prepare for such as a writing or personality test. Once they are finished video interviewing other job seekers they may bring the top candidates into the office for an in-person interview. In order to prepare for what is to come next you must ask. If they need more work samples or any other information from you be sure to let them know that you are always available. The interview and hiring process often takes a long time. Hiring managers have a lot of information to process and being patient is key. However, you should take the initiative to ask them what you can be expecting from this process. Doing so is not pushy, but rather smart and professional. Good luck with your interviews!
Do you have a question you need answered? Spark a conversation with the Spark Hire team by submitting your question to [email protected] or in the comments below.
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