Well, after months of jobhunting I finally got an interview.

The day after the interview I sent a thank you letter and the director who interviewed me replied 2 days later saying my application was under review and they should get back to me when a decision will be reached.

It's been 4 weeks and I am getting a bit worried ...

Do you guys know if that's normal for them to take that long, or am I just getting too impatient (as this was my first and only interview)? this is a well established international firm, so I have no doubt they will let me know the final decision, but...I don't know, I so much want a job...should I send an email, or this will look like harassment?

Any advice is welcome.

Thanks

Dear SweetnSour
Interview results are typically time consuming unless it is for a urgent burning requirement.
Having said that, there is no harm in a polite enquiry, but do ensure that you do not come across as too needy / desperate.
Best of luck with the result

4 weeks without any feedback is rather long. Personally, I would give them a call to casually ask what the status is. Normally I prefer e-mails too, but in this case I think a phonecall would be better. It also shows them that you are still interested, and making an effort.

Very often never, if they don't want you. I've had replies almost a year later. You can never tell what's going on internally. It can happen that the group you've applied to was given the ok to interview but that hiring was contingent upon funding which may have fallen through or they're still waiting to hear. My philosophy is usually suspend any hopes and expectations and carry on as if you won't get it. If you don't, you won't be surprised. If you do, well, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Maybe. Until you've discovered they've changed your job description.

Four weeks after an interview does sound like a long time without any follow-up. Could mean a number of things:

• They haven't found the perfect match and are doing another round of interviews with new candidates before making their mind up,
• They have given someone else first refusal on the job and are waiting for his/her decision before informing the unlucky candidates,
• One of the people responsible for making the decision is on holiday,
• Some kind of reorg or senior management change has happened, putting the whole thing on hold until the air clears (I would say that this scenario is quite likely in a big international company).
  
  ... and so on.

im waiting 4 weeks now also. send an email and called 2 x
interview went perfect and I am certain something will result from it. She told me minimum 3 weeks but I wonder if she messed up the dates.....getting a bit worried also (and nervous)

I think four weeks justifies sending a reminder to the director whom contacted you before. For a large international company, 4 weeks is not extremely long, but a reminder might result in a more specific response time from their side.

Reminding them that you are still interested could not hurt anyways, in my opinion.

Good luck!

Thanks for all your replies/advice.

I think I'll send an email, as I suspect I will sound a bit desperate over the phone...

I will try now to work on how to put words together for a nice and yet professional way of asking how long I should wait more, while renewing my interest in the position.

From what I understood during the interview, this is a new position, due to increasing workload for the current team members.

You may have found a cause for their late reply

Lots of good stuff here above and not much to add. Only other small observation is that it could be budgetting cycles....they will budget now for 2012, but may not have money in 2011 to actually recruit....so maybe they are just planning ahead so there is no rush for them

Yes, try to avoid the desperate tone. Just emphasize that you're keen on the job because it matches what you're interested in doing and is in line with achieving your long term professional goals.

You could lie and tell them you have had a verbal offer from another company, and are they still interested in you?

Seriously, there are many reasons for not replying, especially in the current climate. I once got a verbal offer, skipped all the way home to find an E-Mail saying they had changed their minds...

sweetnsour, just because you are interviewing an established firm, don't expect they will get back to you. Often, these companies are the worse ones in terms of handing the recruitment process. Unfortunately, not all recruiting managers are "too busy" to take the time to let you know you are a no longer being considered for the position. And, lets face it, no one likes to be the one to break the bad news.... (IMHO, it is unforgivable, specially after you had some personal interaction). Taking so long so long can mean a number of things, as already explained before.

Personally, my recommendation would be to send a quick e-mail to the recruiting manager, or the director, and ask them if they could update you on the status of the recruitment. Prepare for the worse, and hope for the best...

Good luck :-)

Like phdoofus over there, I also got a response to my interview about an year later. I had an answer right on the following day up to 3 months later.

Just inquire politely by email.

Good luck!

I wouldn't put it that way (i.e. "how long should i wait"). Send a mail (I agree with that, after 4 weeks) indicating:
- you enjoyed the interviews and are still interested
- that you'd like to know the status, as you also have other opportunities

Makes clear that you are on equal footing with them and that they'll effecively lose you if they do nothing.

I waited 6 weeks before hearing back and being called for a second interview. But I knew that the boss was going on holiday and they would still be interviewing when he got back.

I always ask when I can expect to hear back from them when they ask if you have any questions at the end of the interview.

Could be anything.. I've had a range from 1 hour to 7 weeks.

I appeared for 4 interviews over 3 months for a job at a leading bank and finally I was told that no hiring will take place for this role anymore:-(...interview process can be very frustating..
and HR - they are the star department - they dont do nothing and still get paid
They are the reason why there are so many employment agencies around.

Don't be too harsh on HR. I know HR-bashing happens a lot (and i also some times have some frustrations with them) but they are one of those functions where you'd start to notice it if they weren't there anymore (what, no payroll this month?). Also, HR is not there for you nor for the employees. It's just another function driving shareholder value thus supporting cost reductions and other initiatives if needed. I've always described HR as a mix of purchasing/manufacturing/supply chain but then focused on people rather than products: getting right quantity/quality of "resources" at the right cost.

Don't be too harsh on HR. I know HR-bashing happens a lot (and i also some times have some frustrations with them) but...