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‘What is the typical wait time after an interview?’
‘Why haven’t they gotten back to me?’
‘Did they notice that little stutter when I introduced myself?’
‘Was what I wore not suitable?’
‘Did I come off as confident enough?’

There are dozens of questions that can come to mind after an interview ends and you’re sent back into the world, and it’s easy to see why. There are no rules, no specific timeframes in which an interviewer has to give you an answer. This, coupled with the number of employers that don’t notify unsuccessful applicants, can make the time after the interview as stressful as the moments preceding it.

With all of that said, however, while there may not be specific rules and deadlines in place, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to gauge the typical wait time for an interview. Although there may be quite a lot of variation between industries, at the end of the day, businesses are businesses, and they have certain factors to consider while you sit at the edge of your seat waiting for a response.

With that said, how long is the typical wait time after an interview? And when can you expect to get an answer on whether you’ve got the role?

The Timeline of Post-Interview Possibilities

Immediately After Your Interview

The nervousness and overthinking of a job interview are a lot like going on a first date. You want to make a good first impression, because even aside from the actual job itself, being interviewed is an emotional experience. You’re putting yourself out there, and the threat of possible rejection can make us all a little nervous. So, naturally, once hands have been shaken and goodbyes have been said, the waiting and wondering begin.

While you’re unwinding, the interviewer(s) will likely be running through their notes, discussing how they felt the interview went and making some initial judgements.

The Hours After

Maybe you’ve come out of the interview feeling confident and self-assured. Maybe you’re nervously ticking through all of the ways in which things could have gone differently. In this moment, all you want is for someone to call and say that you did well and that you’ve got the job, but such swiftness is rarely found.

When thinking about the typical wait time after an interview, you have to think about it from the interviewer’s perspective. For them, the hours after an interview will be a time to reflect, and potentially, go through several more interviews. In other words, it’s okay not to hear back from a potential employer on the day. After all, they have a lot to think about.

The Days After

Tensions are high, the mind is racing, the threat of failure feels inevitable. While not hearing anything after a few days can be an agonising time, it’s completely normal, and to be expected. Often, job offers have to go through several levels of scrutiny, including HR and upper management, before anyone thinks of contacting the successful candidate.

Bonus Tip: Recruitment experts suggest that you should wait approximately 1-2 days before sending an email to your interviewer thanking them for their time. Not only is this a nice gesture, but it also gives you the chance to stay top-of-mind for those that are making decisions.

The Weeks After

At this point, you’ve likely gone on more interviews. After all, no matter how perfect you feel a role is for you, it’s important that you don’t hedge your bets on every interview you go for being successful. With that in mind, however, all is not lost. As a matter of fact, many hiring managers will wait several weeks before making a decision. This tends to come down to what role you’re going for, and the level of urgency they have in filling it.

If you’re starting to get a little antsy, the timeframe in which a business is looking for the successful candidate to start is often written on the job listing. If it has been three weeks, and the listing states a need for an immediate start, it might be time to start looking elsewhere. However, if it’s not stated, you’d be surprised how long the deliberation time can be for a new hire.

The Months After

If it has been three months with no movement, you can start to accept the fact that they have likely gone with someone else. While this is a great time for self-reflection and working out what could be done differently, remember that not being hired isn’t generally a reflection of you as a person. Maybe they found someone with slightly more experience in a particular field, maybe another candidate had more in common with the other employees and the interviewer felt they would be a better fit; whatever it is, it’s important to keep going.

While we’ve gone through all of the stages of not getting a callback, we still haven’t answered the main question…

What is the Typical Wait Time After an Interview?

As you would expect, there are a number of different answers depending on the survey being conducted:

• The NACE Recruiting Benchmarks Survey states an average of 24.5 days.
• Jobvite’s Recruiting Benchmark Report shows the figure to be closer to 38 days.
• Glassdoor has reported an average of 23.8 days, with the fastest career being 8 days (waiters) and the longest being a whopping 60.3 days (professors).

With the gigantic gulf between answers from platform to platform, you may be asking yourself what can actually be gleaned from this information. The answer is, hopefully, reassurance. Choosing a successful applicant takes time and a lot of consideration, so just because you haven’t heard back from an interviewer in a matter of hours, days, weeks, or even months depending on the role, doesn’t mean that all is lost.

How To Bounce Back After An Unsuccessful Interview

It’s natural to feel a little deflated after an unsuccessful interview, and before you go off and try again, it’s good to take some time to readjust and reflect.

Give Yourself Some Time

You should never look at an unsuccessful interview as something you need to immediately bounce back from. If you don’t give yourself the chance to breathe and think about the experience, it’s easy to start spiralling and dwelling on the experience. This will inevitably make the whole ordeal seem a lot more negative than it actually was. Remember that this was just one opportunity in many and that you will have many more chances to prove yourself.

Try to Take Something Positive From the Experience

Once you’ve given yourself some time to unwind, ask yourself what you can take away from the process. Did you not prepare as much as you could have? Did you turn up a little late? Did you get nervous when thrown a curveball question you weren’t expecting? We can’t be our perfect selves all the time, and small issues can always arise. With that said, understanding where you could have done things a little better will help you to be more prepared for the next time, and the time after that, and the time after that.

Keep Trying and Learning

Not doing your best at something in one instance isn’t generally a good reason to stop trying. You need time and experience to improve at anything, and interviews are no different. Going on more interviews and trying to hone your skills will allow you to become more comfortable in that environment and be more prepared. Everyone is learning, and everyone experiences failure, and it’s important that you learn to see this as a positive process.