TCW #029 | 3 tactics to stay sane through a long interview process
Employers are taking their sweet time in this talent market. Keep it together through candidate bake-offs, 3-5 month interview processes, and long gaps in communication.
Hey, it’s 📣 Coach Erika! Welcome to a ✨ free edition✨ of The Career Whispers. Each week I tackle reader questions about tech careers: how to get one, how to navigate them, and how to grow and thrive in your role.
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This week, we’ll talk about weathering the long interview processes that are commonplace in tech right now (and in any soft job market).
When employers have fewer open roles and a lot of great talent options, we call that a soft job market. And in case you’re not actively job searching, we are definitely in a soft job market in tech right now.
In soft markets, employers get access to great talent and have less competition (since there are fewer open roles in general). They adjust to the market conditions by moving more slowly to ensure they hire the best available talent while they have this advantage. Changes you feel as a candidate may include added process burdens like:
additional upfront screening questions in applications❓❓❓
requiring cover letters or short essays to differentiate between applicants 📝
more assessments (extra interviews, take-home assignments, or even external cognitive assessments) 📚
s-l-o-w response times between recruiter contacts 🐢
candidate bake-offs (to select the best talent) 🧁
Candidates thus have to weather the anxiety (and extra work) of the interview process for much longer. Drawn-out interview processes can have negative impacts on mental health, sense of agency, and professional confidence.
But this doesn’t have to happen to you.
Today I’ll share three tactics you can use to stay sane and confident while you weather these long interview processes 💪
Ready? Let’s dive in.
The situation
You’ve been job searching for months. You’ve been interviewing with one or two companies for weeks, and it’s often a full week or more between contacts. You can’t tell where you stand with them, and it’s becoming clear that you’re not the only horse in the race. You want to keep things moving along and arrive at a decision sooner rather than later.
Tactic 1: Ask about the pipeline
You probably won’t be told if you’re in the first or final cohort of candidates under consideration for a given role. The best thing you can do is directly ask your point of contact at the company. Some questions to get you started:
“What does the current candidate pipeline for the role look like? How many other candidates are in-flight?”
“What does the full interview process look like? How far along is the furthest candidate in the process?”
“Will the company extend an offer before all candidates complete the full interview process?”
It will feel assertive to ask, because it is assertive. But these are reasonable questions to ask, and they will understand why you are asking. Own it, ask away, and get the intel you need.
Tactic 2: Be clear about other opportunities
Many candidates try to keep it a secret that they have other plates spinning in their job search, but being transparent about other opportunities is actually the easiest way to get things moving along faster. Sharing that you’re in process for other roles will show them that, while you’re interested in the position, you're not going to wait around indefinitely.
You don’t have to be aggressive in the way you tell them, nor do you have to divulge details about the role, stage of interviews, or company. Any of the following will suffice:
“I do have other interview processes happening in parallel. Do you think it’s possible to move toward a decision point in the next few <days, weeks>?”
“I am in late-stage interviews with another opportunity, but I’m genuinely interested in this role. I’d love to see this process all the way through. I can create more availability if needed to move things toward a decision point sooner.”
“I have another offer, but I am serious about exploring this role fully. I’d love to see if there is a way to accelerate this process so we can arrive at a decision point in the next few <days, weeks>.”
Tactic 3: Stay top of mind
In a flooded talent market, the best thing you can do is outperform other candidates by leaps and bounds in interviews. The second best strategy is to avoid being “out of sight, out of mind.”
But there is a fine line between staying top of mind and being a nag. Here’s my advice:
Follow up right after interviews. Send thoughtful, non-generic thank you notes (within 2 days). On what topic? You choose. My go-to is to share a researched follow-up on areas of the interview where you felt your performance was weak (showing a growth mindset) or on topics from the interviewer that spiked your interest. Here’s my definitive guide to interview thank-you notes, or check out this YouTube video for a sneak peek, at 22:50.
Stick to one “how’s it going?” contact per week. You're not going to be totally forgotten in less than 3-5 business days. Don’t reach out unless you have something meaningful to share or ask.
Keep it brief (in email). Give enough in your update to demonstrate thoughtfulness, but no full-on essays. I like to cheer on the team for a big win (something they have published on LinkedIn or the corporate blog, an award they received, or a great article about them in the press). The key is to demonstrate your engagement and interest in the role. Then, ask your question or share your update.
Try to get on the phone at least every 10 days. At the end of your emails every two-ish weeks, ask if they are open to hopping on a quick phone call to give you an update on the process. On the phone, you can get more nuanced and direct answers to questions they might feel squeamish to put in email. Make sure you have some talking points lined up for the call so you maintain control of the conversation and leave them with the impression that you’re interested and engaged (and mindful of their time).
Closing thoughts
Getting a job in a soft job market certainly requires more guerrilla tactics than the laid back coffee chats that spoiled us in the 2013-2022 War for Talent. Use these tactics to stay sane and confident while you weather your tech job search in 2023 and beyond ☂️
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