Alison Green just released an article on US News entitled, “10 Worst Things About Job Hunting“.  While her list definitely hits some pain points of the online job search, the “black hole” took up three different spots:

• Employers who set up phone interviews and then never call.
• Interviewing and then never hearing anything back.
• Employers who say they’ll give you an answer within a week and then go silent.

you can see, while they are three different scenarios, they all represent the “black hole” in some fashion.  In case you’re not in on the lingo, the “black hole” refers to any part of the medical sales job search that requires you to submit some form of information without getting any form of response from the the recruiter or employer.  It’s as if you submitted your resume into a black hole.

Honestly, recruiters are busy people.  They are always trying to juggle multiple candidates to find the best fit for the job.  It takes a lot of work and it’s easy to see how calling back a unsuitable candidate could fall off the list of priorities.  However, it doesn’t make it any less frustrating for the candidate, so let’s take a look at why you may not have heard back from the recruiter.

Scenario 1:  Employers who set up phone interviews and then never call.

In this scenario, it’s likely the recruiter has already placed someone else in the position.  It would seem only appropriate to make the scheduled call and inform the other candidate that he didn’t make it, but that just isn’t always the case.  Again, recruiters are busy.  It doesn’t make it right, but it is most likely the reason for not getting the call back.

Scenario 2: Interviewing and then never hearing anything back.

Again, the most likely scenario here is that the position has already been filled by someone else.  If you’ve made it as far as interview you’d think you’d deserve a call back, right?  Unfortunately, the employer’s priorities aren’t the same as yours.  You’re not the candidate, so it’s easy for them to move on.  If you thought the interview went well, and it ended on a positive note, it wouldn’t hurt to reach back out.  Just don’t make the mistake of hounding the recruiter.

Remember, the hiring process can be long and drawn out.  While you think four weeks is an eternity, it may be the earliest the interview could get back to you.  If you made the mistake of calling or emailing every few days to get an update, that may just move you down the list of prospects.  Resist the urge.

Scenario 3:  Employers who say they’ll give you an answer within a week and then go silent.

By now, you should be seeing the similarities in each of these scenarios. Again, the hiring process can take awhile to complete and you are very likely not the only candidate in consideration.  Give the employer a few days to catch up.  If she said she’d call you within a week, it’s not unheard of for that to turn into two or three weeks.  If she said she’d call within a week, give her until the end of the following week.  The worst thing you can do is pester a potential employer.  Give them room to make the right decision – you.

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