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Recent grad, not sure how I should follow up after the following 2 interviews and if there is hope at either:

1. Off USA jobs, Interviewed in April, told I would hear in June/July. Thought the interview went really really well. Followed up once in June with the person who set up my interview and once in July with the recruiting email on the original usa jobs post. There is no phone number or person listed under the recruiting email. I'm thinking of just following up with one of the people I interviewed with and seemed to get along with really well. Is this a good idea, or should I basically just give up on this?

2. Also off USA jobs, interviewed about a month ago. It was supposed to be in-person, but I could only do telephone interview because I was on my post-bar trip (they contacted me for the interview when I was on the flight). At the end of the interview I was told that they wanted to meet me and that someone would reach out to me shortly to schedule an in-person interview. I followed up after a week. Still no response. Is it worth another follow up email, or should I give up on this too?

Obviously not hopeful for any of these, but I want to at least get closure.

I would keep following up. As long as you're polite I don't really think there's any downside - you're not calling every other day or something.

Federal HR people are the absolute worst.

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I would keep following up. As long as you're polite I don't really think there's any downside - you're not calling every other day or something.

At first I read this "As long as you're polite I don't really think there's any downside to calling every other day or something." and went

FedGov is infamously slow with hiring. I know several people who got job offers over A YEAR after they interviewed. I don't have any advice for you (sorry) but thought this should be pointed out.

WhiskeynCoke wrote:FedGov is infamously slow with hiring. I know several people who got job offers over A YEAR after they interviewed. I don't have any advice for you (sorry) but thought this should be pointed out.

OP here. This is really why I'm afraid to follow up. To me, following up after a month seems normal, but for a fedgov bureaucrat it might seem like I'm pestering them.

Anonymous User wrote:

WhiskeynCoke wrote:FedGov is infamously slow with hiring. I know several people who got job offers over A YEAR after they interviewed. I don't have any advice for you (sorry) but thought this should be pointed out.

OP here. This is really why I'm afraid to follow up. To me, following up after a month seems normal, but for a fedgov bureaucrat it might seem like I'm pestering them.

As a fed gov attorney, I can tell you that we are just as frustrated with federal HR as you are and totally understand why you would be contacting us for an update. A month without contact in the situations you mentioned can be normal in some departments/agencies and very unusual in others. I can of course only speak for myself, but I would see absolutely nothing wrong with a job candidate politely contacting me (by email or phone) to ask for an update after not hearing for a month, especially when they were told they would be back for an in-person interview. Now, if they've already replied to you, which doesn't seem to be the case, I would hold off for a couple more weeks before asking for another update.

I can't speak to federal legal hiring, but I've been a federal employee before, and the people you'd actually be working with/for are likely just as frustrated with the slow process as you are. They've probably already made their choice of who to hire and sent the name down to HR, and now HR is being slow/incompetent at notifying people and sending out the formal offer. I'd pester HR and ask them if a decision has been made, and if so, when they expect notifications to go out.

Thanks for all of the advice!

1. I just emailed one of the attorneys I interviewed with in April. Haven't heard back from her, but to be fair, its only been 3 minutes. I would email HR but there is no specific HR person, and there was no response when I emailed the generic recruiting email from the USA jobs posting in July.

2. Emailed the attorney who set up my phone interview... on vacation for the rest of the week. Of course.