The Dreaded “We’ll Be In Touch” By An Interviewer

When an interviewer tells you they’ll be in touch with you, how should you interpret that? If you completed an interview and how the interviewer ended the interview, is this a good sign or a bad sign?

Trying to figure out small indicators of whether the interview went well or not is a challenge. Human Resource managers frequently coach interviewers. And they are told not to allude to anything during the interviews, good or bad.

They are coached in this way because hiring decisions are frequently made by committee. You may have interviewed with 3-5 employees at the company. And part of the hiring process is that all employees meet after their interviews to mention their feedback on you, the candidate.

After that, they decide whether or not they should proceed with giving you an offer of employment, which states your compensation package and start date.

Related: How Long After An Interview Is A Job Offer Made? The Answer Here

So Why Does The Interviewer Say “We’ll Be In Touch”

It can be difficult to determine if the interviewer is saying this positively or negatively. And even if it were to be negative, whether or not their opinion holds any merit to the decision in hiring you.

There’s a harsh reality, not everyone is going to like you. That’s simply the case. They may feel threatened by your presence in the workplace. Or may feel some bias against you. This is a reality.

When they say “we’ll be in touch” at the end of the interview, you have to determine whether or not you felt the conversation had chemistry.

Chemistry should feel similar when you have a good conversation with a close friend of yours. It will feel as though the other person is engaged in the conversation. And that they are taking the time to comprehend and understand the communication that you both are having.

If you feel like the interviewer was unengaged from the conversation and they end up saying “we’ll be in touch,” that could mean that the interviewer felt the interview session was negative.

Related: 3 Ways To Answer "When Can You Start?"

What Can I Do To Change Their Opinion

Let’s say you feel as though the interviewer didn’t care for the interview. The best thing you can do is to send that interviewer a thank you email after the interview. Be extremely appreciative of their time and try to “kill them with kindness.”

This may not help to turn the interviewer's onion, but it can absolutely help in having that person give you a “neutral” vote when they convene as a group.

Related: 18 Signs Of A Bad Interview (And How To Spot Them)

What If The Interview Felt Positive, But They Said “We’ll Be In Touch”

If you feel like there was chemistry between you and the interviewer, but they still said, “we’ll be in touch,” then it simply means they are going to convene with the rest of the team and get back to you soon.

You should absolutely send the interviewer a thank you email the day after your interview. This will help that professional recall that they committed to being in touch with you regarding the position.

Ideally, your interviewer gives you some definitive feedback at the end of your interview. Something like, “I really enjoyed our conversation” or similar. If they were to say a statement like that but still ended it with “we’ll be in touch soon,” it would indicate a very positive interview session.

Related: 10 Signs An Interview Went Well (Signs For Interview Pros)

What If They Say “Good Luck” At The End Of The Interview

If they use terms like “good luck in your job search” or a similar statement, this may mean that the interview went extremely poorly. This would indicate that the interviewer felt like the interview went so poorly that they’re willing to tell you immediately that they are no moving forward with your employment offer. By the interviewer saying “good luck” or something similar, this is a professional way to say goodbye to you, the interviewee.