en

Services

Korea' leading employers trust us to deliver fast, efficient hiring solutions that are tailored to their exact requirements. Browse our range of bespoke services and resources

Read more

Contact Us

Truly global and proudly local, we’ve been serving the South Korean labour market for over 12 years with offices in Seoul

Get in touch
Jobs

Our industry specialists will listen to your aspirations and share your story with the most prestigious organisations in South Korea. Together, let’s write the next chapter of your career.

See all jobs

Internal vacancies

Ever considered a career in recruitment?

Learn more
Candidates

Together, we’ll map out career-defining, life-changing pathways to achieve your ambitions. Browse our range of services, advice, and resources.

Learn more
Services

Korea' leading employers trust us to deliver fast, efficient hiring solutions that are tailored to their exact requirements. Browse our range of bespoke services and resources

Read more
Insights

Whether you’re seeking to hire talent or seeking a new career move for yourself, we have the latest facts, trends and inspiration you need.

See all resources
About Robert Walters Korea

For us, recruitment is more than just a job. We understand that behind every opportunity is the chance to make a difference to people’s lives.

Learn more

Work for us

Our people are the difference. Hear stories from our people to learn more about a career at Robert Walters Korea.

Learn more
Contact Us

Truly global and proudly local, we’ve been serving the South Korean labour market for over 12 years with offices in Seoul

Get in touch

Waiting for jobs

You know the scenario: you’ve applied for a new position in a company and you’re waiting to hear back. You wait…and wait. Or perhaps you’ve already had an interview and you’re keen to find out whether you will be offered the role.


The days tick by with no sign of that call or letter. Our research shows that there’s a significant gap between job seekers’ expectations of communication around the recruitment process and the reality you are likely to experience.

So what, if anything, can you do to prepare for this?

After applying 

If you’ve spent time tailoring your CV or filling in an application form you will want to know whether or not you are likely to be offered an interview. When we surveyed job seekers, we found that almost one in four (23%) expected the organisation or recruitment consultancy to get back to them within two days with 57% expecting a response within four days.

How to prepare: Try to understand that a company may have dozens or even hundreds of applications for a particular job. If they are to do the process justice, they must take time to assess the qualities of the applicants.  Don’t assume that because you have heard nothing after a week the company isn’t interested in you. A polite follow up call or email may be acceptable, but frequent contact is not.

If you’re using a recruitment consultancy, you may feel less inhibited about contacting them for a response – if you’ve not already heard - but make sure you remain professional at all times.

Post interview 

Our research shows that the vast majority (88%) of job seekers expect to be contacted within four days of attending an interview (with 55% expecting a response within two days). When we meet with HR managers and recruiters at client organisations, we stress the importance of delivering feedback in a timely fashion. However, there are bound to be occasions when the response will be slower than you would like. It’s frustrating, but it’s not necessarily a reflection of the company or its assessment of you.

How to prepare: Find out about the timescales during your interview. Try and ensure it’s ‘business as usual’ once you’re done (i.e. don’t dwell on the interview but focus on your job or other activities).  If you haven’t heard within the time specified, call to ask for feedback. Give the company some time to respond and, if necessary, get in touch again after a few days.

If everything about the process has been disorganised or mismanaged, this delay may not be a good sign. However, it’s important to understand that the company may have other, more pressing priorities and something as straightforward as a key member of the recruitment process being off sick could cause delays.

The length of the recruitment process 

When we surveyed job seekers, we found that almost one in four expected the organisation or recruitment consultancy to get back to them within two days with 57% expecting within four days.

While 78% of professionals think the recruitment process (from application to job offer) should take four weeks or less, our research shows this only happened in 26% of cases. And while just 1% of job seekers believe that three months or more is an acceptable time frame, we found that recruitment took this long in over a fifth (22%) of cases.

We recommend that employers sign off budgets before the recruitment process begins, identify who needs to be involved in the recruitment process at the outset and schedule their time in advance. However, this isn’t something all organisations are able to implement.

How to prepare:  If you’re using a recruitment consultancy, you should get timely feedback about the progress of the hiring process.  It will help if you’re able to be flexible about your time for interview. Most organisations will call professionals for two interviews, but a quarter of the employees we spoke to said they normally carry out three.

It’s worth remembering - while you’re waiting for that email or call - that if you’re offered the role and it turns out to be the career move you’ve dreamed of, the delays you experienced will soon fade from your mind. 

Read our tips on how to tailor your CV and how to answer questions at interview

 

Share this article

Useful links

Sign up for job alerts
Salary Survey
Career Advice
Get in touch

Find out more by contacting one of our specialist recruitment consultants

Related content

View All

The ultimate guide to working from home

The world has changed — in just a few short months, the global coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the ways that we live and work. While working from home is by no means a new concept, it’s one that we’ve all had to suddenly come to terms with. In these challenging times, we find ourselve

Read More

A guide to rediscovering and upskilling yourself

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues, businesses have acted quickly, requiring employees to work from home to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus. While we don’t yet know the full impact of COVID-19, companies not only face the sudden need to effectively manage business-wide remote working arrang

Read More

How to make a first impression in your new job

Being the rookie in the organisation can be a bit daunting and both challenging and exciting. After going through the interview process, you know how much first impressions count. Now that you have accepted the role, it’s time to think about how to make first impressions on your first day at work ar

Read More

I'm Robert Walters Are you?

Come join our global team of creative thinkers, problem solvers and game changers. We offer accelerated career progression, a dynamic culture and expert training.