The interview went well. The recruiter said you'd hear something next week, and you walked out thinking the job was close. That was 12 days ago. Since then, you've refreshed your inbox between every other task and started reading the silence as a no.
If you're trying to figure out how to get a job fast, the hard part is that most of the hiring timeline belongs to the employer. But a lot of delay happens in the gaps between stages: a reference who doesn't pick up, a scheduling email that sits for two days, a follow-up sent too early or not at all. Those gaps are yours to close.
Leora Opstelten spent the longest stretch of her career as a corporate recruiter in tech, healthcare administration, and hospitality, before moving into career counseling. On the recruiting side, she saw how much a candidate's own responsiveness could speed up a hire or stall it.
"You don't want to be the stumbling block," she says. "You want to be the person who's taking phone calls, scheduling interviews quickly. It just makes everybody's life easier."
There's no standard hiring timeline. "Every company does it their own way," Opstelten says. An entry-level role might move from application to offer in a couple of weeks, while an executive search can run much longer. Those delays rarely come from one big holdup. They build up a few days at a time across each stage, especially while interviewers free up their calendars and while the team decides after your final interview.
You can't set the hiring team's calendar, but you can make sure your side of the process never adds days to it. Opstelten's rule is simple. "Make sure they're getting everything they need as quickly as they're asking for it," she says. "Same day if possible."
► Your next step: For every hiring process you're in, write down the stage you've reached, the date of your last contact, and what you're waiting on next. You'll need that list when it's time to follow up.
Opstelten recommends being prepared when you start applying, even before you know whether a company will ask for any information.
References. Keep names, titles, phone numbers, and email addresses in one place. "I like to say have it on a piece of paper," Opstelten says. "You could upload it, you can copy and paste the info into an email or onto an applicant tracking system application."
When an employer tells you they're checking references, contact each one that day. "Reach out to those folks and tell them, 'Hey, you're going to get a call from an unknown number. It's this company checking references,'" she says. Plenty of people let unknown numbers go to voicemail, and every missed call adds days.
Many companies extend a soft offer that depends on references and a background check. You want that final piece "as smooth and as seamless as possible," Opstelten adds.
Availability and paperwork. Know which days you can interview over the next two weeks, your earliest start date, and how much notice your current employer needs. Keep your ID and work authorization documents within reach, too. Screenings and background checks can take anywhere from a day to two weeks, and unfinished forms on your end only stretch that window.
Salary range. Know the number you need, but you don't have to lead with it. Salary usually comes up at the final stage. If a recruiter asks earlier and the posting lists a pay range, telling them you're comfortable within that range is enough for now.
► Your next step: This week, text or email your two or three strongest references to confirm they're still willing to vouch for you and that their contact details are current.
Once you're in a hiring process, small habits on your end can shave days off each stage.
Say yes to the times they offer. Opstelten knows candidates who are currently working can't always drop everything, but, "the best that you can, try and accommodate the times that they're suggesting," she says. If none of the proposed times work, reply the same day with two or three specific windows you can do.
Treat every conversation like an interview. "Throughout the process, you're always being evaluated, even if it's not a formal interview," Opstelten says. That includes the coordinator who schedules you and anyone you meet on site.
When two finalists look identical on paper, she says, the deciding factor is often whether the team can picture working with you. Some places she worked had what they called "no-jerk" policies: "If the candidate was rude to anybody on site, it was a no-go."
Use a referral when you can. Referred candidates are more likely to get hired, and they clear first-round screens at a higher rate: 52%, compared with 35% across all candidates. Opstelten says companies move referrals along quickly because they want employees to keep recommending people, so those candidates get "a little bit more of that white-glove experience."
If you know someone at a company that's hiring, send a short note saying you saw the opening and plan to apply. Even if they can't formally refer you, they may give the recruiting team a heads-up to watch for your resume.
► Your next step: Block out two or three windows in the coming week when you could take a call or interview, so you can answer scheduling requests the day they arrive.
During the interview, ask the employer how many interview rounds are left and when they expect to make a decision. Opstelten says the answer shows roughly how long the process will take and when it's fair to check in. If you're interviewing at several places, it also tells you which offer might arrive first.
Follow up once their date passes. If a hiring manager says you'll hear back in a week, wait until a week and a half has gone by, then check in. Following up two days after an interview, while the team still has a week of interviews on the calendar, only adds noise. Asking for the timeline up front "allows you to make sure that you're holding them accountable for their timelines without jumping the gun," Opstelten says.
If you're working with a staffing agency, your recruiter does much of that chasing for you. Agency recruiters also tend to pass along feedback after an interview, "so the next time you can change your interview style a little bit or do something differently," Opstelten says.
Know when to walk away. Some delays are normal. "People get sick. Sometimes things get rescheduled. It happens," Opstelten says. Repeated rescheduling, a distracted interviewer, or a job that sounds different from the one you applied for are another story.
She compares interviewing to dating: at this stage, the hiring team is on its best behavior. If that's their "most professional, their kindest version of themselves, and it's not very kind and it's not very professional, you can only imagine what it's going to be like once you're an employee."
The clearest signal is how far an employer has drifted past their own timeline. "If they said a week and it's been four weeks, it's probably time to cut and run," she says. Walking away frees up your time for employers who are ready to hire.
► Your next step: Send a short check-in to any employer whose stated decision date has passed. If one is weeks overdue, put that time toward new applications instead, starting with open roles on myKelly.
If you get an offer while a company you'd prefer is still deciding, a little transparency can speed up the decision you're waiting on. Opstelten's approach comes down to three steps.
1. Tell your top choice your deadline. Let the employers you're still interviewing with know you have an offer and when you need to respond. "I have this other offer. I'm really excited about you. I need to get back to them by this date. Do you think you'll have a decision by then?" is all it takes, Opstelten says. You don't need to name the other company or share the salary if you'd rather keep those details private.
Telling an employer about another offer can feel like you're putting them on the spot. But most hiring teams would rather speed up than lose a candidate they like.
When Opstelten recruited in tech, her team took about a month to hire a client-facing software engineer, and paid for it. "We lost a lot of candidates because we were taking too long," she says. If you're the candidate an employer wants, your deadline is useful information, and it's often the push a slow process needs.
2. Ask the offering company for more time. Once your top choice knows your deadline, go back to the company that made the offer, tell them you're still interviewing elsewhere, and ask for a little more time. Opstelten suggests keeping it simple: "I'm still in process with a couple other companies. Could I have an additional 48 hours?"
3. Be honest with everyone. Don't invent an offer or exaggerate where things stand to rush a decision. "It's not a good policy to lie to anybody in this process," Opstelten says.
► Your next step: Rank the hiring processes you're in by how much you want each job. When an offer arrives, that ranking tells you which employers to contact first.
Most of the hiring timeline belongs to the employer, but the parts you control add up quickly. Staying responsive, prepared, and honest is how to get a job fast, even when the process itself won't hurry.
Opstelten also wants job seekers to give themselves some grace, because searching is hard work. A staffing agency can take some of that work off your plate. Your recruiter submits you for roles, preps you for interviews, and follows up with employers on your behalf. They also have a stake in the outcome. "They're as invested as you are in you finding a good position, in part because they're compensated when they place you," she says.
That partnership helps emotionally, too. Having a recruiter beside you for interview prep and resume help can carry you through the stress of a long search, Opstelten says. "You've got someone who wants to get you placed as well."
If you want help keeping every stage moving, connect with a Kelly recruiter who works in your field.