u/Ashamed_Comfort_5977

Applied for a federal gov internship at a major company in DC and the process was moving fast at first: great conversations, strong signals, talk about timelines, etc. Then suddenly… nothing.

Now it’s been complete silence for weeks. No rejection, no update, just ghosted after making it seem like things were going well. I know hiring can move slowly, but this feels weirdly abrupt. People who work in policy/corporate recruiting is there still hope when this happens, or does silence this long usually mean it’s over and they just haven’t officially rejected you yet?

I interviewed and made it to the final round in early April, but I have not received any updates. I followed up with the recruiter via email and have not heard back. Would it be appropriate to reach out directly to the hiring manager, or is that generally discouraged? If it is appropriate, what would be the best way to phrase that email? I have been unable to connect with anyone on the HR team and am not sure how best to proceed.

Currently an undergrad at George Washington University, and I wrapped up a final round a couple of weeks ago for a government affairs internship at a large public company. Since then… silence.

It’s been about two weeks with no update, and even my follow-ups have gone unanswered. I know timelines can vary, but at what point does “still in process” turn into “you’ve been ghosted”?

For those on the employer side, what’s a typical timeline for final decisions at larger firms? And what are the most common reasons a recruiter might go quiet at this stage?