u/MisterBigBad

Looking for some perspective from recruiters/hiring managers, particularly those who work with senior-level professional positions.

I recently completed a final panel interview for a Principal-level position that I’m extremely interested in. I have about 9 years of directly relevant experience, exceed the minimum experience requirement, have both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and believe my background aligns very closely with what they’re looking for.

I had an initial interview with the hiring executive, which went very well, and was advanced to a four-person final panel. Before the final interview, the recruiter also allowed me to provide supplemental materials to the panel, including professional recommendations and a 90-day plan for the position.

The final interview was last Friday and, from my perspective, it genuinely could not have gone much better. I answered every question with specific examples from my experience, handled the follow-ups well, and received positive comments about my instincts and thought process. The conversation became very natural, with plenty of back-and-forth, humor, and discussion about the organization and its culture. I left feeling extremely confident about both my performance and the fit.
The hiring executive had previously mentioned wanting to fill the position ASAP.

It’s now Wednesday, and I haven’t heard anything. On Monday, I sent the recruiter a brief email asking if they could provide a rough timeline for a decision or next steps because I have some upcoming decisions/administrative items with my current employer. No response yet.
I’m not planning to follow up again right now. What I’m trying to understand is what could be happening behind the scenes.

For recruiters/hiring managers:
- Is 3 business days of silence after a final panel completely normal, even when the company wants to hire quickly?
- If the panel selected its candidate, what normally happens internally before that person actually gets the call?
- Could compensation/HR approvals explain several days of complete silence?
- Would you read anything into the recruiter not responding to the timeline question?
- At what point would the silence actually start making you question the outcome?

Obviously, I have no idea who else interviewed or how they performed. I’m not assuming the job is mine simply because I felt good about the interview. I’m mainly struggling to reconcile an interview that felt exceptionally strong, and included several positive signals, with suddenly hearing absolutely nothing afterward.

For those who have been on the recruiting side, what would you make of this timeline?

Have a question that needs answering:

I applied for a position with a salary range of $100k-$275k…weeks passed (I forgot I ever applied)…last week the recruiter reached out and wanted to schedule the first interview and before we got off the phone he asked:

“What salary would you be comfortable at?”
I forgot I had ever applied to this job and didn’t remember the salary range and didn’t want to disqualify myself by starting high so I said; “$150k” and he said okay and scheduled the first interview (in hindsight, I wish I wouldn’t have said anything)

I felt the first interview went great and so did they. I got a call the next day and was notified they wanted to schedule the 2nd interview (panel) and want to hire for this position ASAP.

intra-story context: In the time period between when I applied and when I was called by the recruiter, I was promoted to a management position in my current job (that information wasn’t known information when they decided they wanted to interview me). I briefly mentioned this during the first interview.

In the event that my second interview goes great and I get to the offer stage, does anyone have any insight into how this might play out. The position I am interviewing for is a Principal level position but not management. My circumstances have changed for the better since I interviewed (leverage?).

When it comes to the qualifications I would consider myself very qualified only lacking small things that can be learned quickly. As far as education and experience is concerned, I am 100% qualified. They want 8+ years of experience; I have nearly 10 YoE, they want a bachelors in x; I have a bachelors in x. They want an advanced degree; I have that.

How should I go about countering? I have prepared documentation that spells out the value that I will bring based on the job duties and responsibilities in the job post. This document doesn’t have a number but clearly demonstrates the exceptional fit I am for this role. Will they be offended and rescind offer based on my ask? Based on the value I bring, I feel I am worth in the neighborhood of $200k, but I mistakenly mentioned $150k.

I am terrible at haggling/negotiating😅Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.