Awkward Phone Pauses during Interviews.

Hi Guys,
Just wanted a bit of advice from folks out here as I am pondering about what/if/why etc. I am an MBA working in consulting. I applied for a senior associate role at PwC. The recruiter at PwC called me and said that particular role has been shelved and because of my background I will be a good fit for another role at the same location. She set up time for a phone screening and everything went great for an “experienced – senior associate” hire. She mentioned that since I am not competing with other candidates, I won’t be following the regular MBA process for hiring. She also set me for an interview with the director.

This is where it gets little interesting.
Director and I talked on Friday evening.. From what I heard, I guess he was on his way to the airport to catch his flight to SFO. The first question he asked me was if I am still in school? If he looked at my resume then he clearly knew that I have graduated and currently employed.

After that he proceeded to tell me about the position and we talked about my previous work experience, PwC in general, why PwC? Why consulting as such. Not sure if he was a bad interviewer or just plain awkward, but there were a lot of pauses from his end after every topic. I had to navigate the conversation with what’s next etc., any more questions… and then he used to answer my question and then pause again. I initially thought he was just a bad interviewer, but I still proceeded to ask him questions and keep it going and then finally I had to say “ok, well it was nice talking to you and what would be the next steps”… He mentioned that I am a good fit for what they are looking and I will send a quick note to HR and she will be in touch and good luck with recruiting. It’s been 4 day since, I e-mailed and called HR and there is radio silence.

I just don’t understand what went wrong? My mind says it's Over, but some part dis agrees and says that they haven’t got to it yet. The HR initially moved very quickly and now I am just waiting!!! But those awkward pauses can’t be put on me!! I hate phone interviews.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”