Finished 3rd round (likely final) interview at a pharma. Was told they will make a decision in 2-3 weeks. What could possibly need to happen that would take that long? I'm currently in another pharma of similar size and scope, and have changed roles several times - have never needed to wait for more than 1 week for a decision after final round. Any thoughts?

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I agree, this is unusual. It could happen for any number of reasons. Unfortunately if this is the final round, one possibility is that they have extended an offer to another candidate and have to give them time to make a decision, so they are "keeping you warm" in the meantime. On the other hand, it could be simply that a key decision maker is on vacation. Assume your job search isn't over until you have an offer in hand. Continue applying for roles. Good luck.

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They could be continuing to interview other candidates or may take time to choose between internal and external. There are so many things that go into the process which you will not know about. Your best option is to continue interviewing until you have one in hand.

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As MD1 said, they’re waiting on a yes/no from another candidate. Sorry. But hey it works out sometimes.

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It’s usually the generic response from the recruiters from what I understand. Likely to bide time as others have speculated.

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Best of luck! Hoping you hear good news. If not, on to the next great opportunity!

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Just to throw out another perspective, I feel like pharma sometimes just moves slow. I was recently part of final round interviewer panel and a few candidates were batched together in one debrief session which took place ~3 weeks after the first interviewee had their interview

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Not surprising. If big Pharma then it’s just old slow hiring process.

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Yeah, probably.. it’s still kind of insane. I am in big pharma now and I’ve never take 3 weeks to make a hiring decision/get hired

It could be that you're one of the earliest candidates they interview, and they need to finish interviewing the other candidates before making a decision

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Good to hear the consensus that this is a bit unusual. While certainly a bummer, it helps set my mind at ease, lower expectations, and be mentally prepared for a rejection

hey, did it work out?

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