I recently went through two rounds of interviews for a state government position.

Last Wednesday, I received a phone call telling me I was the top candidate and that they wanted to move forward with reference checks, employment verification, and a background check. They contacted several of my references and sent me the background check authorization, which I’ve since completed.

After not hearing anything for several days, I followed up to ask about the timeline.

Today, I received this response:

“We wanted to confirm that you are a top candidate, and we hope to have a final decision by early next week.”

I’m a little confused because I initially understood the phone call and background check as signs that I had been selected, pending clearance. Now I’m wondering if they’re still deciding between multiple candidates.

I completely understand that nothing is official until an offer is made, especially with government hiring.…