“举例来说，这些功能的运作方式其实与亚马逊处理图书订单的方式类似，系统追踪记录图书离开仓库的时间、搬上卡车的时间、在途送往顾客手中的时间，等等，”弗曼表示，“因此，问题不是雇主们不知道你的申请进度如何，以及有多少人正在竞争该岗位或者是否已有合适人员。他们清楚得很。”

    他们只是不告诉你。StartWire的调查显示，尽管接受调查的求职者中，有90%表示收到回馈能使求职过程“不那么令人气馁”，96%表示更愿意到一家自己知道将及时被告知进度的公司去应聘，可只有33%的《财富》美国500强公司会将他们手头拥有的任何信息转发给求职者。“那些以‘求职申请黑洞’而著称的公司，可能会错过潜在的明星雇员。”弗曼如是说。

    了解了上述情形后，你需要等多久才能确定自己没能得到这份真心想要的工作呢？大体上说，经验法则表明一份职位空缺约持续45天。“因此，你应了解该空缺信息首次发布是什么时候”——StartWire收集5600家雇主的众多信息，并向其用户提供，其中就涵盖了上述问题的答案——“从那天起数45天，如果还没有任何回应，你就可以假定自己没能成功了。”弗曼称。

    就你的情况而言，由于你面试后已过去了三周，现在放弃还为时过早，可以再等三周。可是，那家向你发出录取通知书的公司愿意等你那么久，让你慢慢下决定吗？

    在当前形势下或许不会，“你应当联系自己更想加入的那家公司，让对方知道你有另一份录用通知在手，”总部位于波士顿的经理人培训公司ClearRock的管理合伙人安妮•史蒂芬斯建议，“要把这说成对他们的一种礼貌，并请他们提出反要约。”

    如果你这么做了，然后还是没有回应呢？“两天内收不到反要约的话，”史蒂芬斯表示，“就接受另一份工作吧，充分利用好那个机会。”

    祝你好运！

读者交流：您是否有过申请一份工作（或者不止一份），然后被晾在一边，根本不知道自己还有无机会的经历？如果您是招聘经理，您是否认同求职者应当等待45天之后再放弃希望？敬请在文后发表评论。

    译者：小宇

    "These features work the same way as when, for example, you order a book from Amazon (AMZN). The system tracks when it leaves the warehouse, when it goes on a truck, when it's en route for delivery to you, and so on," says Forman. "So the problem isn't that employers don't know where your application stands, how many other people are in the running, or whether the job has been filled. They know precisely."

    They just don't tell you. StartWire's research shows that only 33% of Fortune 500 companies pass along any of the data they have on hand to candidates, even though 90% of job seekers surveyed said that getting that feedback would make their job hunt "less frustrating," and 96% said they would be more likely to apply for a job at a company where they know they'll be kept informed. "Companies that are notorious for 'application black holes' lose out on potential star employees," Forman says.

    With all that in mind, how long should you wait before concluding that you didn't get that job you really want? As a general rule of thumb, a job stays open for about 45 days. "So if you know when the opening was first posted" -- one of the many kinds of data that StartWire collects from about 5,600 employers and makes available to its users -- "count 45 days from that date, and if you've still heard nothing, you can assume you didn't get it," Forman says.

    In your case, since it's been three weeks since your interview, it's still about three weeks too early to give up. But is the employer who did make you an offer willing to wait that long for your decision?

    Probably not, so at this point, "you should contact the company where you'd prefer to get hired and let them know you have another offer," advises Annie Stevens, a managing partner at Boston-based executive coaching firm ClearRock. "Frame this as a courtesy to them, and invite them to make a counteroffer."

    What if you do that and still hear nothing? "If you don't receive a counteroffer within two days," says Stevens, "then take the other job and make the best of that opportunity."

    Good luck.

Talkback: Have you applied for a job (or more than one) and been left in the dark as to whether you're still in the running for it? If you're a hiring manager, do you agree that applicants should wait 45 days before giving up? Leave a comment below.