DonPipazo's journey

I am currently in the final stage of the hiring process for a finance role at a local financial firm. Here’s a breakdown of my timeline so far: - **Early September:** I had my first interview, which was an HR screening. - **Late September:** I progressed to the second interview with a senior executive from the hiring department and a Senior HR Director. - **Last Week (Tuesday):** HR requested my government ID in PDF format for compliance and background checks, despite already having my ID number from earlier rounds. They also called my professional references on the same day. - **Today (Tuesday / 1 week later):** I followed up via WhatsApp to check if they reached my references and if they needed any more information. HR responded almost immediately, confirming they communicated with my references and stated, "We will keep you updated." This response left me feeling a bit deflated, as it sounds like a generic corporate brush-off, leading me to wonder if I’m being put on hold while they consider other candidates. However, some people have reassured me that the fact they called my references the same day and requested my official ID is a strong positive sign. They believe that HR wouldn’t waste time on these formalities unless I was a leading candidate, suggesting that the current wait might just be standard corporate bureaucracy involving compliance checks and internal approvals. I’m curious to know if others in finance or corporate settings think a quick response like this after a month-long hiring process typically indicates that things are moving along normally, or if it could be a sign of a soft rejection. Also, is a 5-business-day wait after reference checks common before extending an offer? Any insights or reality checks would be greatly appreciated!