I recently went through a lengthy hiring process for a position in Canada with a company based in Switzerland. Here’s the timeline of my interviews: I had my first interview on May 1, followed by a second interview on May 11, and then a final interview with the hiring manager on May 26. During that final interview, the hiring manager expressed satisfaction with my performance and mentioned that I could expect a decision between June 1 and June 4, as they were interviewing four more finalists. However, that timeframe came and went without any updates. On June 8, I decided to send a follow-up email to check in. Instead of responding directly, the hiring manager sent a new email on June 11, copying both the recruiter and his own manager. In that email, he thanked me for attending the second interview and stated that they would make a final decision at the beginning of the following week. I replied to that email, but received an automatic out-of-office response from the hiring manager’s manager, indicating he would return on June 15. Now, it’s June 16, and I still haven’t heard back. What’s puzzling to me is why they would send a proactive update if they had already selected another candidate. It seems like the timing of the decision might be tied to the manager's return from vacation. I’m trying to gauge whether this means I’m still in the running or if they’re just waiting for another candidate to accept an offer. I’m reaching out to others who have been in similar situations to see how they interpret these signals.