Last Monday, I had an interview with a big biotechnology company for a research associate position. Two days later they called me and said they would like to offer me the position. Then the following day I went to fill out paperworks like the I-9 and benefits documents and gave me a start date. I also had my drug test done on the same day. I am quite sure about the result as I have never smoked in my life nor have I been around pot smokers...and it has been at least 6 months or so since I've taken any pain reliever like Aleve or Advil thay would give out false positive. My start date is in a week and a half and so far I have no gotten any sort of confirmation in regards to what time I should be there. They said they'll do a background check (I have always followed the law...I don't even litter and since I don't drive, I have no driving record) and call my references. It has been 3 business days since I went there on Thursday for the paperworks and according to my references, they haven't gotten any calls from the company. What could this mean? I hope they didn't withdraw my candidacy or change their minds. My education background (B.S. in Microbiology with 3.1 gpa) is real not falsified in case you're wondering. I am also supposed to get username and password info soon as my online timecard log ins. Should I call them in a few days for any update?
In addition, I was told by a professional friend that references aren't always contacted if they feel like the candidate is already good enough without any outside opinion. Is that the case? I am so worried to lose this one because this is my first job related to my degree. Also, I got my picture taken for the id on the same day I signed papers.