Waiting for job
posted 2006/12/20 at 19:54
posted 2006/12/20 at 19:54
Question: How long should you wait after sending in a job application before calling the place you sent the application to and asking whether or not they received the application at all?
I ask because at least one of my job applications is over a week old now, and I have yet to receive any replies at all. I realize that I should give some time for the colleges I applied to to respond, given that I've sent in my application materials during finals/graduation/final grading time, and that the people who will be making the decision about whether or not to hire me are probably busy with their own students right now.
Still, not knowing what my employment status is going to be in a couple of weeks' time is starting to make me weary. I had planned on taking this holiday time as a "vacation" for myself, but I'm not finding enjoyment in anything right now because of all the job-related stress I'm experiencing.
If I don't hear back from someone soon, I may need to abandon the teaching plans for the coming semester and try to find employment elsewhere. I just hope I can find decent employment, given that English degrees -- even graduate ones -- don't seem to be too terribly valued on the job market.
Comment by RetroClide1066 at 21/12/06 01:56:
Okay, here's the deal with applying for jobs at colleges/universities or any place on the face of the earth. You may or may NOT hear from them. Just so you know, a week isn't a long period of time. You might never hear from a place you apply to; there isn't any kind of rule that states a potential employer must acknowledge that you even exist. As a matter of fact, most large companies contact you unless they are interested in you.
As for applying for teaching positions, if you are applying for a full time job, there is a good chance that a committee are reviewing those applications. (Yes, that it the proper form of to be; committee is technically a plural noun. A committee cannot be made of one person.) That means that you have to wait for more than one person to look through your dossier.
That process is pretty interesting. I know some people who eliminate a candidate for any kind of misspellings, grammatical or mechanical errors. Don't jump to the conclusion that the reviewer is being too harsh. Think about it like this, if you don't examine your dossier carefully enough to notice any mistakes, how careless are you going to be in your job. It's going to take a while before you hear anything--if you even hear anything.
You should probably apply at more colleges and universities. There are people with doctorates who apply for upwards of twenty or thirty jobs. You should start looking for non-academic jobs, too. Take the words of Jimmy Hoffa to heart, "A job is a job, is a job." There are times when you have to suck up your pride and do a job you don't want to do. Honestly, there is dignity in all work. I would much rather work on the line at Jeep and make a comfortable life for myself than be jobless and live at home with my parents and bemoan the fact that I can't seem to create a life for myself.
Okay, here's the deal with applying for jobs at colleges/universities or any place on the face of the earth. You may or may NOT hear from them. Just so you know, a week isn't a long period of time. You might never hear from a place you apply to; there isn't any kind of rule that states a potential employer must acknowledge that you even exist. As a matter of fact, most large companies contact you unless they are interested in you.
As for applying for teaching positions, if you are applying for a full time job, there is a good chance that a committee are reviewing those applications. (Yes, that it the proper form of to be; committee is technically a plural noun. A committee cannot be made of one person.) That means that you have to wait for more than one person to look through your dossier.
That process is pretty interesting. I know some people who eliminate a candidate for any kind of misspellings, grammatical or mechanical errors. Don't jump to the conclusion that the reviewer is being too harsh. Think about it like this, if you don't examine your dossier carefully enough to notice any mistakes, how careless are you going to be in your job. It's going to take a while before you hear anything--if you even hear anything.
You should probably apply at more colleges and universities. There are people with doctorates who apply for upwards of twenty or thirty jobs. You should start looking for non-academic jobs, too. Take the words of Jimmy Hoffa to heart, "A job is a job, is a job." There are times when you have to suck up your pride and do a job you don't want to do. Honestly, there is dignity in all work. I would much rather work on the line at Jeep and make a comfortable life for myself than be jobless and live at home with my parents and bemoan the fact that I can't seem to create a life for myself.
Comment by RetroClide1066 at 21/12/06 01:56:
Okay, here's the deal with applying for jobs at colleges/universities or any place on the face of the earth. You may or may NOT hear from them. Just so you know, a week isn't a long period of time. You might never hear from a place you apply to; there isn't any kind of rule that states a potential employer must acknowledge that you even exist. As a matter of fact, most large companies contact you unless they are interested in you.
As for applying for teaching positions, if you are applying for a full time job, there is a good chance that a committee are reviewing those applications. (Yes, that it the proper form of to be; committee is technically a plural noun. A committee cannot be made of one person.) That means that you have to wait for more than one person to look through your dossier.
That process is pretty interesting. I know some people who eliminate a candidate for any kind of misspellings, grammatical or mechanical errors. Don't jump to the conclusion that the reviewer is being too harsh. Think about it like this, if you don't examine your dossier carefully enough to notice any mistakes, how careless are you going to be in your job. It's going to take a while before you hear anything--if you even hear anything.
You should probably apply at more colleges and universities. There are people with doctorates who apply for upwards of twenty or thirty jobs. You should start looking for non-academic jobs, too. Take the words of Jimmy Hoffa to heart, "A job is a job, is a job." There are times when you have to suck up your pride and do a job you don't want to do. Honestly, there is dignity in all work. I would much rather work on the line at Jeep and make a comfortable life for myself than be jobless and live at home with my parents and bemoan the fact that I can't seem to create a life for myself.
Okay, here's the deal with applying for jobs at colleges/universities or any place on the face of the earth. You may or may NOT hear from them. Just so you know, a week isn't a long period of time. You might never hear from a place you apply to; there isn't any kind of rule that states a potential employer must acknowledge that you even exist. As a matter of fact, most large companies contact you unless they are interested in you.
As for applying for teaching positions, if you are applying for a full time job, there is a good chance that a committee are reviewing those applications. (Yes, that it the proper form of to be; committee is technically a plural noun. A committee cannot be made of one person.) That means that you have to wait for more than one person to look through your dossier.
That process is pretty interesting. I know some people who eliminate a candidate for any kind of misspellings, grammatical or mechanical errors. Don't jump to the conclusion that the reviewer is being too harsh. Think about it like this, if you don't examine your dossier carefully enough to notice any mistakes, how careless are you going to be in your job. It's going to take a while before you hear anything--if you even hear anything.
You should probably apply at more colleges and universities. There are people with doctorates who apply for upwards of twenty or thirty jobs. You should start looking for non-academic jobs, too. Take the words of Jimmy Hoffa to heart, "A job is a job, is a job." There are times when you have to suck up your pride and do a job you don't want to do. Honestly, there is dignity in all work. I would much rather work on the line at Jeep and make a comfortable life for myself than be jobless and live at home with my parents and bemoan the fact that I can't seem to create a life for myself.
Comment by joepet at 22/12/06 10:18:
Question: How long should you wait after sending in a job application before calling the place you sent the application to and asking whether or not they received the application at all?
Answer: You should never call the place you sent an application to until they contact you first. Rest assured that they received it, and contacting them before they contact you it is a sure way to assure that you never get an interview.
I've had people contact me six months after I sent in an application. It happens...sometimes they don't immediately have an opening, but keep your name on file in case something else comes up. But no company wants to hire some who seems "desperate" for the job any more than a woman would be turned on by a guy who seems desperate to get a date.
Question: How long should you wait after sending in a job application before calling the place you sent the application to and asking whether or not they received the application at all?
Answer: You should never call the place you sent an application to until they contact you first. Rest assured that they received it, and contacting them before they contact you it is a sure way to assure that you never get an interview.
I've had people contact me six months after I sent in an application. It happens...sometimes they don't immediately have an opening, but keep your name on file in case something else comes up. But no company wants to hire some who seems "desperate" for the job any more than a woman would be turned on by a guy who seems desperate to get a date.
Comment by Hawker at 23/12/06 16:41:
'Clide is right...unfortunately they have to come to you rather than you going to them...at least until the first meeting with them...for a lot of academic jobs, there is a cutoff, and often then a set period before they are going to hire...look @ the HR policies for the institutions that you are applying to.
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'Clide is right...unfortunately they have to come to you rather than you going to them...at least until the first meeting with them...for a lot of academic jobs, there is a cutoff, and often then a set period before they are going to hire...look @ the HR policies for the institutions that you are applying to.
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