How long after applying do you expect a response.

So I am selectively applying for jobs of mostly positions that I feel are a progression for my career (Solution Architect/Infrastructure Architect style roles).

Generally in my career when I was coming up, jobs like Desktop Support and System Admin I would get calls back almost immediately after applying.
However I am finding while applying for these higher calibre roles, I am receiving calls back sometimes, but often it takes 3 + weeks to receive a call, which is usually just HR calling.

Is it common for higher grade jobs to have such a long vetting process ?

Should I also be chasing up companies?
For example I had a phone call from a company about 2 weeks ago, the lady at HR talked to me and said she would pass my resume to someone in IT.
It has been 2 weeks, should I call her to follow up?

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Comments

jdancer

discount81 wrote: »

...Is it common for higher grade jobs to have such a long vetting process ?...

Unfortunately, yes.

I had to e-mail a director and asked in e-mail if they had made a hiring decision yet. Higher ups are bombarded with e-mails all day long.

So go ahead and ask if the organization has made a hiring decision.

panik

Yes, you should always call to follow up.

It shows that you are interested in the job and reminds them who you are. Hopefully it will prompt them to get you in for an interview or to go over your resume again. If they decided not to call you back because they thought you weren't a good fit you have the opportunity to sell yourself again.

If they have decided to hire someone else you can cross that job off your list and keep working on your other prospects.

Michael2

If it's been two weeks, then forget about it. They only call you if they want to hire you. They're too weak to say "Sorry, you didn't get the job."

As for following up, I don't know how that started. Where do you draw the line between the friendly follow-up call and phone tagging?

I would say that three days is an acceptable wait time. Remember that companies start taking applications months in advance so they always have plenty on hand.

networker050184

I definitely wouldn't forget about it. Things get busy, especially around the holidays, and people forget things.

I always follow up if I'm interested in the job. I think showing that you are really interested and want the job goes a long way to convincing someone to give you a chance.

discount81

Michael2 wrote: »

If it's been two weeks, then forget about it. They only call you if they want to hire you. They're too weak to say "Sorry, you didn't get the job."

As for following up, I don't know how that started. Where do you draw the line between the friendly follow-up call and phone tagging?

I would say that three days is an acceptable wait time. Remember that companies start taking applications months in advance so they always have plenty on hand.

3 days? If I was applying for Contract roles I understand 3 days, but very few companies could review resumes, interview candidates and do other vetting processes within 3 days.

I never had a problem getting a sys admin/support gig, there is always plenty on offer and I can normally land one within a week or 2 of applying so haven't really had to go through a long vetting process to get a job or even following up as those type of roles companies are looking to fill them pretty soon.
However the type of roles I want now I feel like companies want to take their time and make sure they carefully review the candidates.

To give an example one role I interviewed for asked me to do 6 different technical interviews, I wasn't overly keen on the role so turned it down to avoid wasting both of our times, this is why I think 3 days is a silly time frame to give up on a job prospect.

Hypntick

I've been contacted back up to 6 months after applying for a position. I was so deep into the new role I had forgotten all about the other place. Turns out that budget issues had forced them to postpone hiring until then. I would say wait 1-2 weeks and do a follow up call/email and see what's up.

discount81

Hypntick wrote: »

I've been contacted back up to 6 months after applying for a position. I was so deep into the new role I had forgotten all about the other place. Turns out that budget issues had forced them to postpone hiring until then. I would say wait 1-2 weeks and do a follow up call/email and see what's up.

Yeah I have had that happen before also, I noticed companies who do this are not very organized or serious.

About 10 years ago a company interviewed me for a Desktop Support role, called me back to say I got the position but would just need to do some paper work and they would call me back. (I was nearly ready to quit my current job)
I didn't hear back for a week so I called the manager who offered me the position, he gave some bs story about how it takes a while but I still definitely had the job.

Another week passes and I call again, "Oh yeah we just aren't sure anymore if we really need someone"
I felt like abusing him for being such a time waster.

6+ months later the guy calls me back to ask if i was still interested, which I was as I hadn't found anything I wanted.
He asks me to come for another interview, I decline and say either you have a contract ready for me with 20% higher pay than you are offering or I am not interested.
He says I'll get back to you.

I wait a week and call back "Oh yeah we're still deciding what to do"

After this point I gave up and realized some people are just time wasters, this experience also made me reluctant to do follow ups anymore because I decided to focus on my skills and knowledge and learned how to better market myself.

Krones

Just some of my own experiences looking for work at the bottom rung. I recently went on a lunch interview and then was told the next day that the position was on hold due to the holidays. It makes sense given how they cant dedicate any personnel available to mentor me but also a little frustrating being told it was a priority to have me start right away if selected for the position. Granted, I had to wait 3 weeks for the interview which was promised that same week after the initial phone conversation. It really is a great place so I am going to wait it out.

Another job I was hired on the spot but declined the offer due to the job being misrepresented. I put in an app with Zappos and waited a month before I heard back from them - that job was also put on hold.

I've sent out over 30 resumes and 95% of the jobs I apply for I never hear anything back or have not heard anything yet. I am looking for entry level work but not at any helpdesk, hopefully, a place I can actually grow and stay while I finish up WGU. Going to school and looking for work is a drag. This is all within the past 60 days.

Anyway, don't hold your breath, nothing is ever final until you sign a contract, and do a followup email in one to two weeks if it is a position you are really interested in. My friend recently applied with MGM and was hired - it took five weeks before he heard back from them.

panik

Hypntick wrote: »

I've been contacted back up to 6 months after applying for a position.

I'm currently talking to a recruiter about a position that I first applied for 6 months ago

I've managed to start another contract position, and nearly finish up, in that time.

dave330i

Michael2 wrote: »

If it's been two weeks, then forget about it. They only call you if they want to hire you. They're too weak to say "Sorry, you didn't get the job."

As for following up, I don't know how that started. Where do you draw the line between the friendly follow-up call and phone tagging?

I would say that three days is an acceptable wait time. Remember that companies start taking applications months in advance so they always have plenty on hand.

Guessing you haven't applied for high level positions.

jmritenour

It varies. I've applied for engineer positions, and gotten a response and request for a phone screen that same day. Other places have taken weeks, or upward of a month.

One time I applied for a position with a city government, and they called me 3 months later, explaining that the position had been put on hold until funding was approved.

The cake has to Verizon, though. I applied for a position with them one November, and then in May the following year, they contacted me about it. I barely remembered even applying with them. Whether they drug their feet that long, or if they were just working their way though a backlong of applicants, I don't know - I told them thanks for the interest, but I wasn't on the market at that point in time.