When should you hear back regarding job openings?

[BlackBantie]

I feel immature posting this but am getting paranoid and anxious about the job search process. When should you hear back from recruiters, etc if you email them about an opening? I've emailed some recruiters, attendings, and clinical directors and heard back within a few days. However, I've emailed some chairmen of departments and haven't heard back in >1 week. I'm beginning to wonder if the longer it takes for them to respond then the less desirable of a candidate I am for that job opening. But then again, I don't feel like I'm well-educated regarding this process.

Can anyone shed any light?

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[OldPsychDoc]

Recruiters get paid to find you...therefore it's in their interest to get back immediately. Department chairs...well, let's just say that you're only one of a billion things they're doing that week, and you might not be the highest priority. Even if they are in the office today.

 

[vistaril]

I feel immature posting this but am getting paranoid and anxious about the job search process. When should you hear back from recruiters, etc if you email them about an opening? I've emailed some recruiters, attendings, and clinical directors and heard back within a few days. However, I've emailed some chairmen of departments and haven't heard back in >1 week. I'm beginning to wonder if the longer it takes for them to respond then the less desirable of a candidate I am for that job opening. But then again, I don't feel like I'm well-educated regarding this process.

Can anyone shed any light?

of course the longer it takes someone means they are not as interested(relative to responding sooner). That's not true for just applying for jobs, but that's true for anything.....

It doesn't mean they don't want you or won't hire you of course. but a particular person responding in 2 weeks vs that SAME person responding in 1 day indicates different interest sure.

Also, while chairmen are the people who obviously officially do the hiring and have the final say, in many large depts(so I've heard I don't work in academics) there is another person who is more into seeking out candidates and interfacing with them. It may be an assistant chair, clinical director of some service, etc.....so you may not even be going to the right person in every case initially.

 

[BlackBantie]

You guys both bring up a good point about the chair of the department being busy with other more important things. For a couple of positions (at different universities) the job postings explicitly state to email your CV and cover letter to the chair. I was a little skeptical at first because I thought surely there is someone else in the department I could email it to. But then I talked to people who are already employed there and they all said to email the chair. It just seems weird. On the other hand, I don't want to be blowing up everyone's email account at the university with my CV.

 

[2tall]

Really consider how many e-mails the chair of an academic department (particularly one at a large academic institution) receives in one day. Your e-mail might take quite a bit of time to sort through. Also, the chair doesn't have time to reply to every e-mail to note its receipt. If 10 people respond and you're the 11th, that's more likely to determine your position than an assumption regarding your desirability.

If you plan to send another e-mail inquiry to curb your anxiety (I'd wait at least 2 weeks), you may want to research and locate the chair's administrative assistant and cc: this person on your correspondence.

It's still incredibly early in the job hunting season. You'll find employment for July.

Sometimes organizations don't reply... and there are other fish in the sea.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Some of the chairs I've met prefer things be done systematically. It would not surprise me if he/she is waiting until a certain date to respond to all interested applicants.

On the other hand, they are very busy, and filling 1 position is rarely high priority unless there is multiple openings.