How long do you think an employer should take to decide if they want to hire you

[CYP3A4]

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Despite the "saturated" job market, I decided i am unhappy in my current full time hospital position and I started looking for something else in Miami, FL. Anyhoo, I am willing to work days or midnight shift so perhaps that helped my cause but nevertheless, I had two interviews lined up in just a couple days.

Both interviews went well and I liked both places equally. One hospital basically made an offer the same day. I really wanted to wait and see what the second offer could offer but 10 days later they haven't gotten back to me. I called the HR lady and she apologized and said they had one more interview but that I was currently the "top candidate".

So basically this hospital expects me to wait around 2 weeks for a response. I think that is too long. Either make an offer or not. I seriously don't want to wait so I just went ahead and accepted the offer from the hospital that was able to make a decision in a timely manner. Was I being too impatient or is 2 weeks too long for an employer to expect you to wait for an offer?

 

[Jabberwocky12]

If you like both places equally (no differences in them) then just accept the one that offered you the job first. 2 weeks seems like a while to still be interviewing people IMO since they only need 1-2 people most likely. 2 weeks and they finish interviewing people still means another couple of days to actually make the decision so now we're at 2.5 weeks.

Assuming you like both equally, get the first one that comes up.

 

[rph3664]

I had an interview a month ago and still haven't heard from them. 🙄 The job opening is still posted on their website, too. They may not have spoken to all their candidates.

Chances are, if you aren't offered the job, you won't hear from them, period.

 

[CYP3A4]

I had an interview a month ago and still haven't heard from them. 🙄 The job opening is still posted on their website, too. They may not have spoken to all their candidates.

Chances are, if you aren't offered the job, you won't hear from them, period.

You should have called them! I think if you take the time out of your schedule for an interview you should have the right to at least get an answer either way. It's the polite and professional thing to do 🙂


As for the previous poster, after interviewing at both places I did feel like both were equally great opportunities. The only difference would maybe be money but at this point a few extra dollars doesn't make a big difference as long as I am happy with my job.

 

[CUpharmD2013]

You should have called them! I think if you take the time out of your schedule for an interview you should have the right to at least get an answer either way. It's the polite and professional thing to do 🙂


As for the previous poster, after interviewing at both places I did feel like both were equally great opportunities. The only difference would maybe be money but at this point a few extra dollars doesn't make a big difference as long as I am happy with my job.

Yeah, 2 weeks is the most that I would go without calling to ask for an update. Sometimes employers won't call and will expect the candidates to follow up in order to see who really takes the initiative/wants the job. If you make the effort to contact them and they don't get back to you, I would try contacting them one more time after about another week or two. If still no reply, then they're not someone you would want to work for anyways. The best thing you can do, though, is to ask them at the end of the interview as to when they think they will have a decision. If they tell you a week, hold them to it. Call them if you haven't heard from them in a week. People are being asked to do much more in less time these days and they get preoccupied with other things. When I interviewed for my internship, they told me that they would have decisions done in a week. Two weeks went by and I contacted the recruiter. Her response was, "It's been two weeks already? Wow, where did the time go?"

 

[rph3664]

You should have called them! I think if you take the time out of your schedule for an interview you should have the right to at least get an answer either way. It's the polite and professional thing to do 🙂


As for the previous poster, after interviewing at both places I did feel like both were equally great opportunities. The only difference would maybe be money but at this point a few extra dollars doesn't make a big difference as long as I am happy with my job.

I just did that, and the HR person said that the chief pharmacist has been working at another location for the past few weeks, and that might be why I hadn't heard from them.

 

[slickdeals]

Despite the "saturated" job market, I decided i am unhappy in my current full time hospital position and I started looking for something else in Miami, FL. Anyhoo, I am willing to work days or midnight shift so perhaps that helped my cause but nevertheless, I had two interviews lined up in just a couple days.

So basically this hospital expects me to wait around 2 weeks for a response. I think that is too long. Either make an offer or not. I seriously don't want to wait so I just went ahead and accepted the offer from the hospital that was able to make a decision in a timely manner. Was I being too impatient or is 2 weeks too long for an employer to expect you to wait for an offer?

Directors and management people are becoming more and more selective these days. They want to hire the right person for the right job. However, you can consider to move on if it's actually 2 weeks without follow-up calls or so...

 

[gotdrugs]

If you like both places equally (no differences in them) then just accept the one that offered you the job first. 2 weeks seems like a while to still be interviewing people IMO since they only need 1-2 people most likely. 2 weeks and they finish interviewing people still means another couple of days to actually make the decision so now we're at 2.5 weeks.

Assuming you like both equally, get the first one that comes up.

You have little to no concept of the real world.


Esp. from the other side of the table (i.e. the hiring position).

A very very plausible scenario is that the other person(s) that they may have already scheduled interviews with couldn't make it within your predefined "2 week window" since they have other obligations.......like you know their current job.

HR depts, esp the good ones, will unlikely cancel future interviews that they already scheduled no matter how much like may have liked the OP.

 

[Jabberwocky12]

You have little to no concept of the real world.


Esp. from the other side of the table (i.e. the hiring position).

A very very plausible scenario is that the other person(s) that they may have already scheduled interviews with couldn't make it within your predefined "2 week window" since they have other obligations.......like you know their current job.

HR depts, esp the good ones, will unlikely cancel future interviews that they already scheduled no matter how much like may have liked the OP.

I would agree that sometimes things happen and interviews have to be re-scheduled. However, with the number of applicants involved and the number of positions open, it just doesn't seem like more than 2 weeks worth of interviewing sounds reasonable barring outside circumstances. For jobs I have applied for, and comparing with other people that I know as well, if the position is only for 1-2 people it takes less than 2 weeks to say *something* usually thanks but no thanks or welcome aboard. If doing a mass hiring then yeah I would understand it taking longer than that.

I will concede to you though that I don't know how hospitals hire salaried workers like pharmacists though, and will admit that I am basing this statement on other positions in different fields.

 

[IndustryPharmD]

Depends. Pharma hiring process typically takes between a month and two months. Don't know about hospitals. 🙂

 

[rph3664]

Depends. Pharma hiring process typically takes between a month and two months. Don't know about hospitals. 🙂

That depends too. At my last job, the offer was extended at the end of the interview! 😎 😱

 

[IndustryPharmD]

That depends too. At my last job, the offer was extended at the end of the interview! 😎 😱

But that was back in the days when having a pulse and a pharmacist license was all one needed, and hospitals fought over any candidate who had both, right? 😀

 

[gotdrugs]

I would agree that sometimes things happen and interviews have to be re-scheduled. However, with the number of applicants involved and the number of positions open, it just doesn't seem like more than 2 weeks worth of interviewing sounds reasonable barring outside circumstances. For jobs I have applied for, and comparing with other people that I know as well, if the position is only for 1-2 people it takes less than 2 weeks to say *something* usually thanks but no thanks or welcome aboard. If doing a mass hiring then yeah I would understand it taking longer than that.

I will concede to you though that I don't know how hospitals hire salaried workers like pharmacists though, and will admit that I am basing this statement on other positions in different fields.

Again, no offense, but you just aren't experienced enough to see the whole picture. I'll give you my personal example (N=1 but still an example)

WHen I applied for my current position, I was already in another - due to being, you know a responsible professional, I didn't just opt out of the first day of work possible. It took about a 6 week lag between being invited for an interview and actually having my interview date. Again, because I had responsibilities to the position I was in at that time and to that employer. During that 6 weeks they had interviewed a few other candidates.

Quite some time later, I discovered that one of the candidates they interviewed before me, they were impressed with. However, out of professionalism, since I had an interview scheduled with them, they didn't make an offer to the other candidate. I came in and interviewed and they offered me instead.

Bottom line is there are a whole host of reasons why a hospital won't make a decision in 2 weeks - and the OP situation is VERY similar to the one I just described. If the hospital has other interviews already lined up before he/she interviewed, they aren't going to cancel, no matter how good of a candidate the OP is.

I'm on the other side of the interviewing table now. I mentioned some of the logistics involved with candidates setting schedules, that doesn't even touch having to coordinate dates when all the key players on your end of the table (the HR recruiter for pharmacy, Director, any Asst. Dir, clin coordinators, supervisors, etc) are available to interview. It's not like employers are sitting around with their thumbs up their asses waiting to interview candidates at the drop of a hat.

EDIT: Out of curiosity - you are making your judgement based on "the number of applicants" involved - I don't see where the OP mentions how many applicants there are - just that they have another interview scheduled. Could only be 2 - could be 4-5, who knows? But again, back to my point even IF it's only one other applicant, if they have the interview scheduled, HR isn't going to cancel the interview.

 

[type b pharmD]

I've had situations where I was hired (corporate nuclear) the night after my interview and the job didnt start for months because of corporate shenanagins (paperwork etc) , a hospital job that took literally months to even by email pestering to get the DOP to acknowledge that she had the budget and need for a new hire, but most have only taken , i would say, 1-3 weeks (a couple 'real' jobs, but mostly part time student stuff)

i would think that in a market like this, it would not take 'long' to find the perfect candidate. but there are always things like maybe they are understaffed since they're looking to hire someone and that understaffing leads to a slow hiring process, or, problems getting budgets / new hires approved because of the economy/state of the company, forgetfulness, etc.

If it was me i'd stay in close contact after about 1.5 weeks, i'd begin emailing and if no updates arrived, probably email every week at the least. One of my hospital DOPs told me the only reason she hired me (instead of just not hiring anyone at all) was because I kept bugging her (she liked my 'enthusiasm) .. truth is she just has major organization problems and loses/forgets most people's correspondence with her.

So keep in mind, the situation could be any number of different things if you havent heard back

 

[rph3664]

But that was back in the days when having a pulse and a pharmacist license was all one needed, and hospitals fought over any candidate who had both, right? 😀

Incredible how much things have changed in 8 years. Whether a manager would do that also depends on their personality. This director stepped down shortly after I started, and has worked staff ever since.

 

[KARM12]

It depends where you are on the interview spectrum. Maybe you were the first candidate? If the time frame is unacceptable then take the other position.