Is it appropriate to reach out to express interest in a position that you can't accept right away?

[mypointlesspov]

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I'm about halfway through my fellowship and starting to compile a list of places that I'd like to apply for jobs. I wouldn't be able to start until Sept, but there are a lot of job openings on listservs and boards that are in line with my experience and professional interests. I was wondering if it's appropriate to reach out to the sites/people involved to express my interest if another similar position becomes available with a fall start date. I don't want to be an annoying person who clutters up inboxes, but some of these sites are seem really awesome and I wouldn't want to miss out on an opportunity. I'm mostly looking at hospitals, community agencies, and private practices (so nothing that I think would take more than six months for the hiring process).

 

[WisNeuro]

Yes, it is definitely appropriate. Given that onboarding and credentialing processes can take several months even after interviewing and acceptance, you actually should be applying for jobs a good 5+ months out from finishing postdoc. for most places, having that job open an extra month is no big deal.

 

[str63]

I'm about halfway through my fellowship and starting to compile a list of places that I'd like to apply for jobs. I wouldn't be able to start until Sept, but there are a lot of job openings on listservs and boards that are in line with my experience and professional interests. I was wondering if it's appropriate to reach out to the sites/people involved to express my interest if another similar position becomes available with a fall start date. I don't want to be an annoying person who clutters up inboxes, but some of these sites are seem really awesome and I wouldn't want to miss out on an opportunity. I'm mostly looking at hospitals, community agencies, and private practices (so nothing that I think would take more than six months for the hiring process).

I have similar advice as WisNeuro, but I actually would encourage you to just go ahead and apply. It could take a few months to recruit a candidate, and then another 2-3 months for credentialing. Although now might be a bit early for a September start date, I've also seen sites (including mine) wait a couple of additional months for the right candidate to be able to start.

 

[Gepetto]

Definitely apply. I'm in the same situation-- not able to start a job until September-- and I applied for 3 positions; all three were willing to wait for the right person and offered me interviews.

 

[BuckeyeLove]

There's legit no down side to expressing interest. My hospital never had openings for psychologists, ever. But that didn't stop me from emailing the supervisor once every 3 or 4 months during fellowship to let him know I was interested. Then whadyaknow....I got a call as soon as there was a spot. Been here 5 years now.

 

[AbnormalPsych]

At this point of the year, full speed ahead. Go for it. I started looking for jobs in Feb-March-ish of postdoc year I think. Timing worked out perfect with the interview, credentialing, HR, etc process.