Lag time between application and starting

[moothecow]

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Hi everyone,

So I've been applying for many clinical research positions and am wondering how long it took for others from the point they applied to the point they started the job.

HR says it takes anywhere up to 3 months. That is a little scary- 3 months?! What can I do during that time? I live in the middle of nowhere and all I can do is shadow! There are zero volunteer opportunities here as well.

In your experience, how long does it take to get a clinical research job after you applied? I am pretty qualified for a lot of these positions (but I expect others who are qualified-maybe more than me-to also apply). I've only been applying for positions that I have prior exposure or already know I can do really well based on my skill set. I'm thinking of applying more broadly since it's been 3-4 days and I haven't heard back (I know I know impatience to the highest degree and these PI's probably have a million things to do before they get a chance to look at applications slash they may have a timeline for when they start to look at apps). Either way, I'm getting antsy. Feedback would be appreciated.

 

[FirstAndFinal]

The job market is pretty tough right now. They are seeing many more people than usual with degrees from excellent schools, with experience in research, with great GPAs, etc. So if you've only been at it 3-4 days and have only applied to a select few jobs you would do better in broadening your search. Apply to positions your background is not 100% compatible with also. A smart PI will often recognize that a very motivated candidate with experience in a slightly different field is much more valuable in the long run (once you're trained you'll be worth a lot more) than someone who has experience with their equipment/protocol but has little passion. Then again some PIs don't have that foresight, so again apply to many positions and don't sit around waiting for any one application to be processed! Also, since you say you're in the middle of nowhere you may want to consider applying to laboratory research too just to give you more options.

 

[moothecow]

The job market is pretty tough right now. They are seeing many more people than usual with degrees from excellent schools, with experience in research, with great GPAs, etc. So if you've only been at it 3-4 days and have only applied to a select few jobs you would do better in broadening your search. Apply to positions your background is not 100% compatible with also. A smart PI will often recognize that a very motivated candidate with experience in a slightly different field is much more valuable in the long run (once you're trained you'll be worth a lot more) than someone who has experience with their equipment/protocol but has little passion. Then again some PIs don't have that foresight, so again apply to many positions and don't sit around waiting for any one application to be processed! Also, since you say you're in the middle of nowhere you may want to consider applying to laboratory research too just to give you more options.

Thanks for the reply. I have a lot of lab research already and want the clinical experience.I'm applying to everything now. Do you guys usually write separate cover letters for each position? Some of these descriptions are the exact same and I see no purpose in rewriting to convey same exact message.

 

[fabriciusj89]

Just don't get discouraged- it will take a few months probably but it is worth it once you start! I personalized my cover letters to an extent- basically had a generic form and then added a few statements about the specific position and how my qualifications fit.

I agree with FirstandFinal about applying more broadly- you never know what might interest you! And oftentimes HR can funnel you into other positions which open up based on your interests/qualifications if they have your application. I started applying around early April and started my CRC position at the very end of June- but it is worth the wait! If you need income, you can always wait tables or get a retail job in the meantime.

 

[moothecow]

Just don't get discouraged- it will take a few months probably but it is worth it once you start! I personalized my cover letters to an extent- basically had a generic form and then added a few statements about the specific position and how my qualifications fit.

I agree with FirstandFinal about applying more broadly- you never know what might interest you! And oftentimes HR can funnel you into other positions which open up based on your interests/qualifications if they have your application. I started applying around early April and started my CRC position at the very end of June- but it is worth the wait! If you need income, you can always wait tables or get a retail job in the meantime.

"wait tables or get a retail job"

while I don't mind, people in my community would die of happiness thinking I failed in life. (pretty sucky "community" haha!!!)

It's not about the money tho (although now that I think about it a few dollaz would be nice). I'm just worried about wasting time. I hate being inefficient but I guess I really can't do anything about it.

Based on your answer, I think I'm going to frontload the process and apply for ~20 jobs today. 1 per hour? Sigh. Real world sucks. I want academic world of bunnies and rainbows back.

 

[fabriciusj89]

"wait tables or get a retail job"

while I don't mind, people in my community would die of happiness thinking I failed in life. (pretty sucky "community" haha!!!)

It's not about the money tho (although now that I think about it a few dollaz would be nice). I'm just worried about wasting time. I hate being inefficient but I guess I really can't do anything about it.

Based on your answer, I think I'm going to frontload the process and apply for ~20 jobs today. 1 per hour? Sigh. Real world sucks. I want academic world of bunnies and rainbows back.

Its not fun trust me and can be super discouraging! But just blast enough applications out there and eventually something will work out. I sent out a ton at the beginning and then would just check for new postings a couple times a week and apply to those.

If you don't really need the money- enjoy your time! Obviously keep up pre-med activities (volunteering and shadowing, etc) but take the time to do what you love- travel, read good books, get in the best shape of your life. When are you going to have a chunk of free time like this EVER again? Keep up the job hunt but also enjoy the downtime because once you start working you will be missing this (trust me!!)

 

[FirstAndFinal]

Hey I just got a job offer and here was my timeline (I posted this on another thread but thought it was particularly relevant to your own question).

Timeline:
Applied-Day 1
Email from PI to interview-Day 7
Phone screen with PI-Day 8
Interview with PI-Day 11
Call from HR to set up Interview-Day 13
Interview with HR-Day 19
Phone offer from HR-Day 22
Start date-Day 39

For every step I was always willing to do things IMMEDIATELY. Other parties were the limiting factor. In fact, the really delayed start day is all HR policy fun, required orientation start dates and such.

Prior to that application I had also been submitting other applications for a little under a month. That's just in line with fabriciusj89's timeline. ~2-3 months from start of applications to start date. Hang tight!!


Here's the thread where I discussed the HR interview scenario after already having a PI interview in case you're interested/it becomes helpful to you down the line:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=13038118#post13038118