Breadcrumbs
- Home
- Research staff
- Research staff blog
- Hanging on the telephone...
Hanging on the telephone...
31 August 2010
By Hannah Dee
Every post-doc I've had to date, I've been called on my way home from the interview and informed of the appointing committee's decision. But this time round things seem to be going much more slowly. I've had three interviews so far in 2010, and all of them have taken a week or more to get back to me. Is it just that the market is much more challenging now? Or was I just lucky in my previous experiences? I'm not very good at sitting around waiting for the phone to ring - I find the uncertainty very distracting.
Another thing that seems to have changed is the make-up of the interview panel: one of these posts involved getting interviewed by 8 people!
Comments Subscribe by RSS
Please
log in to post a comment.
Matthew Salois31 August 2010 at 09:05 PM
permalinkreport this comment
I sympathise with your current situation, having just completed my job market headache in March. The good news is at least you have had three interviews!
My funny story is that when I interviewed for my most recent post-doc (in 2008), they offered me the job five minutes after my presentation and then took me to the local pub to celebrate! I haven't asked yet, but I suspect I was the only person they interviewed!
The few interviews I did have between January and March this year also took a couple of weeks for responses (all by email). I too hate the uncertainty, as it just gives me a false sense of hope (often followed by despair).
I am surprised by hearing that your interview consisted of 8 people! One might wonder if you were applying to be a university vice-chancellor! Did every one of those eight ask a question? I bet the interview was exhausting!
Keep us updated on any forthcoming good news! Best of luck!!!
Sarah Davies01 September 2010 at 11:48 AM
permalinkreport this comment
The enormous interview panel syndrome is also one of my bugbears - it seems so unnecessary and makes the interview much more stressful than it needs to be. On a practical level, it's difficult to know who to look at...
My record for a slow response after an interview is a month! Though to be fair, I was told at the interview that it would likely take this long because of administrative changes at the university in question. The frustrating thing is that I'm sure the decision is almost always made on the day - I always assume that if I don't have a phone call late that afternoon, it's being offered to someone else.
Rachel Talbot01 September 2010 at 04:29 PM
permalinkreport this comment
I wonder whether the delays you are experiencing are related to the current financial climate. They may make the decision of who to offer the job quickly and then have to wait for HR to approve things like salary etc. Universities are not known for their administrative speed...
Andy Humphrey07 September 2010 at 01:36 PM
permalinkreport this comment
In most of my previous posts I've normally had to wait a few days before hearing that I was being offered the job. In posts I've applied to unsuccessfully, I sometimes haven't been notified AT ALL after the interview, but I've often had to wait a month or so before getting the rejection letter.
I can't think of a single instance of being offered a job the day I had the interview.