When did companies start taking 3 or more months to get from advertising a postion to thinking about hiring? I have recently been contacted by companies that I applied to in early August. And yes, I applied for open positions. I have been to interviews in the last two weeks where their initial phone contact with me was 4-6 weeks prior to setting up a face-to-face.
Yesterday I was at a second interview, where my first interview was at least 4 weeks ago (and 2 weeks prior to that I had been phone interviewed). This company acknowledges that it will be another 2 weeks before they think they can make the decision (they are talking to the other candidate in the running today). Oh, and after that there will be the usual reference check (not sure why they don't do this before the 2nd interview), background check, drug testing and credit check which adds another 10-14 days to the process. I have spent a total of 5 hours in face-to-face interviews, 6 hours of drive time between the two trips, and a good 30-45 minutes on the phone interview for this one company.
Another company I have been talking to has given me three phone interviews in 5 weeks. Maybe sometime next week they will contact people to come in for in person interviews.
A company that I interviewed at two weeks ago had originally phone interviewed me 6 weeks prior and said they would try to get me in the next week for a face-to-face. I had given up on them after 3 weeks. Then out of the blue they called me in for a face-to-face. Since then there has been a resounding silence. Neither time have they responded to email inquiries.
Most of the companies I have dealt with have been like this. Only one that I can think of gave me a phone interview within a week of application, and within another week sent a decline email (thank you - I know where I stand with your company). In fact, that is the only company that I am 100% sure that I'm not still in some sort of limbo out of the all the phone and personal interviews that I've recieved.
Geeze people, its not like I am going to be CEO or CFO or hold a senior position. Really, this is ridiculous, just get on with it already.
Had a company do something similer to me back in 2005....and then never did bother with "thanks but no thanks" note after 3 interviews. I KNOW there wasn't anything in my background check to scare them off....
Posted by: Ruth | October 19, 2012 at 06:46 PM
Geeze, at that point they have spent so many resources that they might as well hired you after teh first interview and tried you out for a couple of weeks!
Posted by: bogie | October 20, 2012 at 07:01 AM
The sort of timing that you mention seems to be the "norm". I tried to make it a practice that, when hiring an engineer, I would communicate with him/her by going around human resources - just so they would know that something was happening.
Posted by: Cop Car | October 20, 2012 at 02:07 PM
Wow! I seem to recall some lag time years past, but nothing like that, and usually it was fast. My firs thought was it's because they are running on such tight staffing.
Posted by: Jay | October 22, 2012 at 09:51 AM
I don't understand it, they probably lose good candidates by taking so long and other companies snatch them up.
Posted by: bogie | October 24, 2012 at 07:47 PM