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[need2know]

How long does it take a committee to decide about potential candidates for an interview? One or two weeks after the application deadline or more? Two weeks after the deadline, should I assume that I am not being considered? What is the average time frame for a position that starts in the spring and one that starts in the fall?

[glowdart]

You just never know. 

(Until the rejection letter comes in the mail, if it ever does -- and yes, campus visit from 200* -- I'm looking at you!)

I know that it is not comforting, but you just don't know. 

That said, to start fretting two weeks out will lead you to madness.  My unscientific estimation is that at two weeks after the deadline 80% of SCs have not finished reading applications for jobs that generate even moderately large pools.   


Treat yourself to a cup of fancy coffee and a danish and enjoy this fine autumn morning. 

[onion]

Glowdart is absolutely right.  And I'll add that sometimes the committee can get all the way down to 3 on campus visits and THEN go back into the pool--as late as May or June.  It's not over until they post the name of the person they hired on their webpage (because, as Glowdart said, you may never get the rejection letter.  I'm still waiting for one from a campus visit in 2004.).

[msparticularity]

Glowdart is absolutely right.  And I'll add that sometimes the committee can get all the way down to 3 on campus visits and THEN go back into the pool--as late as May or June. 

"Too right," as the Aussies might say! The job I have right now had an application closing date of November 1. I got an invitation to come to campus to interview at the beginning of March, as the last-minute emergency backup after the first round of campus interviews ended badly.

[heywhynots]

Concur with what everyone is saying.  Last year the range of being contacted after the deadline went from 5 days up to 79 days.  Most contacted within two weeks to one month, not all though.  So far this year the range has been between 5 and 45 days, many once again in the two week to one month range. 

[the_honey_badger]

Glowdart is absolutely right.  And I'll add that sometimes the committee can get all the way down to 3 on campus visits and THEN go back into the pool--as late as May or June.  It's not over until they post the name of the person they hired on their webpage (because, as Glowdart said, you may never get the rejection letter.  I'm still waiting for one from a campus visit in 2004.).

Our deadline was this week.  Our committee originally hoped to "move" on files immediately. We can't because of the 100+ applicants who sent enough material to consider them as serious applicants  about 70 out of 100 sent them in the last 72 hours.  It made me think of investing in FedEx because they made a killing just on overnights to my campus.  We *hoped* to contact before Thanksgiving, now we are scrambling to get it done by December 1 for a conference interview in early January.

Letters?  Of the five campus visits I had in 200x where I didn't get the offer: I got two letters.  One who never contacted me to tell me "no" was one that asked me to wait a week as I finished second!  Oh, and I'm still owed reimbursement money from two state systems. Both depts. admitted later that they didn't have "full approval" for interview costs. The good news? They were "really sorry."

[prephd]

In my limited experience, out of the 6 calls for interviews I've had in the past year, they have all come within a range of 2-6 weeks after I sent out the application, regardless of deadlines.

Then there's the jobs I haven't heard a thing from, so I just assume I'm out of the running. April '08, I'm looking at you.

[lorelei]

You would have heard from them last week. Sorry.

[t_r_b]

You would have heard from them last week. Sorry.

Now that's just mean.

[higherandhigher]

Whenever they want.

 Oh, and I'm still owed reimbursement money from two state systems. Both depts. admitted later that they didn't have "full approval" for interview costs. The good news? They were "really sorry."

That's nice that they're sorry. :(

[this_is_my_username]

 My experience has been 2 before the deadline, otherwise 2-8 weeks following the deadline. The job I got was a full 8 weeks following the deadline. If you have a late November or December conference where schools intend to do preliminary interviews, I strongly recommend applying a couple weeks early at a minimum. Only a few applications trickle in by that point, and curious SC members might peruse them. That's how I nabbed my before the deadline requests.

  I suspect that jobs with deadlines in October or early November would like to have their short lists by winter break. Some will, some won't. Like belowtheradar said, SCs are overloaded with apps this year, most of which come at the last second, and chances are many searches will be taking a little longer than usual.

[need2know]

C'est la vie. Thanks for your replies.

[advil]

How long does it take a committee to decide about potential candidates for an interview? One or two weeks after the application deadline or more? Two weeks after the deadline, should I assume that I am not being considered? What is the average time frame for a position that starts in the spring and one that starts in the fall?

You can be reasonably sure when you hear through the grapevine (or see on their website) that they have a short list.  Even then, though it isn't common, it also isn't unheard of for them to go back to the candidate pool.  Two weeks is way too short to conclude anything, I'd say.

[ls410]

Last year, I applied for a job with a closing date in October.  I phone interviewed in February and campus interviewed in March.  Decision was made in April.  Budget cuts put the position on hold for several months.  So you never know.

[joelp]

Last year, a place with an october 15th deadline contacted me in early December. The interview itself was in February. I didn't get it, and I heard they dipped back into the pool of applicants. So someone out there might have been contacted 5 months after the deadline for a interview...