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[anonymousgal]

I recently applied for a high level administrative position at a London university. The position closed on June 6th and according to the job description, interviews will be held the week of June 13th. After not hearing anything from the university, I called around 4 p.m. Friday (June 10) to inquire if the position had been shortlisted yet. I didn't want to be pushy but I was trying to decide if I needed to pull off a last minute trip to London for an interview. The HR person who took my call looked up the position in their system. She asked my name and after putting me on hold for a moment looked up my application. When she came back on the line, she told me the position had been shortlisted and candidates who were selected for interviews would be notified over the weekend. She said, "I highly encourage you to check your email over the weekend." I asked if she happened to know which day the interview would be held and she informed me Wednesday. "All the interview details will be in the email." I thanked her for assistance and hung up.

I was left feeling encouraged after this phone call. She did not tell me that I had not been shortlisted (which I've been told flat out by other university HR depts) and even sounded positive as she encouraged me to check my email. I did think it was weird that notification would be sent out on the weekend for a potential interview that same week. Its after 5 p.m. London time and still no word. I am still in the US and unless I hear before tomorrow afternoon - I won't be able to make to London in time for an in person interview. Am I to assume the HR person might have been trying to spare my feelings and not tell me that I wasn't shortlisted? Is this late notice of short listing common at UK universities? This university has made it clear that no notification will be sent if you are not shortlisted. Basically, at what point do I give up hope?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[expatinuk]

In my experience you would have been notified by now if you'd been short-listed.

[theblondeassassin]

I can't answer the drop-dead deadline question, but I would think that you'll be offered the chance of a Skype or telephone interview, as we've just done (and will do shortly) for similar positions and short timelines, if you are shortlisted.

[randomlife]

I'm a bit obsessed waiting for the outcome of my recent application, and I came across this post, which says a department could send out emails over weekends. Is this really happening? Thanks!

[expatinuk]

I'm a bit obsessed waiting for the outcome of my recent application, and I came across this post, which says a department could send out emails over weekends. Is this really happening? Thanks!

Look... yes they CAN.... normally they do NOT.... do NOT OBSESS over a job application. This goes for apply on both sides of the pond!

[randomlife]

thanks for you advice, expatinuk. I just applied for a new position and felt much better now ;)

[expatinuk]

thanks for you advice, expatinuk. I just applied for a new position and felt much better now ;)

Hmmm.... don't know if you are being snarky or not. But seriously, applying for jobs is enough to make you bite your nails to the quick at the best of times. Thinking..."what if".... about each application you've sent will drive you to drink.

In the UK you'll get a 'Person Specification' for each job. When you do an application, keep a copy of what you write because chances are you'll be able to use bits and pieces of it for the next application. Learn to be concise, yet give examples of how you fit a certain criteria. Pick one or two of the Specifications and go into further detail highlighting your specific area of expertise.

But.... seriously... once you have emailed the app (or uploaded it to their server) forget about it until they call you for an interview.

[randomlife]

Many thanks. expatinuk, great advice and I'll keep it in mind. I indeed submitted an application last night, as I came across a very relevant position (which is in Australia btw), which happened to be expired a couple hours before. I managed to submit an online application anyway. It turned out that most of the stuffs I wrote for my previous application were very useful to address the Selection Criteria for this position (Australia seems to ask for similar stuff as in UK). Since I worried that the online link for submission will soon disappear, I completed the application almost in a hurry. But As I just checked, because this position is very similar to the previous one I applied for, the application I put together seems not bad at all ;) The only thing I messed up is the title of the position within the statement, which I used the previous one. But fortunately the title of position is not that different anyway (only a slight change in the order of two words!)

This may sound unreal, but it's true!!

Now I will forget about this position too and focus on my work. Hope for the best though. Thanks again, expatinuk!