Please help if you work in HR/conduct interviews

[dimsum123]

I'm so stressed out with the usual, waiting to hear if I've been shortlisted for IV.

The job was posted on 18 December and closed on 7 January.

Advert didn't specifically say job would close early if they were swamped with applications.

Application process was via application form including supporting statement based on job description and person spec (list as long as your arm but that's normal these days).

Job is in a school so would be very popular with all mums in the vicinity although very long hours but perhaps normal for a school? 8am -5pm plus additional school events etc. 38 weeks per year.

I'm getting so stressed as I haven't heard a thing and the ad said IVs would be w/c 13 January. Would they have shortlisted before closing date and started contacting them prior to 7 Jan?

I stupidly didn't apply until 31 December, was just so exhausted before and during Christmas, didn't have the energy to write the personal statement until after.

I'm guessing I would have been contacted by now if IVs are taking place next week but also it does seem a very short length of time between close of applications and IVs being held.. 4 working days basically.

Anyone have any insights to put me out of my misery?!

We usually try and get our interviews done within 3-4 working days depending on applicants time.
But we also always send an email to unsuccessful candidates. I would think a school would do the same. I'd wait till after the weekend and if you haven't heard anything you haven't been successful.

Schools tend to have quite short notice periods for interview especially if they've told
you when it would be in advance.

I wouldn't give up until Monday. When you put your application in won't matter, they won't turn down a good candidate who got their application in before the deadline.

It's also very unlikely they'd have shortlisted during the holidays.

I would still think you have a chance of an interview. I've been holding interviews as part of my job for the last 8 years and quite often candidates are given very short notice for interviews, especially at this time of the year when people have been on holiday or off with sickness.
They may still be shortlisting until the end of this week and as they haven't set a specific date for interviews I still think you have a good chance.

Ylvamoon TheGinGenie RosieposiePuddingandPi

Thank you sooo much for replying everyone, I feel a bit less stressed now.

Reassured to hear IV might be very short notice so I guess I might still hear something.

The school is part of a nationwide school network and the application was not directly to the school but to the HR for the whole network if that makes sense. So even though the school would have been closed during holidays the umbrella organisation probably wasn't so would have been processing applications over Christmas although probably a lot less staff in etc.

Talk about overthinking things.

If there was a job where the requirements were to overthink and catastrophise I would beat every other candidate hands down.

I was thinking that they would be more likely than the usual agencies to at least let you know if you're not being shortlisted.

I hate the whole process, but am so so desperate to leave my current job in a toxic dysfunctional company, that I'm on tenterhooks with every single application. Arrrggh!

@Ylvamoon @TheGinGenie @RosieposiePuddingandPi

Used bold instead of @

It would depend on the role, HR won't be shortlisting by themselves so if they needed the headteacher's input they'd still have to wait until they were back (heads and teachers obviously do work in the holidays but not usually things that need multiple people or meetings, especially at Christmas)

I completely understand your anxiety though, I was recently in a very similar situation and it really does occupy all your thoughts. I hope it all goes well for you

@TheGinGenie, it's not teaching, it's office admin but working with the PA to the HT so I guess she would be involved in shortlisting.

I'm not going to drown my sorrows just yet, but will be doing so if not heard by end of Monday.

With our roles we have a closing date but to be honest it doesn’t mean much.

If they’ve ran it to the end, they’ll be inundated with applications for this type of role - I would guess they will shortlist next week or at least start contacting people. We are a bit different as in we try to contact all applicants within 24 business hours with either a green light to shortlist/a further call to determine skills or a decline even if the closing date is weeks away.

I know it’s difficult when you really want a role but just keep waiting! It’s far too early for shortlisting, I’d hazard a guess at at least 60 applications for this role (we usually get double that in a week for a part time role). I just hope they contact all unsuccessful applicants too. I’d at least be waiting until the end of next week to hear from them, you’re underestimating the amount of work involved if there are say 15 suitable applicants to speak to them all and whittle them down for interview.

@TheTruthAboutLove, thanks for your insight. I agree that the shortlisting would take some time especially as a lot of people would have been on holiday whilst the job was open to applications.

The closing date was on Tuesday so they've got 4 working days to finalise shortlist and call candidates and arrange interviews for next week.

I suppose they could have been provisionally shortlisting as and when applications were received, but that would have been over Christmas and New Year so I wonder if there would have been many staff around to actually look at the applications.

I'd have thought given the whole thing happened over Christmas they would have held interviews w/c 20 Jan rather than 13 Jan to allow for not much being done over Christmas.

But that's just my non professional opinion as I'm not an HR person.

Looks like I can hang onto a bit of hope for a couple more days.

Thanks so much everyone, MN is like having experts in every and any field at your fingertips 24/7/365!

Good luck!

I would probably take a stab at they've been left inundated with applications and decided to move the interview dates back.

The 7th to the 10th is such a small window when it's two people with a million other tasks in their day job to be getting on with - it's not like recruitment is their sole job! I would also be expecting if it is a no, that you get an e-mail to say so.

@Lotsalotsagiggles, thank you!

@TheTruthAboutLove, yes that makes sense, to push the IVs back to w/c 20 Jan, just don't see how they've left themselves enough time to sift applications, shortlist, contact people to arrange IV dates between 7th til today given that in all likelihood nothing much was happening between 20 December and 2 Jan.

I heard nothing today. But I will give it until end of Monday before I take it as a rejection although I guess I could live in hope until I get the actual thanks but no thanks email.

Also, I've applied for another job which closes on the 12th. So will be waiting to hear from that one too from Monday....aarrgghh!

Am going to keep applying for jobs so this whole rigmarole could well be going on for quite some time....

We don’t tell people they haven’t got the job or are not invited to interview until we have interviewed and secured the person (school too), that way if we do need to go to a ‘reserve’ we haven’t said no to them!