Exactly How Long Does It Take to Hear Back After a Job Application - ZipJob

Exactly How Long Does It Take to Hear Back After a Job Application - ZipJob Lets face it, the job search process is often lengthy and stressful. Waiting to hear back from a job application for a position you really want is probably the worst part of the job search process. Many job seekers want to know how long it takes to hear back after submitting a resume. The answer depends on when and where youre submitting your job application. In this post well show you how long it takes to hear back after applying for a job. How Long Does It Take To Hear Back After Applying for a Job Online You could hear back anywhere from within a few hours or a few weeks. Thats probably not the answer you were waiting to hear but there are some ways to get a good idea as to when youll hear back. Well show a few different situations and when you could expect to hear back after sending a resume. The first thing you can do is check the job posting and see if there is a closing date. Some online postings will contain a closing date which means they will be accepting applications until that day. If thats the case, you can expect to hear back within a week or so after the closing date. They rarely ever hire someone before the closing date so dont get discouraged or follow up before that date. If you dont hear back a week after the closing date, you could follow up with an email. We wrote a good post on following up on a resume submission with some great examples. You can also get an idea as to when theyll reply based on the size of the company. If youre sending it to a small or medium sized company, you can expect a response within a few days or up to a week. If youre sending it to a large organization, it can be anywhere from a few days to a month. It really depends on the number of applicants and whether someone was already offered a job. Most large organizations utilize an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) which automatically screen resumes. You may receive an automated email telling you that theyve received it or that youre not the right match. Your resume should be keyword optimized and formatted for these scans as they reject nearly 75% of candidates. You can see how your resume does in an actual ATS screening with our free resume review. There could be a few weeks of interviews lined up and if they couldnt find anyone to fill the position, theyll begin calling other candidates. If youre sending an email to a recruiter or hiring manager directly then you could also expect a reply within a few days. So what now? Dont sit back and wait on a few companies to get back to you. Keep sending out your resume to as many positions as youre qualified for. Here are a few tips to keep in mind during the job search process. What to do While you Wait for a Response to Your Job Application #1 Keep Your Job Search Organized Use Excel, Word or any other application to keep track of when you applied to the position. This will help you follow-up with each company in the right time frame. You can also check out Startwire which helps you keep track of your job applications. #2 Dont Get Discouraged Many job seekers face job search depression only after a few weeks of applying. There is a lot of competition out there and although its easier said than done, you need to be patient and keep applying. As we mentioned above, it can take anywhere from a day to over a month to hear back. #3 Network Dont rely solely on job boards when looking for a job. Network is still the best way to land a job today and many job seekers dont take advantage ofit. Reach out to friends, family and old colleagues to see if there is anyone who can refer you. Remember that those people also know people, your network is really exponential so dont neglect it. Closing Thoughts So how long does it typically take for a company to respond to a candidates job application? When youll hear back after submitting your resume depends on a few factors such as the size of the company and the amount of applicants. It can be anywhere from a day to over a month so dont sit around waiting for a response. Keep sending your resume out to as many positions as youre qualified for and dont forget to network. If youre not getting interviews, you may need to change or job search strategy or improve your resume. Also keep in mind that networking is the most effective way to land a job. Good Luck With Your Job Search!