Should I have heard by now?

[reader]

Big mistake IMO to send any email on Monday -it's the first day back at work for many people and how annoying to have as one of your many email messages an email from a candidate when she was told she would hear from the company.

 

Because the interview was on 12/20 and she would be sending it on 1/5 which is three weeks after the interview.

[Batya33]

Because the interview was on 12/20 and she would be sending it on 1/5 which is three weeks after the interview.

 

Doesn't matter. It will arrive on what likely is the person's first day back in the office and unless that person was constantly checking e-mails over the weekend it will be part of a mass -and mess-of emails. At best the person will skip over it because she won't recognize the name and at worst she'll get really annoyed at the first Monday back intrusion. There's no need for her to follow up. In this case, less is more.

[reader]

Doesn't matter. It will arrive on what likely is the person's first day back in the office and unless that person was constantly checking e-mails over the weekend it will be part of a mass -and mess-of emails. At best the person will skip over it because she won't recognize the name and at worst she'll get really annoyed at the first Monday back intrusion. There's no need for her to follow up. In this case, less is more.

 

So should she send it Monday night so it will arrive on Tuesday Morning?

[Batya33]

So should she send it Monday night so it will arrive on Tuesday Morning?

 

I think she should send nothing at this point but yes if she chooses to send something then Tuesday is far better.

[reader]

I think she should send nothing at this point but yes if she chooses to send something then Tuesday is far better.

 

Why send nothing? I got my last 2 jobs by sending 2 follow up emails. I did feel at one point that following up made you look desperate but I feel that it shows interest rather than desperation. And i feel someone should follow up by email instead of phone

[LazyDaisy]

I don't think I will send anything. I will just wait to hear. I just can't believe it is taking so long, but I guess the holiday got in the way. I think if it had been a normal work week I would have heard by now, or maybe not. It's been 15 years since I got a job so I don't really recall how long it should take. I really need this job, if I don't get it, I may have to move to another part of the country where I can find work. I don't want to do that. I don't want to leave my family. So a lot is riding on this which is why I am on pins and needles.

[reader]

I don't think I will send anything. I will just wait to hear. I just can't believe it is taking so long, but I guess the holiday got in the way. I think if it had been a normal work week I would have heard by now, or maybe not. It's been 15 years since I got a job so I don't really recall how long it should take. I really need this job, if I don't get it, I may have to move to another part of the country where I can find work. I don't want to do that. I don't want to leave my family. So a lot is riding on this which is why I am on pins and needles.

 

you have to send something why wait around and continue to let the days go by without acting on it? That' what I did in November, after my 11/5 interview I needed an answer when it got to be 11/25 and i ended up getting hired. I also was prepared to be rejected so i could move on to the next opportunity so you have to find out the decision eventually. What if you don't hear anything by this time next week? Do you plan to stay wait around and not send a email to find out the status? And I know it's hard to do with a job you really want but at some point you just have to know either way so you can free your mind of that particular opportunity.

[Batya33]

I don't think I will send anything. I will just wait to hear. I just can't believe it is taking so long, but I guess the holiday got in the way. I think if it had been a normal work week I would have heard by now, or maybe not. It's been 15 years since I got a job so I don't really recall how long it should take. I really need this job, if I don't get it, I may have to move to another part of the country where I can find work. I don't want to do that. I don't want to leave my family. So a lot is riding on this which is why I am on pins and needles.

 

I agree with this -if you get a competing offer and still have not heard then contact them to make sure.

[reader]

I agree with this -if you get a competing offer and still have not heard then contact them to make sure.

 

Since she wants the job it makes sense to show interest and follow up. Now if it's a job that you are not that is not on the top of your list then you don't need to send anything

[Batya33]

Since she wants the job it makes sense to show interest and follow up. Now if it's a job that you are not that is not on the top of your list then you don't need to send anything

 

I think she showed more than sufficient interest and emailing again would be annoying not showing interest.

[GinNJuice]

Reader, how many people have you hired?

 

As someone who's been tasked to build a team, I can say first hand that follow-ups are annoying and get deleted immediately. If someone wants a follow up, they'll call you or bring you back in.

 

LazyDaisy, I really hope you have been applying to more jobs and not just sitting on your hands waiting to hear from these people.

[LazyDaisy]

Reader, how many people have you hired?

 

As someone who's been tasked to build a team, I can say first hand that follow-ups are annoying and get deleted immediately. If someone wants a follow up, they'll call you or bring you back in.

 

LazyDaisy, I really hope you have been applying to more jobs and not just sitting on your hands waiting to hear from these people.

 

Unfortunately, there are no other jobs for me to apply to. I do a very specialized type of accounting and that's what this job was for. I could apply to general accounting type jobs, but they always say the same thing to me- that I only have experience in this one type of accounting and I'm not qualifed. That is why this job is so important to me - its the first posting I have seen in the 2 years that I have been looking. The only one close to my house anyway. Lord only knows when another one will come along. It could be many years.

[GinNJuice]

What kind of accounting is it that you specialized in? It may be of use to bend the truth a bit in this situation, as long as you aren't saying you can do things you are not capable of doing. I build General Ledger and other accounting module platforms(A/P, A/R, Forecasting, etc), and I'm pretty sure I could train a monkey to be a general accountant.

 

If you've got even intermediate proficiency with Excel you should be able to find something in accounting or finance. What accounting software have you used? Lawson/Great Plains/NAVision/Oracle?

 

What job search sites are you using? Also, where do you live?

 

I bet you've got all kinds of experience that you're just not emphasizing on your resume.

[LazyDaisy]

What kind of accounting is it that you specialized in? It may be of use to bend the truth a bit in this situation, as long as you aren't saying you can do things you are not capable of doing. I build General Ledger and other accounting module platforms(A/P, A/R, Forecasting, etc), and I'm pretty sure I could train a monkey to be a general accountant.

 

If you've got even intermediate proficiency with Excel you should be able to find something in accounting or finance. What accounting software have you used? Lawson/Great Plains/NAVision/Oracle?

 

What job search sites are you using? Also, where do you live?

 

I bet you've got all kinds of experience that you're just not emphasizing on your resume.

 

I have been in fixed asset accounting for the past 12 years - 8 as a manager. Before that I was a general accountant. I have been applying to general accountant jobs and I have had a few interviews, but no offers.

 

I use link removed and link removed. I had my resume professionally done a while back. I have been to every headhunter in the area. I am also on linkedin and got a few interviews from there.

 

One problem is that I don't have a CPA. Many employers require one. The other problem is that it has been so many years since i have done general accounting.

 

I figure maybe once I am done at my current job, which will be in a few months, I can temp and get some current experience in general accounting which will help me land something. If that doesn't work, I don't know what I will do.

[GinNJuice]

With as much accounting experience as you have, you could definintely get a job as a data analyst or a reporting type job, and you can probably get a very nice compensation package too. They don't care about certifications or degrees, as long as you are good at working with data. If you can validate data in a spreadsheet, you can get a job as an analyst, it's not that hard. There's almost 1600 potentials in Jersey on indeed check it out..

 

link removed

[reader]

Reader, how many people have you hired?

 

As someone who's been tasked to build a team, I can say first hand that follow-ups are annoying and get deleted immediately. If someone wants a follow up, they'll call you or bring you back in.

 

LazyDaisy, I really hope you have been applying to more jobs and not just sitting on your hands waiting to hear from these people.

 

 

I haven't hired anyone but know that when I followed up twice I was offered the job. And that's because I showed interest in the position after the interview which ended up leading to a job offer. Now I used to think it was annoying to follow up myself but after seeing that following up by email was not as annoying I started recommending that form of communication to follow up just once after the interview. I;m not saying sending multiple emails just one so that you can see if there is interest on their side. And if you send a email to follow up and it's not answered then you have the answer and it's no need to send anything else

[reader]

Unfortunately, there are no other jobs for me to apply to. I do a very specialized type of accounting and that's what this job was for. I could apply to general accounting type jobs, but they always say the same thing to me- that I only have experience in this one type of accounting and I'm not qualifed. That is why this job is so important to me - its the first posting I have seen in the 2 years that I have been looking. The only one close to my house anyway. Lord only knows when another one will come along. It could be many years.

 

 

is it the only one close to your house that you prefer? I wanna believe there are other types of jobs dealing with finance in your area.

[Batya33]

I haven't hired anyone but know that when I followed up twice I was offered the job. And that's because I showed interest in the position after the interview which ended up leading to a job offer. Now I used to think it was annoying to follow up myself but after seeing that following up by email was not as annoying I started recommending that form of communication to follow up just once after the interview. I;m not saying sending multiple emails just one so that you can see if there is interest on their side. And if you send a email to follow up and it's not answered then you have the answer and it's no need to send anything else

 

I've been the recipient of many e-mails like that and most of them have typos (I have a sixth sense for them) so my take on it is - every time you send another communication you risk making a typo or grammatical error that could blow your chances. Of course if you use spell check, plus proofread and read it backwards there is less risk (but then you might misspell someone's name or title, etc) but I wouldn't take the risk.

[reader]

I've been the recipient of many e-mails like that and most of them have typos (I have a sixth sense for them) so my take on it is - every time you send another communication you risk making a typo or grammatical error that could blow your chances. Of course if you use spell check, plus proofread and read it backwards there is less risk (but then you might misspell someone's name or title, etc) but I wouldn't take the risk.

 

 

Well see I started doing it because I told myself that it was a done deal and they hired someone else so the email I sent was really for confirmation of what I felt. But it ended up being the opposite of what I thought so i guess playing mind games with myself kind of worked out for the better. lol

[LazyDaisy]

is it the only one close to your house that you prefer? I wanna believe there are other types of jobs dealing with finance in your area.

 

I have applied to hundreds of jobs - I've only had 7 interviews in the past 6 months. And only 1 second interview. I think employers are really picky and they are only interviewing people that have experience in what they are looking for. For me that makes it very difficult because I have been working for the past 12 years in a very specific field and there are no jobs open in this field. So yes, there are accounting and finance jobs but none in my specific field. Will I continue to apply for these jobs? yes - but I feel my chances of getting anything are slim to none. I'll keep trying because I have no choice but I'm really afraid of what is going to happen to me. I'm afraid I am going to lose my savings, then my house and then end up either on welfare or at some really low paying job.

[reader]

Try to make a list of survival jobs that you are willing to do. Also last month I was not getting any replies from the jobs in my field and right now trying to learn a whole new field. I was working as a career coach and now I am working in the early childhood education field which is in no way connected to what I was doing two years ago but I am up for the challenge and willing to learn something new so I can survive and pay bills.

 

So you may have to change up and try something new which is something I thought i would never have to do because it looks like it's the new reality now in the job market

[wallies]

Lazy - Have you heard anything? I'm actually in the same boat as you - I had a 2nd interview that I think went really well on Friday, Dec 20th. They did say "Don't be surprised if you don't hear from us until the 1st or 2nd week of January." So I guess it's OK that I'm still waiting. I figure I'll give it until next Friday the 10th and then mentally write them off. I already wrote one follow-up email to the recruiter that reiterated my interest in the position, let her know to contact me if she needed any other info, and that I hoped to hear from them. So I'm not going to send any more follow-ups because I think that one was probably more than enough.

 

Additionally, I heard from another recruiter on Dec. 19th about a different position I interviewed for on Dec. 12th. She stated I was a "very strong candidate" and if I was selected they would get back to me about next steps the week of Jan 2nd. I haven't heard from them. I think I need to mentally write them off. This particular recruiter has been very good about getting back to me regarding where they are in the process without me having to initiate further contact. So a follow-up doesn't seem necessary, does it?

[reader]

Are you talking about the thank you letter? Because it was not any need to send a email other than a thank you letter before Jan 2nd. Now if you only sent a thank you letter I would have recommended you send a follow up email during the evening of 1/9 so that they can get it the morning of 1/10/14.

[wallies]

You're right, there wasn't any need to send that email. I probably sounded weird and desperate. I hope I didn't kill my chances. I'm not sure that job searching around the holidays is good. For me, there was this flurry of activity right before x-mas and I haven't heard anything since. I feel like if it wasn't for the break I might have an offer by now. Three weeks seems like an awfully long time to wait. Memories fade, budgets get slashed in the new year, the hiring manager goes to a NYE party and find out her best friend's niece is looking for a job, etc. Who knows what could happen during that time! I just wanted some type of more definitive closure before embarking on the holiday, but of course got nothing.

[reader]

You're right, there wasn't any need to send that email. I probably sounded weird and desperate. I hope I didn't kill my chances. I'm not sure that job searching around the holidays is good. For me, there was this flurry of activity right before x-mas and I haven't heard anything since. I feel like if it wasn't for the break I might have an offer by now. Three weeks seems like an awfully long time to wait. Memories fade, budgets get slashed in the new year, the hiring manager goes to a NYE party and find out her best friend's niece is looking for a job, etc. Who knows what could happen during that time! I just wanted some type of more definitive closure before embarking on the holiday, but of course got nothing.

 

 

 

I just figured you would have sent the thank you email on 12/20 and then followed once this week or next week. Are you saying you sent a follow up email between christmas and new year's day?