Following up after sending CV, etc.

[livefree]

How long should I wait before following up with schools after I send them my CV/Letter of interest?

[BlueJay]

I usually wait 2 weeks. This gives me time to seriously reflect on if I even want the gig and gives plenty of time to the school.

However, if I receive one of those auto-response emails that say if you don't hear from us in <x> amount of time, or due to the large volume of applicants we are unable to respond to everyone, I generally leave it at that.

I think schools know what they are looking for and I respect that. I never, ever take it personally. I always chalk it up to it being a matter of fit. So don't get discouraged if you do not hear back. Keep at it. Eventually you'll find the school that really wants you and they will make it known to you.

[PsyGuy]

I usually give it a week before sending another "touch" to the school. When a school wants you they really want you. A top priority candidate is going to get flagged in a day or so and sent up to the senior admin to get in contact with you.

[BlueJay]

I do agree with this. I've been cold called and contacted within 24 hours of submitting my resume. I've also received no call, email or interest. When a school wants me, they make it known pretty quickly. Good schools know that they aren't the only game out there and that you aren't just focusing on them. So just like getting good seats they want to get the best people locked up early so that they can start promoting you to their community.

Again, don't take any of it personally. It doesn't mean that you suck. Some schools really do get hundreds of resumes for 1 position. Sometimes it boils down to that old saying, "it's who you know, not what you know"...

[jimmycajun]

Im bumping this up from the depths to get some more opinions

This is something I havent been doing as I figure it is a busy time for schools, a busy time for receiving applications, a chance HR/HOSs are simply collecting apps and may not be reviewing.

Do many people send email follow ups to assert interest in positions/schools at this point in the year?

[sitka]

I don't. I've always felt that if a school wants me, they won't need me to remind them.

[justlooking]

I didn't usually do this, but I did last year and it worked out well. My wife and I were signed up for a Search fair but had had several Skype interviews and a few offers on the table that weren't quite right for us. I contacted a school we were very interested in and asked if they would like to meet us at the fair because, if not, we were probably weren't going to go. They responded asking for Skype interviews instead. After a few rounds of those, we wound up with offers. I still wonder if they would have contacted us (even though they had our CVs for several weeks) without that little push. Oh well- all's well that ends well.

[PsyGuy]

Many application processing systems dont include senior or executive leadership until the very end or late in the process. Sending a followup is more than likely going to get filtered out electronically or deleted by a low level member of HR or the general staff. Assuming they got your application materials they know who you are and "pushing" just looks desperate.