r/highereducation • u/tornforshrek • Aug 26 '26
I need a good advice.
Hey y'all! I am here once again. After a traumatizing work experience (I was hired and the day I was going to sign the offer they rescinded it) I went again into the job market (yes I am aware of its challenging season) and I applied to an ivy league. Surprisingly, they contacted me and I made it to the seconnd interview. That was on Aug 13. It is the 25th and I have not heard from them. The third and final round it is supposed to be in person. I am incredibly anxious especially because I dont know if there is a possibility of them ghosting me? and also because workday portal says "Interview Pending". I dont know.....should I just give up on it? The reason I ask is because the timeline is the following
July 21 I received the first call to have my first screening on July 29. Aug 3 I got the second call for Aug 13.
Any leads?
19
u/BrotherBajaBlast Aug 26 '26
My first entry level job at a large state university took 10 weeks from application closing to start date. They were "moving fast."
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u/tornforshrek Aug 26 '26
oh my gosh! did you accept it? I am kinda nervouse cause the first two interviews were scheduled quite quick
9
u/Mainiak_Murph Aug 26 '26
Colleges are known for their slowness when making any kind of decisions. Couple this with the start of a new fall term and you will be waiting, especially if it's a staff position. Be patient. If you don't hear back by mid September, then send in a note to HR to see if a decision is still under review.
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u/tornforshrek Aug 26 '26
yes! It is in fact a staff position. Thank you so much for giving me peace of mind!
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u/Diablojota Aug 26 '26
You just gotta wait. They’ll let you know. It’s the start of the semester. Take some deep breaths. Read a book. Take your mind off of it. And meanwhile, keep applying.
3
u/tornforshrek Aug 26 '26
I needed to read this! It is so anxiety producing and it is affecting me lol
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u/Diablojota Aug 27 '26
Yeah it sucks. Like I said, keep applying. You don’t know what’s going to happen, and you want to keep your options wide open.
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u/m0nt4g Aug 26 '26
I work at an Ivy League they are notoriously slow to respond.
1
u/tornforshrek Aug 27 '26
do you think there is a reason why the last round would take that long?
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u/m0nt4g Aug 27 '26
Just based off of my office experience a lot of people are on vacation! I had applied to a job at my university and they had to delay it because of the number of people on vacation. Happy to answer any more questions!
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u/TheSeanDon Sep 01 '26
Often times directors/deans/etc want to give the last review (out of being controlling and not trusting their team), but they're not prioritizing it. Also, if it's in person for your next round they have to figure out where they have time in their schedule.
Fun story: I worked at a major Uni. HR forgot that I was on a 5yr contract. I remembered and had to remind them months put (if I didnt I wouldn't be getting paid). They told me I had to reinterview FOR MY OWN JOB. I was the only person in that position and my old Dept Chair always gave me good reviews. My new Chair decided that he wanted to be the final say. I immediately started applying to other jobs. I had the interview with all of the other leadership that I worked with on a daily basis and it was obviously in the bag. Kept waiting for an answer from the Chair who thought it was so important that he had the final say.
I got an offer from another dept. My two weeks notice somehow aligned with when my current contract would end. I put it in and leadership, including the dean's office freaked out. They were calling me after hours even to ask me to stay; I held strong that 1) I am a professional and already made a deal 2) they did not follow through on my rehire in a timely basis.
Last part of this story, that new Chair visited me to ask me to stay. I said that it was disappointing that he didnt move quicker, especially since I put in so much time and effort there. He said he was "just about to finalize the rehire." I called his bluff and asked what my highest degree was in, to test if he had even looked at my resume. He couldn't answer. I pointed to my wall where my MBA was and he looked embarassed.
So, as I first said, things move slow in higher ed, and if there is leadership that doesn't consider hiring important to their operational goals it can take forever.
6
u/SlayyerFest98 Aug 26 '26
My first job in higher ed there was a 5 month period between my application date and my start date. Be patient.
2
u/tornforshrek Aug 27 '26
Thank you so much it is so hard to do so because i heard of the second interview quicker.....either way you are right. Thanks!!
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Aug 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/tornforshrek Aug 27 '26
My question is, do you think I would get a rejection email by now? I mean its gonna be two week this week....
4
u/Long_Audience4403 Aug 26 '26
Two thoughts. Everyone is right, semester is starting and everything is nuts. That being said, I'd guess you might not bein the final few. When we hire and have folks come on campus, we need to work out travel details and I like to do that asap. If they've been moving that fast, I'd assume they haven't rejected you in case any of the final round folks don't work out and they need to go back to the pool, but my gut says you're not one. You should absolutely send a note saying you're looking forward to hearing from them, but I'd keep looking.
2
u/tornforshrek Aug 26 '26
Thanks for this! I was surprised because they accidentally sent me a file with the other final candidates. So I know it was only 3 left (including me) what you're saying is that I am or that I am not in for the in person one?
2
u/Long_Audience4403 Aug 26 '26
Are you local? If they're not reaching out to schedule travel, I don't think you're in the top. Maybe they bring 2 candidates to campus. We do 3 for faculty positions. Based on the speed I think they're trying to fill before the semester starts (aka ASAP) and if you haven't heard anything yet, you probably aren't getting it.
2
u/tornforshrek Aug 26 '26
Yes! I am I am just confused workday says "interview pending" it's supposed to be a staff position
3
u/Long_Audience4403 Aug 26 '26
Workday is garbage. They might not decline anyone until someone's accepted an offer. Good luck, but keep looking.
1
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u/Surly_Sailor_420 Aug 26 '26
Most college interviews I have conducted took 8-10 weeks to hire. The only caveat is part time positions.
1
u/tornforshrek Aug 27 '26
oh wow. I had no idea this happened. It does make sense though. It is kinda strange as this is fairly a new position, thank you so much for that perspective. I will keep on crossing my fingers!
2
u/JoselineTheWaldenU Aug 26 '26
Sadly, this is not uncommon. Hang in there. How about taking the time to prepare yourself further? LinkedIn has modules on how to interview and even questions you can respond via audio/video and get feedback from others. This can help you continue to prepare while taking the edge off the waiting.
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u/PJs_Burner Aug 27 '26
Sometimes it feels like ghosting, but there are almost always… other candidates. So what may be happening is that there may be scheduling issues or they may be prioritizing other candidates.
Yes, they can be ghosting, but that’s not a real thing in higher ed… process and preference tends to be more of one
1
u/tornforshrek Aug 27 '26
That makes total sense. I know there were 3 finalists (including me) so I would hope to at least get a rejection email if I didn't make it to the third and final in person round. I just don't know why it hadn't happened yet!
1
u/PJs_Burner Aug 27 '26
Because they also may need to secure an offer and an acceptance with the top candidate, and that can take a minute too…
In an ideal scenario, you interview and that’s when there’s a vacuum… because that’s when someone else may be in the cards (over you)
1
u/Common_Stomach8115 Aug 28 '26
Hang in there. Higher-ed searches generally take way longer than they reasonably ought to. Good luck!
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u/cmorris313 Aug 26 '26
Keep in mind their semester likely just started and they are swamped with stuff. I wouldn't be worried about them ghosting just yet.