Is it too late to apply for the job?

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

When you're looking for a job you'll notice job ads that have been sitting in a window, on a recruitment site or a company's own website for a while. For example there's a hairdresser up the road from our office that has had a sign in the window looking for someone for the past several months.

When I was applying for jobs if I thought too much time had passed since the ad was created, I wouldn't bother applying. I thought there would be no point as so many people would have already applied, they must have found someone suitable by now. Looking back, I was probably missing a lot of potential opportunities by doing this.

So how late is too late when it comes to applying for a job, and are you wasting your time by applying a month after the job was initially advertised?

Every situation is different and the hiring process will have an effect on the time frame. They may need someone on straight away, or it could be a drawn out process taking months. There's always the chance that the job has already been filled and they simply forgot to remove the ad. But it could also mean they never found someone suitable for the role. So If the add doesn't mention any time constraints or other restrictions, you're better off assuming they're still accepting applications rather than assuming it's closed. More specialised jobs are harder to fill and so will usually remain advertised for longer.

The only way to know for certain about the status of an advertised position is to either email or call the company and ask the question. But you can also just put your application in, and if you end up hearing from them all the better. Don't feel embarrassed or worry they'll judge you for not applying earlier. The employer won't care.

It takes time and effort to apply for a job properly so naturally you don't want to go through the whole process only to find out it was for nothing. But that's kind of the nature of applying for any job. Whether it's a day after it was advertised or six months down the track. You prepare your documents and send them through without knowing if you'll ever hear back from the employer. You don't let that stop you, so why should this occasion by any different?

The hiring process takes time. A job may have been listed on online for a month, but that doesn't mean they've even started to sort through the applicants. It's not uncommon for companies to take months to make a decision. Budget changes may mean they need to put a halt on new hires, they may have a large amount of resumes to sort through, there could be several equally appealing candidates they're trying to choose from, or the interviewer may just be unavailable due to holiday or sick leave.

So If the ad doesn't have an expiry date and is still up, I don't think it's ever really too late to apply for a job. You've got nothing to lose by applying. Worst case scenario, you're told the job has already been filled. Which means you can focus your efforts elsewhere.

Until next time, have a good day.

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