Patience. not my strong suit, how long should I wait???

Trauma Columnist · Jan 27, 2003

I would give it 48 hours then follow-up with a phone call Wendy. Good luck.

renerian, BSN, RN · Jan 27, 2003

I had to wait three months to get a call. The HR person said they get over 1,000 resumes per fax, email or mail every day. Took another three months to interveiw. Was a horrible mess. Good luck in your job search Wendy.

renerian

researchrabbit · Jan 27, 2003

I too would follow up with a phone call within 48 hours. Maybe even the next day (I too am not patient!). Good luck!

Stargazer · Jan 27, 2003

Speaking strictly from my POV (i.e., one whose duties include recruiting), a next-day call would irritate the crap outta me. My personal recommendation would be 3 days. When you call, try to pin down when you might expect an answer. If they're still all vague and make it sound like it'll be another month, or maybe never, let them know you're still interested and would like to hear as soon as possible, but of course they must understand that you'll need to keep looking in the meantime.

RNFROG3, BSN, RN · Jan 27, 2003

I agree with Stargazer - 3 days. I would think anyone would snap you up Wendy. Good luck in the search. Sure ya don't want to move to Indianapolis?

niteshiftnurse · Jan 27, 2003

2-3 days. good luck

nurseman · Jan 28, 2003

I'm going with 2-3 days too. The HR person probably just was taking today off so that's why you didn't get your call.

sjoe · Jan 28, 2003

"but its already been 8 hours or more since I faxed and nothing "

Amusing.

It is standard procedure these days NOT to acknowledge resumes, applications, faxes, etc. Rude? Yes. But that's the way it is. You are usually contacted if and when they really have an opening (many ads are for reasons other than trying to fill a position) and the person has already left.

Giving it 2-3 days to verify that they received your fax (even though your fax machine tells you that) is a good idea. Then if you call them every week or so thereafter to make sure they have your resume, it encourages them to find it. Then they usually put it on top of the stack when they are done checking, if that is the most convenient thing for them to do.

If you can bypass HR, talk directly to the nurse manager of the unit(s) that interests you, for this is the person who actually does the hiring AND has an investment in filling gaps in staffing. The HR people usually could care less and have little pressure on them.

For what it's worth.

Stargazer · Jan 28, 2003

Originally posted by sjoe
If you can bypass HR, talk directly to the nurse manager of the unit(s) that interests you, for this is the person who actually does the hiring AND has an investment in filling gaps in staffing. The HR people usually could care less and have little pressure on them.

Excellent advice, sjoe. I don't even KNOW how long HR sits on some of my resumes before they get around to passing them along to me.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 28, 2003

Good luck Wendy I'm proud of you!

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Jan 28, 2003

Some only follow up on resumes once the sender has followed up with them and shown interest.

I second the idea of sending a resume straight to the nurse manager, and let them know you are interested. I have not yet gotten a job through a HR. they have a perpetual paper-clog.