Just got notice Friday that I'm second in line for a job offer if the top choice turns it down. How long will I have to wait to find out?
Always the bridesmaid
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What kind of school tells people they are the 2nd choice? They should make an offer to their 1st choice. If that person turns them down, they should move on to their 2nd choice and offer them the job, as if that individual is their 1st choice.
Why is this so hard? What is the benefit of telling someone they were 2nd best? -
We almost always do this and sometimes we also let the third know as well. It is so our second choice doesn't go out and get and throw himself into another position ASAP after learning he is the second.
We've had so many first place candidates drop for reasons (once because we found out he was hitting on grad students at the campus visit) so it's nice to have someone waiting in line rather than begin the search again.
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We tell candidates as well that way they know where they stand with us and can make their decisions about other opportunities they have with as much information.
But to your actual question, at least two weeks, but could be more (or less). If candidate one wants the job they'll take time to negotiate and the standard two weeks to decide. So will vary depending on whether that candidate has other options on the table.
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What kind of school tells people they are the 2nd choice? They should make an offer to their 1st choice. If that person turns them down, they should move on to their 2nd choice and offer them the job, as if that individual is their 1st choice.
Why is this so hard? What is the benefit of telling someone they were 2nd best?You are correct. The OP is almost certainly trying to troll us, but doesn't actually know how the job-seeking process works.
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We would call you fairly quickly after the first rejects the offer. We vote first one what candidates are "above the bar" meaning if it came to them on the list we would be happy with hiring them. Then we rank candidates. We run the choices by the Dean and make an offer. If the candidate rejects, we run number two by the Dean and out the verbal offer out. But keep in mind this might be different depending on the department rules/norms for voting.
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How long does it take the SC to offer it to the second choice if the first choice rejects it?
It depends. Where I work now, we vote on (and get Dean's approval for) and action plan with respect to all interviewed--which candidates are worth making an offer to, and in what order--so once we're declined there's no additional process; the offer can be made in as long as it takes our chair to dial your phone number. At my previous institution, we would have to go through the whole approval process again. It was somewhat expedited, but could still take over a week.
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It's happened to me too. At first the SC chair said that the offer was out and that "one of the candidates was no longer in the running." At this point I went for broke and asked if that person was me. He said no, which was his way of telling me indirectly that I was number 2. After 20 minutes he just said "if we do get an offer to you, I hope you will accept."
May have happened like this OP too?
Anyway, got the offer, took the job, happy here, no hard feelings. Good luck!
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What kind of school tells people they are the 2nd choice? They should make an offer to their 1st choice. If that person turns them down, they should move on to their 2nd choice and offer them the job, as if that individual is their 1st choice.
Why is this so hard? What is the benefit of telling someone they were 2nd best?If your feelings are hurt because you got a job by "coming in second" at a place that likely got 200+ applications, you have a problem. I am where I am now because I was second place. The first place candidate landed at an Ivy and yes, I would hire her over me any day of the week. In no way was/am I better than her. But I am happy, and my colleagues are happy with me. So, we both win.
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This seems to be a case where more information is always good. If you know that calls are out, and you think it may mean you are "out" too, or even have no information, you will act differently than if you know you are #2 against someone who is unlikely to take the job. More information makes matching more efficient, and it seems unlikely to hurt the process, either.
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If you had to make a mental note you have already lost.
OK, making a mental note of this right now; do not hit on grad students. Not even the hot ones.
I'd like to ask if there are any shades of grey here, but I guess I'll just have to accept American puritanical behaviors if I'm to become employed. -
We let #2 know that he is next in line if we think #1 is unlikely to take the job. We deem #1 unlikely to take the job if she has a competing offer from a similarly- or better-ranked school. Otherwise, we delay giving information to #2, #3 and #4 until contracts are signed.