When (not?) to ask for a job.
April 15, 2014 2:49 PM   Subscribe

I've prepared a speculative application for a job in Industry in the UK. It has been suggested to me that sending it now would be a mistake since we're heading into the Easter holidays. Is this good advice that I should follow or just a cynical opinion from someone who has nothing at stake?

I'm ready to send it tomorrow. I have put a good deal of energy into this because I would very much like to work for this particular company. The situation is complicated by the fact that there is no set closing date for applications but there is no specific job to apply for. I would not be competing with other applications, but I don't want to get lost in the shuffle of the upcoming holiday.

Should I send it tomorrow or wait? If the answer is "wait" how long should I give it?
posted by Eumachia L F to Work & Money (9 answers total)
 
Just send it in. You can't second guess such things.
posted by tel3path at 2:50 PM on April 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'd wait until next Monday.
posted by vegartanipla at 2:53 PM on April 15, 2014


sending a resume before easter is not unlike posting something on metafilter. if you do it in the middle of america's night, it will stay at the top of the page longer, but there will be fewer people looking at it, so, it's a wash.
posted by bruce at 2:59 PM on April 15, 2014


The only thing the Easter Holiday can do is delay the response to it. Being as there is no deadline and it is speculative anyway, what is a day or two's delay to you? Just send it in.

If it's a speculative application chances are they won't look at it inside a few days properly anyway, in which case Easter is irrelevant.
posted by Brockles at 3:15 PM on April 15, 2014


I think probably leave it, at least if it's a smallish company? I used to work for a UK-based company where we got a LOT of speculative and very specific job applications. Occasionally if someone seemed super-interesting we'd at least go "hey come in and have coffee" - but if an email had come just before the public holiday, I'm pretty sure there'd have been a good chance of us going "don't have time to deal with this now, will look after the long weekend". And then obviously after the weekend it's been long enough that the email is buried or forgotten. Even if that isn't the case here, it's not like you lose out on anything by waiting a week.

(I'd also say don't send it in on Tuesday, when people will be catching up with stuff they should have done before the weekend, or general daily/weekly tasks that haven't been dealt with because nobody was around Friday/Monday.)

(If it's a bigger company where there's someone who has the job of looking at this sort of email and assessing whether it's worth inviting someone in, then I don't know.)
posted by severalbees at 3:40 PM on April 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


When you say it's speculative do you mean you have had no contact with the company at all? Just sending a letter without taking to anyone may not be your best strategy for getting a positive response.
posted by biffa at 3:44 PM on April 15, 2014


I'd wait until next Monday.

Monday is a Bank Holiday.

Anyway, tomorrow is Wednesday so I'd send it then, and then follow up next Wednesday. A good number of people who can are taking leave around the bank holiday, so it's sort of a crapshoot.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:00 PM on April 15, 2014


Send it ASAP. Some people won't be at work for Good Friday this week, and it's hiring season right now.
posted by oceanjesse at 5:54 PM on April 15, 2014


In most counties in the UK it will be Easter school holidays so a lot of people will be on holiday. Those not one holiday will have Good Friday and Easter Monday off. Unless you have specific knowledge of the movements of your addressee this week or next you might as well just send when you're ready. Then follow up Tues/Wed week after next, to allow for holidays and long weekends and exploding inboxes the first day back at work.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:40 AM on April 16, 2014


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