Job Discussion Forums

[asalak]

...between applying for a job and getting any kind of response, typically, from direct employers in Saudi? I applied for a couple of jobs a while (10 days) back and have heard nothing. Is this because they don't want me *sniff* or because there's typically a long period between application and response? Do interim 'acknowledgement of application' emails tend not to be sent out as a basic courtesy to the applicant? Just wondering.

[johnslat]

Dear asalak,

1. " . . .between applying for a job and getting any kind of response, typically, from direct employers in Saudi?

1. It can vary - from a long time to never.

I applied for a couple of jobs a while (10 days) back and have heard nothing. Is this because they don't want me *sniff* or because there's typically a long period between application and response?

2. There's typically a long time - but that doesn't exclude the possibility that they don't want you.

3. Do interim 'acknowledgement of application' emails tend not to be sent out as a basic courtesy to the applicant?

3. Yes. Hardly ever (if ever) are "acknowledgements" sent. "Basic courtesy" is very thin on the ground with respect to institutions' treatment of their potential (or, ofr that matter, current) employees.

Regards,
John

[Mia Xanthi]

In my experience, everything in KSA is done at the last possible minute. Unless you have applied to one of the rare long-established and (ahem) respected institutions, an expectation of timeliness or professional courtesy is unrealistic. They probably have received your application documents and placed them in a large stack without even glancing at them. If you are applying for the fall term, you may hear from them by June, but often it can be as late as August when they realize the situation is desperate. Right now, they are still waiting to hear how many current teachers are desperate enough to sign on for another year. By August, they will know how many have run off over the summer with no intention of returning.

Sorry to sound so negative, but that is pretty much how things work over there. Of course, there is always the chance that someone will run off in the middle of the term, in which case you would get a desperate call expecting you to drop everything and be there in a week!

[asalak]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Bleakly reassuring.

If only the potential employers were as prompt...