should we just give up?

[despair]

should we just give up if we haven't heard by now? i am on the brink of despair waiting. when? when? when? should we expect to hear back from places that had an sept 15 deadline?

[um]

we've barely started.

[voiceofexperience]

This is my 3rd time on the market. Here's some of what those of you who may be newer to the terrible process can expect when it comes to things like wait times.
So a deadline passes. Some schools will actually have been reviewing apps as they came in, will meet soon after the deadline, and invite people within a week or two. The reason for that week or two, which would be speedy, is that the committee may meet a few times, in order to make cuts of various severity, and then, after that, they may have to run their final list past the whole department, then through the dean's office. Or provost, or whomever. Depends on the department and school. So, calls going out for interviews within about a month of the deadline is reasonably speedy, especially if apps are not looked at until the deadline passes. Some jobs, you have to realize, will draw 300+ applicants, and many will draw over 100.
Then, consider a different kind of situation, looking something like this: a department is small, a committee includes of people from other departments (possibly complicating scheduling), they don't hire very often, so they lack the institutional habits to get the process rolling quickly, they're surprised and overwhelmed by the # of apps they get, the dean wants heavy input into interviewees, there's a lot of arguing about candidates, the budget is worse than previously thought, and all of a sudden they're not even sure if they can hire.... then 3 or 4 months might pass before they can invite folks.
Or more. or the search gets cancelled. and you'll never find out.
It happens.

So, to answer your question, you do not need to panic if you have not heard from places with a Sept 15 deadline. Not a good sign, but it does not mean that you're counted out.

Hopefully that calms your nerves regarding specific jobs, but the fact is, too, that the market is rough. If you don't get interviews for jobs with fall deadlines, your odds may be better in the spring. These are often temporary gigs or at lesser-known or smaller schools. In other words, the kind of place most of us get our first job.

[relax]

Sept 15 deadlines mean that the search committee will probably has either started meeting to discuss the files by then (the semester had barely started). The process of going down from 150-200 to a long list of 25-30 takes at least a couple of weeks, and then -sometimes- those names are circulated to the whole department -which adds a full week. After that the search committee reconvenes and reads more in depth the material of the long list and either comes up with a short list, with a phone interview list or with the 3-4 happy guests. Once that decision is set you still need to get it approved/confirmed by the Human Resources offices at the School level and you also need the Dean's Approval.
As you can see while some schools move faster (and have less restrictions, especially the privates) this is a long process when conducted seriously.
Schools that have already invited like UT Austin started their semester way before labor day, so faculty had access to the files earlier than in other places.

[guest1]

thanks guys for all the positive feedback.

[headup]

The job market season is long. There are folks who get jobs for fall in July and August, so just be patient. As the season moves on, the pool narrows so chances increase.

security check: crocodile tears

[Dont Go Crazy]

No! The calls are for the stars of the market. The people EVERYONE wants. They can't take all the jobs. Be patient and know that interviews happen all the way into January. Plus, departments want very particular people! And some people just don't impress for a variety of reasons. The majority of us are not the stars of the market. So just chill! It'll happen.

[Takedeepbreaths]

When I went on the market, I did not get one single call or interview through the fall, through the winter, and into the spring. It was a long year of No or just no response. Loooooooong. I got a visiting position in the spring, a really awesome job that I love. So, take deep breaths and know that this is still the early-ish stage, there will continue to be job posts for TT and visiting positions, and that LOTS of places have not made decisions yet about whom to invite to campus -- let alone all the fallout that happens after that.

[holdon]

I was on the job market several years ago and, eventually, I got quite a few interviews and ended up in a place I really liked. But my first interview did not come until late November. And I know many folks whose first (and sometimes only) interview came in January or February. So it is still early now and be prepared for more psychological pressure in the next a few weeks. And don't be too addicted to this forum... Good luck to everyone!

[truth teller]

Yes. Give up now. The sky is falling.