What's the longest you've waited from offer to start date?

Person_one

I'm now at 6 weeks and no start date in sight

I'm hoping for a letter on monday but then I have been for the last 5 weeks!

LittleVoice

Three months. Job with local authority. By the time that firm date came through I was happily working elsewhere and didn't take it up.

Roobarb_73

about 2.5 months! Was with a bank (not money handling/customer facing though) and the pre employment checks they did were ridiculous

dmg24

Some graduate schemes can have two years between offer and start date!

Loubyloux

Keep in mind that it is also holiday season so if the person required to sign off on the offer is not there and they have not or can not delegate that level of authority then it can take longer.

Took 7 weeks for the offer for my current job as the MD was working off site, also took 3 months for a previous public sector job due to their ratification and security check process.

emilyteach1

A couple years ago, I went through a really long, drawn out recruitment process for a fairly lowly customer service position with a catalogue company [handling orders and queries by telephone].

I applied online in the January, and received instant notification that I would be invited for a telephone interview in the near future. The actual invitation didn't come until the July!

I had the phone interview and was quickly offered a face to face interview, which took place about 6 weeks later, and then I was finally offered a position to start around October.

The time between the formal offer of employment and the start date was around 2 months, whilst the whole end to end recruitment process took the best part of a year.

I eventually declined the job, as any enthusiasm I'd had for it to begin with had completely gone, and I was working elsewhere anyway.

Person_one

I signed a CRB waiver so that shouldn't be causing the delay. Ah well, I'll just continue to wait, maybe give them a call tomorrow. Its exactly the job I wanted so I'm not going to take anything else I don't think, I'll just try to be patient!

tsimehC

I waited 3 months from being told that I was successful in the interview. That was working for the DWP, apparently that is the norm.

Gothicfairy

Interview :end of May 2010
Told had the job : Middle of June 2010 ( and was only told when I asked for feedback about the interview ,seems communication is not their thing.)

Still no start date so guessing now I haven't got the job ..lol

Tigsteroonie

I had an interview in July. I knew it would take 10 days to find out if I'd got the job, as the interviewer was going on holiday and then resuming interviews on his return. I had to chase it up 3 weeks after, to be told that I'd got the job and they were preparing the offer paperwork. Another week, and I actually collected the paperwork, returned it next day(after reading); I said I could start any Monday to suit them. Here I sit, another 2 weeks on, and still no start date advised. And this job doesn't even involve a CRB check - it just seems to be their disorganised HR!

The most annoying thing is that the JCP still expects me to continue jobhunting in the meantime and fulfill the terms of my JSAg. I can understand that some job offers fall through, but this one won't (quango). I feel like I am just wasting the time of other employers by submitting applications and being considered for jobs that I won't take.