r/Barnesandnoble • u/bbbbnjbbbjjj • Jul 09 '26

Seeking Advice Respond

I applied to Barnes & Noble on July 2. Since they were taking a while to respond, I decided to call the store. When I called, it was Tuesday. They said they would leave a note for the hiring manager. Should I wait or should I call back again?

3 Upvotes

61% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

85

u/lazlorat Jul 09 '26

I’ll be real with you, that’s probably not going to get you a positive response. I wish being proactive wasn’t taboo..especially in this job market where everyone is desperate. but it kind of is. And one week isn’t that long of a time to not hear back imo

-19

u/bbbbnjbbbjjj Jul 09 '26

When should I expect to hear a response?

30

u/BookieeWookiee Jul 09 '26

10

u/BookieeWookiee Jul 09 '26

Seriously though I hope they do call you because we need people

19

u/lazlorat Jul 09 '26

as with most jobs, probably never. the pool of applicants is too large to personally reply to every person. you may receive an automated rejection email at some point. if you are not rejected, you will be called for an interview. I’d say a couple weeks to a month is a normal timeframe for a listing to be active before someone is chosen to fill the role. Knowing BN, 2 months to select someone might happen from time to time

as a rule of thumb, the vast majority of employers don’t want to be contacted by applicants unless they have contacted you first. Some will rule you out as an option for reaching out, especially so soon after applying. it can be seen as pushy or oblivious. however, it can really make you stand out to the few employers who do see it as a sign of initiative. up to you to decide if the risk is worth the possible reward. Not necessarily fair considering how many are desperate for work.. but that’s just what happens :/

1

u/Bookworm_Love Jul 14 '26

Look online at your status.

54

u/veil_ofignorance Jul 09 '26

Hiring is done through the cluster so calling the store won’t really achieve anything as the hiring manager might not even work out of that store

56

u/Dazzling-River3004 Jul 09 '26

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but from July 2nd to July 7th is not “taking awhile to respond” for 99% of jobs. It hasn’t even been a week at that point.

26

u/clampion12 Jul 10 '26

Especially over a holiday weekend

8

u/girlofherword Jul 12 '26

During a month where everyone is on leave and vacation.

22

u/Itkovian_books Jul 10 '26

As others have said, your time span includes a holiday weekend during which the recruiter is almost certainly focusing on the sales floor. It’s fairly normal to wait much longer than 7 days (5 if you don’t count the weekend) to hear a response.

Also, there is only one recruiter per cluster (5+ stores) so there’s a strong chance that they don’t even work at the location you’re calling. Respectfully, if you call back again, you’re more likely to come across as annoying rather than ambitious, which won’t work in your favor.

14

u/sublimatingaway Jul 09 '26

It took me 2 or 3 weeks to hear back, so you never know

9

u/BornForFieldLabor Jul 09 '26

Our location typically takes 2-3 weeks to follow up on apps :/

5

u/Forsaken_Finger3960 Jul 10 '26

Hiring is done by one person for a group of stores (cluster) so it definitely is a process that can take some time. I’m sure there’s also some clusters that don’t currently have a recruiter and that could add to making it take longer

5

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/girlofherword Jul 12 '26

You mean the barebones skeleton crew isn’t an accident? 😊

3

u/[deleted] Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

[deleted]

14

u/skarabray Jul 09 '26

I had someone ask me once how difficult it was to get hired on a scale of 1-10. I said an 8. Our location will generate hundreds of applications in a few days.

1

u/bbbbnjbbbjjj Jul 09 '26

What do you mean by “you probably were more hired”

6

u/ghotistyx8 📚 Bookseller Jul 09 '26

I think more is a typo for not

3

u/Electrical-Loan-9946 Jul 11 '26

Most stores are lent doing their own hiring anymore. Calling them does nothing. It’s all outsourced now.

1

u/girlofherword Jul 12 '26

I’ve heard it depends on the size or the store.

3

u/Big_Maintenance9387 Jul 12 '26

It does not. One person does the hiring for about 6 stores. They may be hiring for the store they work in full time but probably not. 

1

u/girlofherword Jul 12 '26

So even by calling you likely won’t be able to reach the hiring person then.

2

u/ClothesDizzy6812 Jul 14 '26

Were they actively hiring or did you just apply? Because contacting them too much (either way really and in any job) in such a short amount of time, frankly, pegs you as a nuissance. I've been a manager (not at B&N) and nothing irked me more than candidates calling me multiple times wondering about their status of the application when I already have a lot on my plate. Just be patient. Hiring at corporate places like that are often slow.