For U.S. federal jobs, applicants generally hear from the hiring agency about 15 to 30 days after the announcement closes, according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Other public employers publish wider ranges: Louisiana’s state civil service says filling a vacancy takes from one day to three months after the closing date, and UC Santa Cruz says it can take 1 to 12 weeks after its review date to hear about an interview.
Private employers rarely publish a timeline. For them, use two weeks after the close as the point to follow up.
Key takeaways
- A closing date is usually when screening starts, not when decisions are made.
- Federal applicants generally hear from the agency 15 to 30 days after the close. OPM’s model timeline gives the HR office 15 days just to evaluate applications.
- State and university timelines run from days to about three months. Look for the employer’s own applicant FAQ.
- Not every posting closes on a fixed date. Some stay open continuously, some close when an applicant limit is reached, and some use a review date as a soft deadline.
- When the published window passes with no word, check your status, then write to the contact in the announcement.
01
What does a closing date mean?
A closing date is the last day the employer accepts applications for that posting. It tells you when applications stop. It does not tell you when anyone starts reading them.
OPM describes three ways a federal job announcement can close.
| Closing type | How OPM describes it | What it means for your wait |
|---|---|---|
| Closing date | Most announcements close on the date stated in the announcement | Count your wait from that date |
| Open continuous | The announcement stays open indefinitely and usually lists one or more dates when the agency reviews applications | Count from the first review date after you applied |
| Applicant cut-off | The announcement closes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the day the agency receives a set number of applications | It can close within days of opening, so apply early |
Some universities use a softer version. UC Santa Cruz gives each staff posting an initial review date and sends every application received by then to the hiring unit on the first Tuesday or Thursday that follows. Applications that arrive later are passed on only if the hiring unit asks for more.
Private employers are the least predictable. An “apply by” date may be firm, or the posting may simply stay up until someone is hired. Either way, applying well before the date costs you nothing. The guide to the best time to apply for jobs explains why.
02
What happens after a posting closes?
The sequence below follows the public-sector processes that are documented. Private employers usually run a shorter version of the same steps.
- Applications are checked against the minimum requirements. In OPM’s model timeline for federal hiring, the human resources office has 15 days to evaluate, rate and rank the applications and to tell applicants the result of the qualification review.
- Applications move on to the people who choose interviewees. In federal hiring, each applicant is either referred or not referred to the selecting official. Louisiana builds a list of eligible applicants who passed every screening step. UC Santa Cruz routes applications to the hiring unit.
- A manager or committee reviews them and schedules interviews. This step can take a long time. UC Santa Cruz gives a range of 1 to 12 weeks before applicants hear about an interview.
- Someone is selected and the others are told, or not. Louisiana says notifying unsuccessful applicants is up to each agency. UC Santa Cruz generally sends its not-selected email only after an informal offer has gone to the chosen candidate.
Federal agencies are required to give applicants a status at four points, according to OPM: when the application is received, when it is assessed, when it is referred or not referred to the selecting official, and when the applicant is selected or not selected. For what each reviewer looks at, see how long a job application review takes.
03
How long do public employers say it takes?
| Employer | What it publishes | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. federal agencies | Applicants generally hear from the agency in about 15 to 30 days | The date the announcement closes |
| U.S. federal agencies, OPM model | 15 days for the HR office to evaluate applications | The close of the announcement |
| Louisiana state agencies | One day to three months to fill the vacancy | The closing date |
| Louisiana state agencies | The list of eligible applicants stays valid for three months | The closing date |
| UC Santa Cruz, staff jobs | 1 to 12 weeks to hear about an interview | The initial review date |
Read these as the employers’ own descriptions, not as guarantees. OPM’s day counts come from a model that agencies use to measure their own hiring, and an individual agency can be faster or slower.
04
Why you might hear nothing after the close
- Screening is still under way. A large pool takes longer to rate, and a committee takes longer to meet.
- You were not referred, and no notice has gone out. Some employers notify applicants only when the job is filled, and some leave it to each agency or department.
- You are on a list. In Louisiana, applicants on the eligible list can be considered for the vacancy for as long as the list is valid, which is three months from the closing date.
- The posting stayed up after the deadline. UC Santa Cruz says its jobs generally remain posted until the position is filled, so a visible posting is not always one that is still taking applications.
- The search changed. Postings are sometimes withdrawn, re-scoped or run again. If yours reappears, see why a job was reposted after you applied.
05
What to do after a posting closes
- Save the announcement before it disappears. Keep the job title, the announcement or requisition number, the closing date and the HR contact. OPM notes that if a closed federal announcement no longer appears on USAJOBS, you can contact the human resources office of the hiring agency.
- Check your status about a week after the close. Louisiana tells applicants they are responsible for checking their own status, and that the history link on each application shows every action taken on it. If a label is unclear, see what “under consideration” means.
- Wait out the published window. For a federal job that is 30 days after the close. For an employer that publishes nothing, use two weeks.
- Then write to the contact in the announcement. Give the announcement number and the date you applied, and ask whether applications have been reviewed. The application follow-up guide has a template for this.
- Keep applying in the meantime. A closed posting can take months to resolve. Do not hold your search for it.
If the posting had no closing date at all, the wait is counted differently. See how long after applying you should hear back.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How long after a job closes do employers contact you?
It depends on the employer. OPM says federal applicants generally hear from the hiring agency about 15 to 30 days after the announcement closes. Louisiana’s state civil service says filling a vacancy can take from one day to three months after the closing date. For private employers that publish nothing, follow up two weeks after the close.
Does a closed job posting mean someone was hired?
Not by itself. A closing date only ends the application period, and screening usually starts afterwards. A posting can also close early because an applicant limit was reached. The reverse is true as well: some employers leave a posting visible until the hire is final, so an open posting does not prove the job is still available.
Are applications reviewed before the closing date?
Sometimes. Federal open continuous announcements usually list the dates when the agency reviews applications. UC Santa Cruz sends applications to the hiring unit after its initial review date and passes on later ones only on request. Some private employers read applications as they arrive. Because you rarely know which applies, submit early.
How long after a USAJOBS announcement closes will I hear back?
OPM says that, although each agency is different, you will generally hear from the hiring agency about 15 to 30 days after the announcement closes. If you have not, OPM advises contacting the agency that posted the job. The contact details are in the announcement itself.
Can you still apply after the closing date?
Usually not. OPM says that when a federal announcement closes, you can no longer apply. Where an employer uses a review date as a soft deadline, as UC Santa Cruz does, a late application may or may not be passed to the hiring unit. A late application is never guaranteed a look.
Sources
- OPM: Why have I not heard anything back after applying?: the 15-to-30-day window, the four status points and who to contact.
- OPM: When does a job announcement close?: the three ways a federal announcement closes.
- OPM Hiring Process Analysis Tool: Evaluate Applications: the 15 days OPM’s model gives HR to evaluate, rate and rank applications.
- Louisiana State Civil Service: What happens after I apply for a job?: time to fill a vacancy, the eligible list, status checks and notification.
- UC Santa Cruz Staff Human Resources: IRD and Applicant Review Process: review dates, routing, the 1-to-12-week screening range and when not-selected emails go out.
Published by Jobbie and last updated on October 6, 2026. This guide is general information for job seekers, not legal, tax or financial advice. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.