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This is specifically about German university practices. When applying for a W1/W2 professorship, should I expect to be notified about my application not being considered further once the shortlist has been put together?

Do they generally notify everybody after the first round? Does it differ from position to position?

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  • Addition: I know that they do not notify people who were shortlisted and interviewed, once they actually start making offers because they wait how it goes with no. 1 on the list and then move down the list. I don't know how common this truly is but from personal experience I know that a friend who was second on the list did not get notified when I was offered a position (Juniorprofessur, non-tenure-track), but they contacted her immediately after I said no. That took a month but in that case, she was informed because we talked. I imagine others on the list had no idea.
    – story_without_a_title
    Commented Jun 6 at 14:57
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    Not "once the shortlist has been put together", but "once the hiring is completed and negotiations are done". But mind that it will be months or years until this point, so for all intents and purposes: no.
    – xLeitix
    Commented Jun 6 at 15:02
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    The process is so slow in Germany that there is no point in doing so.
    – Captain Emacs
    Commented Jun 6 at 17:09
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    @CaptainEmacs The process is slow after the short listing. Usually, the short list is made early and candidates are invited for a talk pretty quickly. But thereafter the decision process is quite lengthy.
    – Walter
    Commented Jun 6 at 18:49
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    @Walter Exactly. That's why there is no point knowing when one is not #1.
    – Captain Emacs
    Commented Jun 6 at 18:58

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I have applied to several positions at German universities. I was never informed of not being short listed in a timely fashion. In a few cases I was informed that my application was unsuccessful about 1-2 years after the application (in one case even per snail mail).

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    Wow, that's crazy. Thanks! In some US applications, I got back a reply with the shortlist, whether I was on it or not. But I guess the process in those cases was more open. But at the moment, I do not plan to go back and I'm actively looking into positions in Germany for the first time and it's confusing. I'm in Switzerland now and the systems are so different.
    – story_without_a_title
    Commented Jun 6 at 22:08
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    A German Unsitte not to reply to applications. Very wide spread though.
    – DonQuiKong
    Commented Jun 7 at 8:40
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No, don't expect anything if you are not short listed. There may have been 100-1000 applications and contacting them all is tedious and there is little point. At least this is the experience of my colleagues.

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    Now you got me interested: In which field are there up to 1000 applicants per position at a German university? The most extreme cases I'm aware of in mathematics are somewhere between 100 and 200. For some positions - if the position is defined more narrowly - less than 50 can also happen.
    – Jochen Glueck
    Commented Jun 6 at 20:48
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    Thanks, Walter! That's really useful. I'm wondering about how many applicants some of these jobs get. I was on a hiring committee at my current university (in Switzerland) and the applicant pool was fairly limited, which surprised me, given the amazing conditions Swiss unis have. it must depend on how specific the position is.
    – story_without_a_title
    Commented Jun 6 at 22:10

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