Do the EDNY/SDNY USAOs only send rejections to interviewees? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I applied for AUSA positions in the EDNY and SDNY a while back and haven't heard anything. Does anyone know if these offices notify people who are rejected before the interview process? Or do they only send rejections to people who get an interview? At what point after one has applied could that person reasonably assume that they have not been selected to move forward? Thank you!

[Anonymous User]

Relatedly, if you interview and don’t hear back, how long until you should assume you didn’t get the position?

[Anonymous User]

How long ago do you mean by "a while back"? Possibly anecdotal but everyone I'm friends with from law school that became AUSAs (including one to SDNY) waited over six months after applying until they heard they got an interview. When I was considering applying over a year ago, I was told to expect the same. The judge I clerked for heard the same when he asked around for me. Someone in my class who applied to EDNY got denied before an interview but no clue how he found that out.

[Anonymous User]

One thing that may play a role here is that SDNY/EDNY usually take rolling applications, whereas many USAOs only accept applications when they have a specific opening and are definitely going to hire, with a fixed deadline. So it’s not clear to me that SDNY/EDNY actually act on those applications when they receive them, or until they have an actual need/approval to hire.

They’re big enough districts, they may get enough turnover that they hire pretty regularly, compared to, say, my tiny district filled with lifers, and so they find it efficient to keep applications on file (my district has in the past gone multiple years between hires so keeping an application on file wouldn’t be of any use). Or they may follow a different system entirely than the districts I’m more familiar with.

My point is just that if there wasn’t a specific deadline by which to apply, I’m not sure there’s any fixed timeline for hearing back.

[Anonymous User]

How long ago do you mean by "a while back"? Possibly anecdotal but everyone I'm friends with from law school that became AUSAs (including one to SDNY) waited over six months after applying until they heard they got an interview. When I was considering applying over a year ago, I was told to expect the same. The judge I clerked for heard the same when he asked around for me. Someone in my class who applied to EDNY got denied before an interview but no clue how he found that out.

By a while back I meant in October. So looks like it hasn't been that long after all given what the norm is! Thanks for this information.