I was ready for this to be slow - after reading the reviews here - but I was surprised that exactly one month after submitting my CV and cover letter online (and fully according to procedure) I still have not heard a peep from anyone at IKEA. Knowing (from glassdoor) that the average wait for the first phone call is two weeks, I waited three weeks before following up. By the way, IKEA makes doing so difficult but not impossible. When I finally reached exactly the right person, I left a friendly and detailed message on his voice mail - including the position, store, candidate number assigned to my submission, the name of the well-regarded, manager-level "co-worker" who nominated me - and my phone number, of course. Despite the outgoing message on the recruiter's voicemail promising to return all calls - a week later I still haven't heard anything, despite a strong resume. As a customer, I have a very high regard for IKEA. But, I am beginning to suspect they end up hiring the weaker candidates - those who are left over after other employers (with a more aggressive recruitment system) have attracted and hired the best.