Do these signs mean I didn't get the job?

[Double J]

Hey guys,

 

On Thursday of this week, I had a second interview for local financial company. I thought a 2nd interview in itself was a good sign, but I've had my doubts because of the following:

 

1. Before the first interview, they informed me that the Marketing Director would be out of town the week in which that interview landed. So, I interviewed with the HR director. I didn't hear from them for a few days, so I took the liberty of calling them to schedule the 2nd interview on my own. I'm really not sure if they would have called eventually, or, if they went through with it because they felt bad cutting me early on. I've heard that many companies want the candidates to take the initiative themselves as a way of showing continued interest. If the company was already uninterested, why would they not tell me that in advance to get me off their shoulders? Why go through the motions of a 2nd interview? Perhaps they really are interested.

 

2. I noticed today that the company reposted the job listing for this position on the web site in which the job listing was originally posted. The listing was reposted on Tuesday of this week, two days before the 2nd interview with the Marketing Director. Is this a bad sign, or could it simply mean that they just want a larger pool of potential candidates?

 

I look forward to any input. Thanks!

[Crazyaboutdogs]

Having spent a lot of time on the side of being a job hunter, I can tell you that people on the other side of the desk have absolutely no clue what it is like being a job seeker. My experience with HR people is that they just do cookie cutter interviews...the real nuts and bolts interview is with the person who would actually be your boss (I guess in this case, the marketing director). I have also noticed that a person who has been in the same job since they got out of school, or if they are a higher level person who is constantly courted by headhunters and other organizations, they typically have no understanding and thereforeeee empathy for what the job seeker is going through. They thereforeeee take their sweet time getting back to you, don't return the call, or just act like pompous asses at the interview (one sure sign of a pompous ass is the type who leans back in his chair, puts his hands on his head and stares down his/her nose at you.

I think you did the right thing because you only interviewed with HR and not the person who would be your boss. The game that is typically played is that they go through a round of interviewing and then claim that there were no suitable candidates so they re-issue the ad. They can do this for months. Don't take it personally...it is just a game they play. You can have an interview, hear absolutely nothing from them for months and then suddenly you get a call offering you the job. Just do your best and don't put all your eggs into one basket. Keep looking.

[BeStrongBeHappy]

This would depend on who is making the decision about the hire. At some companies, the first interview is just a preliminary screening before they pass you to the person who will make the hiring decision.

 

but it is not necessarily negative, because some companies have a policy of interviewing a certain number of candidates before they hire someone. and around the holidays, lots of people are out, so if they need signatures to approve, not everyone may be there. i worked for a company where even if they wanted you, it took about 6 weeks for it to go up the chain to get all the approvals to hire.

 

or they could have more than one job with the same job title.

 

so i'd wait til after the holidays and call to thank them and ask if they are still interested. if they are, they will tell you, if not, then better to know and move on.

 

in the meantime, keep interviewing, you might find something you like better!

[JadedStar]

Most of us HR people were job hunters at one time too.

 

Had to do a friendly jab to ya on that LOL!

 

To the OP, I think it would have been best to let them schedule the second interview, but just because you called does not mean they would have scheduled it so there must have been SOME interest.

 

Reposting the job does not necessarily mean you didn't get it. Sometimes they just continue to renew these things until an offer has not only gone out but also been accepted.

 

I would not say that the cause is entirely lost just yet.

 

And it isn't that the hiring managers or recruiters just want to keep someone hanging, sometimes there is redtape out of their hands they have to deal with. I can promise you that a recruiter wants to fill a job as FAST as possible and if they don't something is standing in their way....either the candidates they have talked to don't fit the bill or there are some other redtape things going on.

 

Good luck!

[CharlesF]

Congratulations on setting up the second interview. Being persistent will pay off.

 

As for what is going on at the company, who knows. Some of these companies are so big, they are just confused. It is possible that the later posting about the job was by someone in the company that did not know about the previous interviews. Or, perhaps, they paid for several adds before the interviews.

 

Good luck.