Job Hunting Update

 I did a little LinkedIn sleuthing the other day.  I discovered that not one but two people that I interviewed left the respective company shortly after our interview.  By shortly, I mean the very next month.  

Now LI isn't exactly a bedrock of accuracy and as both interviews were early in the month, it is very possible they didn't leave until the last week of the next month (or later) but put it that way on their profile to make things look better i.e. avoid large gaps.

Still, it's very likely these people were looking to jump ship when I was interviewing and they literally said: "yeah don't hire this guy, and by the way, here's my two-week notice".

******

One of the jobs I made it to the 3rd round has been reposted.  This was one I really wanted and thought I could thrive in.  Here is the rejection email, which is quite honestly, one of the better ones I've ever received:

Thank you for making time to meet with our team for the Solutions Advisory Director - Collaboration & Content role at XXXXXX. We’re truly inspired by the talented people we get the chance to get to know and consider.

The team really enjoyed learning about your experience. While your background is impressive, we had more talented candidates than roles open. We've made the decision to continue the process with another candidate.

It’s never an easy decision or one we take lightly. Please know we appreciate your time investment in us, and now that we know you better, we hope you'll be happy to hear from us if we contact you again for future roles.

Please keep an eye on our careers page for future positions. We look forward to the chance to consider you again.

Companies tend to avoid giving feedback to avoid lawsuits and usually send out a generic We are going with another candidate at this time, please feel free to apply to future roles that we can also reject you for email.  That is if you get anything at all.

I like this one because it swings both ways.  We might reach out to you if we find out we hired the wrong person and if you see something else please reach out.  Of course, in practice, that door is likely closed.  Unless they really rejected you because Another Candidate was too good to pass up, they are not going to reach out to you the next time a position opens unless you made a magnificent, unforgettable impact on the people you interviewed with.

Case in point, this company that rejected me 38 days ago, didn't reach out.  Instead, they reposted the position and are likely hoping I have moved on.  I'm connected to the recruiter and one of the interviewers who I thought I jelled with. You just never know.  

The most likely scenario is there was never Another Candidate.  They didn't like something and decided to take a short break in the hopes that perhaps I'd find something else.   If they had a candidate and she changed her mind after getting the offer, they had an avenue to reach back to me with an offer.