Just out of curiosity

13 Comments

1. AnonymousNovember 16,2022 at 5:04PM UTC

   Yes....it was salary/compensation based and they came back later with a substantially better offer.

2. AnonymousNovember 16,2022 at 6:05PM UTC

   Yes I have. Was told I was one of two in the finals for this job. The Director called and told me, in a very kind way, that they felt the other person would be a better fit. Three weeks later, I received a call informing me that this person didn't work out and I got the job. I was with that company for 7 years.

3. AnonymousNovember 16,2022 at 6:51PM UTC

   Thanks. This gave me hope.

4. AnonymousNovember 16,2022 at 7:16PM UTC

   I wasn't the one who was hired, but I was involved with the decision. She was our third choice and has now been with us for 7 years and counting. Took her a little longer to get up to speed, but she did a great job once she found her footing.

5. AnonymousNovember 16,2022 at 7:26PM UTC

   Yes, Twice. In both cases it was the HR department just sending out "automatic" thanks, but we're hiring someone else kind of notes, only to be contacted for the interview after that.

6. Kiley NicholsNovember 17,2022 at 1:45PM UTC

   I did not end up joining but I did get that call before. There was a change in family situation/childcare issue or something with the original candidate and so they never started. They called me two weeks after rejecting me in the final stage. I think it happens more often than people think. Sometimes you might not even know you were #2

7. CatherineNovember 17,2022 at 1:50PM UTC

   Many years ago I was rejected for a personal assistant role. A few weeks later I got a call offering me the position - the successful candidate had left. I accepted but asked why I had been rejected originally. The answer - because you are of child bearing age and the manager thought you would leave to have children! I'm an HR Manager now and about to retire, and I still have a wry smile when I think about it!

8. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 2:50PM UTC

   And that's completely illegal today! Glad you were able to show your organization the value you bring and were able to further your career.

9. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 2:28PM UTC

   I haven't had it happen, but I've offered positions to people who were rejected previously. Once we had a situation where several people got moved around unexpectedly due to retirements including our original hire. The person who was originally rejected because she had less experience is a rock star at our organization now (5 years later).

10. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 2:49PM UTC

    I've hired people who were rejected previously. Rejection doesn't mean you're not qualified, it just means that you weren't the top candidate in the competition. That's why it's always important to keep trying. Your time will come one day if you have all the qualifications and you keep adding to your resume.

11. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 3:51PM UTC

    I have never had that happen but I have turned down a job to end up in it anyway. I think both happen quite often to be honest.

12. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 4:21PM UTC

    Yes, I've had this experience. The day I was scheduled to have interview with a company they sent me an email and said they needed to cancel as they had tentatively made an offer to someone else. Later that day I got another email saying there had been a miscommunication and things hadn't advanced as far with the other candidate and they wanted to reschedule the interview. Even though the situation seemed a little odd, I was really interested in the job and ended up getting the position and was there for almost three years.

    I've also been rejected from a role and then had the company reach back out 6 weeks later about a different role within the organization that was similar and they thought I'd be a better fit for. I chose not to accept that one as it wasn't the direction I wanted to move my career in but it was clear that the company thought I was a good candidate, maybe just not the best candidate for the original role I interviewed for, which is just part of the job search process.

13. AyianNovember 17,2022 at 4:52PM UTC

    Yes, although I found that the company itself was very unprofessional, which was reflected in the changes in benefits offerings at the start, not notifying the staffing agency I was going through for the interview of the hire, failing to follow federal guidelines on what constituted a contractor vs. an employee, and other major red flags. This was my only experience with an initial rejection and later receiving an offer. I would not participate in this kind of scenario in the future.