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Call Back for a Different Position
I recently interviewed for an executive director position with a nonprofit org. The interviews went well and I was one of the final three candidates for the positions. They ended up offering the position to someone else and that was fine.
Well two wks. ago, one of the board members reached out to me to let me know that their development coordinator resigned and that the position is available. I've heard of companies reaching out again to a candidate about future positions, but I found this a little strange.
I have twelve years of nonprofit management experience, twenty-two years of professional work experience, and a PhD in Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management. I felt a bit insulted by the offer. I also thought I did a good job of explaining and showing who I am and what I'm looking to do in my career throughout the interview process, but there seems to have been a disconnect maybe. I'm not sure why the board thought it would be a good idea to reach back out to me about a position that I'm overqualified for, and that pays a third of the salary they were offering for the ED position.
Has anyone else ever experienced a similar situation? How did you handle it?
Anne Knox
CMP
322
04/01/20 at 12:45PM UTC
Just graciously decline and move on. This is bad practices on the company’s part not yours. I also find it strange that the board reached out to you. The hiring decisions for positions other than the ED should be handled by staff not the board. Do you think the board member went rogue?
IzzyUX
67
03/28/20 at 11:39PM UTC
I agree that it should be seen as a strong endorsement that they called you. You are absolutely within your right to reject this position if it's doesn't align with your interests. In nonprofits, there is an assumption that you have strong personal interests for the organization. If you see this position as an opportunity to grow skills that you are seeking, discuss it with the board. The title doesn't always limit what you will do and you may still be able to gain the experience that you seek.
I would also strongly encourage you to find out why the development director resigned given that the executive director was recently hired.
Anonymous
03/28/20 at 3:28PM UTC
Thanks for the response MJP! You make a great point that they may have been trying to find a way to bring me in.
MJP
195
03/27/20 at 9:58PM UTC
Nearly the same thing happened to me! I interviewed for a director-level role that would have been part of the leadership team. The interviews went really well, but I wasn't offered the role (they went with an internal candidate).
They reached out to let me know, and asked if I would be interested in an open position on another team. This was a manager-level role that didn't have nearly the same level of responsibility and a much different focus.
I really liked the company and was impressed with everyone I met while interviewing. I could see myself joining their team for the first role, so I met with them about the second one despite feeling over-qualified for it. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt in case I was missing something.
After that meeting, it was clear this role didn't provide the type of projects/responsibility/pay I was looking for. But they also made it clear that they were impressed with me during the first interviews, and had hoped to find another way for me to join the team in another capacity. So I left feeling appreciated, but disappointed that there wasn't something else open more in line with my experience.
Maybe this company also recognized how valuable of an addition you would be to their team, and were looking for any way to bring you in that they could. The new role doesn't seem to be a good fit or one that you'd realistically accept, but they were just trying to "shoot their shot!"
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