I had an interview originally scheduled today and then received an email yesterday informing me that they needed to cancel it because the job was going to be re-posted. Is that an immediate red flag?

9 Comments

1. Alexis GladstoneFebruary 11,2025 at 1:44PM UTC

   I wouldn't think it's a red flag. Companies re-post jobs all the time, especially when business climate or needs change. I would rather know before I walk into an interview that the role has changed rather than find out while I'm there, which has happened to me before. This way when they post the new job, you can see if you're a fit and still interested.

2. AnonymousFebruary 11,2025 at 1:57PM UTC

   Unless they changed the job, it’s poor form on their part to cancel after inviting you. This sounds like someone isn’t happy with the candidate pool who applied and ordered a new search. They may not have felt you were a fit but perhaps you were the best of a mediocre lot so they are starting anew. Maybe they did adjust the description to attract what they feel are stronger candidates.

   I wouldn’t say, necessarily, that it is a red flag. Did they ask you to re-apply or simply wish you well? If the latter, let them go.

   This could be a sign of conflicts between leadership but you really can’t tell culture from one decision. If you remain interested in the organization, observe the culture, ask about the team. Ask want they like about working there. Observe reactions.

3. Elise PilkingtonFebruary 11,2025 at 2:22PM UTC

   It's a sign they didn't give enough thought to the first posting and selection of candidates to interview, but it might not be a total fail. Things happen sometimes. I wonder if they changed the job description or the required qualifications. You might try to speak to someone and ask, or wait for the updated posting to come out and decide if you want to re-apply.

4. Antonia CalzettiFebruary 11,2025 at 2:58PM UTC

   Not unusual and agree with Elise's comment below. Just proceed with caution.

5. AnonymousFebruary 11,2025 at 3:37PM UTC

   I feel like it would be fine to just ask them. "Was the job reposted because it's changing in terms of requirements and responsibilities? I'm very interested, and would love to stay in the loop." Or just find the new posting and see if it's different. I am not sure others would agree, but if you're worried it's a red flag anyway, what's the harm in asking for a little more information?

6. Vanessa LontocFebruary 11,2025 at 5:04PM UTC

   It depends and it's not always a red flag (but it could be). Here's a scenario that happened to me. I applied for a position in December, got the rejection email. Job was reposted more than a month later. This is common on LinkedIn so the job posting is not buried under the newer posts, plus job seekers are more likely to prioritize newly posted jobs to increase the chances.

   Before I reapplied, I asked ChatGPT to compare the previous job posting that I applied for vs the new job description and let me know what and if there are differences. I ask this to see if I have to rewrite my cover letter or just tweak the previous version I wrote. RESULT: There were a few differences. I looked at the Company's LinkedIn page and the person/s it might report to and yes, there was a newly hired executive which makes sense why there are changes to the job description to require to repost. It would have been a waste of time for both the selected applicant and recruiting to go through the interviews if the hiring manager is not onboard with it. It's a matter of alignment not necessarily not trusting the HR business partner/recruitment. This can happen.

   If I didn't check why and just changed the date of my cover letter, without edits then I might not have gotten the interview.

   This is just one scenario of why a job description could change. Sometimes after a few interviews, the hiring manager and HR update to prioritize certain skills and experience based on the candidates they have interviewed that didn't quite meet what they had in mind.

7. AnonymousFebruary 11,2025 at 5:48PM UTC

   I would watch to see if the job description changes. Also watch to see if the title and salary change.

8. AnonymousFebruary 12,2025 at 2:13PM UTC

   This could happen for a number of reasons that aren’t necessarily a red flag:

   -organizational change to move position to another department or promotion of a new people leader for this position

   -shift in job title/description/location

   -a shift in the level or qualifications

   -not enough original applicants so reposting to get more hits

   -and I’m sure many more

   If you see it again, I wouldn’t rule out applying for it. Bummer they canceled your interview. Even interviews that don’t land us the job help us sharpen our interview skills.

9. AnonymousFebruary 13,2025 at 4:08PM UTC

   Not necessarily, but caution. Do they add other criteria in what they are looking for, maybe looking for a bigger candidate pool, etc. Watch for the role, thoroughly check for any added experience requirements and then revisit or re-apply.