Company removed job posting after my final interview...did someone else get the job?

Anonymous

May 21,2022 at 2:39PM UTC

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Company removed job posting after my final interview...did someone else get the job?

I've gotten positive signals from the hiring manager throughout the 3-week interview process (I understand you can't really read into those). They promised to get back to me by the end of this week and it's been utter silence, and now the job posting has been removed from their website. Does that mean they offered it to another candidate who has accepted?

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Heather L.May 21,2022 at 2:51PM UTC
I think there are a few possibilities. 1. They are preparing an offer package for you or someone else. 2. They are keeping you on hold until they hear if the #1 choice accepts the position. 3. They have gotten a good set of candidates to choose from and know one of them will take the job. 4. There is a hold up on the office on someone's decision making (sickness, vacation, etc.). It's really hard not to read into it. Personal experience for me - in one instance, they literally took weeks to tell me I didn't get the job. (That was a tell-tale sign that the workplace wasn't for me and I'm glad it didn't work out.) Another instance, they were preparing to offer the job to me but it was taking longer than normal to put the comp package together. So, while it's hard to know and your mind will often go straight to negative thoughts, the best way to know is to follow up. Send an email or call the hiring manager for a status update on the position. Good luck! I hope you get the response you need!
AnonymousMay 21,2022 at 3:49PM UTC
Thank you! I really appreciate your insights. It is so hard not to jump to negative conclusions in these cases.
Julie Chatman, MBA, CISMMay 21,2022 at 4:23PM UTC
It’s likely, yes. The silence is unprofessional. You may have dodged a bullet there.
Krystin MorganMay 21,2022 at 9:37PM UTC
It could mean anything! They may have made someone else an offer, yes. Or maybe after interviews they realized they've got so many great candidates to choose from that they don't want or need more applicants. Maybe the role was shut down and is remaining unfilled due to the economy. There's really no way to know, at this point. Since they gave you a timeline and you haven't heard back, it's absolutely okay to follow up to check in next week!
AnonymousMay 22,2022 at 6:33AM UTC
There are so many possibilities of what could be or could have happened and that would be too many scenarios to list, As real life examples, I’ve seen a job to be last minute be removed due to budget slashing and a job removed because they had a final candidate but the hiring authority had a personal matter that caused off time from work…You never know until you ask for the status, even if you politely inquire within a week or two more. Good luck.
AnonymousMay 22,2022 at 2:45PM UTC
It is very frustrating when there is no feedback. You can always go back to your contact at the company and see if they have an update. What’s the worst that can happen, ghost again or tell you they chose someone else.
Also, they could have chosen another outside candidate or had an internal one ready to move up. A lot of times when a company has a government contract, they cannot promote from within. The role has to be posted for a mandatory time period, before they can “hire” the internal candidate for the role.
shaz1972May 23,2022 at 1:14PM UTC
This keeps happenning. We may never know. But I agree it would be nice to hear something.
KristaMay 23,2022 at 4:14PM UTC
I've been going thru something smilar. I found out 3 weeks after the first interview that i was their 2nd pick and their first pick came in too high for salary expectations. I was told after the interview he would let me know the following week next steps. They are still going to make me an offer but the hiring manager came across very unorganized from not communicating with me at all during those 3 weeks and i now have another offer from a different company.
Jennifer TaylorMay 23,2022 at 6:05PM UTC
It could be that the job posting expired and the TA Coordinator hasn't reposted it yet.
Maria Paula CalvoMay 23,2022 at 6:12PM UTC
I have been in your same situation and my most critical learning is that there are truly no standard or fixed rules that apply to these processes in terms of timing to get responses, or the decision to keep a posting active. There are so many reasons why a hiring process may be delayed, both willingly or unexpectedly, without that meaning that a final decision was made towards another candidate. If you feel it is a good moment to launch a follow-up email or phone from your side, I would suggest that you do it. Perhaps will discover what is going on in a more precise way than just trying to guess and at the same time you use the opportunity to confirm you are firmly interested in the role or the company. Good luck!