Company employing two candidates for the same position: Red Flag?

17 Comments

1. AnonymousSeptember 25,2024 at 12:08PM UTC

   I'm curious your thought process behind why you think this is a red flag and why you think this is basically a competition to keep the role. Without more info I'm really confused as to why this would be a red flag.

2. AnonymousSeptember 25,2024 at 12:27PM UTC

   Is there a reason you’re jumping into that conclusion rather than thinking that they actually need two people to do the work?

3. Alexis GladstoneSeptember 25,2024 at 12:35PM UTC

   I'd love some more information as to why you think it's a competition for the role. I've worked in departments where many of us shared the same title and we all had different focuses for the work.

   But to answer you question about what I would ask, here are some thoughts: If the role has always had two people in it and if not, why now; How they see the responsibilities divided between two of you; How they see the two people interacting and working together (if they are).

   I'm sure there are other good questions.

4. AnonymousSeptember 25,2024 at 10:00PM UTC

   They started the interview process only looking for one individual. During the first interview I got the impression that the person taking on this role would be very busy. But the final interview they informed me that the candidate would have to juggle numerous projects due to the recently won work. It could be that the department is really growing and there will be sufficient work to keep two people occupied. Thank you for the follow on questions. I will put these forward. Much appreciated.

5. Alexis GladstoneSeptember 27,2024 at 3:13AM UTC

   Happy to help. Good luck!

6. OLIVIA JOHNSONSeptember 25,2024 at 1:32PM UTC

   Hi there!

   First Congrats on the new role!

   Great question on this and it truly depends on various factors that we don't know as of yet until you get acclimated with the company. However, my initial thought was that this could be favorable. This could mean that they have a great awareness of the workload required for the company and are taking proactive and intentional steps to ensure that you are not overwhelmed or overworked and have a realistically manageable portfolio.

   Hope this helps! For the time being I would yellow flag it, enjoy your new role and air on the side of favorable until you see differently.

   Coach Olivia

7. AnonymousSeptember 25,2024 at 1:43PM UTC

   It is improbable that this is a test. I also assume this is an individual contributor (not management) role. Have you researched the company? Is there a high turnover rate? The company may have another person who has given notice and is finding two qualified candidates with a single round of interviews, which is much more cost-effective than running two separate recruitment efforts. Companies don't typically bring people on, only to terminate one or two unless the role is posted as temporary or seasonal.

   This doesn't have to be a competition for a single position for you to jump in and do your best. If they are expanding the role or department, that is actually a good sign.

8. AnonymousSeptember 25,2024 at 9:57PM UTC

   Thank you everyone for the feedback.

   It is a new role and the company could not decide on which two candidates to employ. However, they have informed me that the department is growing due to many AI related orders and that the workload will increase - hence two hires instead of one.

   I must go in and do my best. Once again, thank you for pointing that I should be asking how will the two roles be divided. Thank you.

9. Eva SteortzSeptember 26,2024 at 10:56PM UTC

   Yes get role clarification PLUS a clear definition of what success looks like in the next 90 days so you can nail it. Good luck. Cheering you on!

10. AbbylalaSeptember 28,2024 at 1:02PM UTC

    This isn’t a red flag and it’s very common for companies to hire multiple people for the same job posting. I’ve never heard of a company hiring multiple people only to keep the best and fire the others. Companies really don’t want to have to fire people anyway, especially if they were just hired.

11. AnonymousSeptember 28,2024 at 3:01PM UTC

    You are jumping to conclusions here. We have two open positions of the same role on my wider team right now. And we are not hiring two just to pit them against each other to then fire one. One opening is because we promoted the incumbent as a new manager role on the team (amazing, right!) and they other left for promotion on another team, good opportunity for them.

    A candidate being paranoid like this in the hiring process would be a red flag to me as the hiring manager.

    I advise to instead of thinking "I must do my best" because that sounds a bit dramatic, is be the best teammate and contributor you can be anyway, it's the best for your personal well being and sets you up for career success.

12. AnonymousSeptember 28,2024 at 7:57PM UTC

    What you call paranoid and a red flag may be a case of someone burned before and someone who has been in a very toxic, unethical environment. People need to protect themselves as much as possible.

13. AnonymousSeptember 29,2024 at 12:29AM UTC

    I never heard of this even when I worked as a recruiter. Did the post say there were multiple openings or just one?

14. AnonymousSeptember 29,2024 at 2:45PM UTC

    Only one opening

15. AnonymousSeptember 30,2024 at 12:58PM UTC

    The only company I know that follows this as a policy is Amazon during the holidays; they are very transparent about it. The OP has already contacted the company; they are expanding and will need two people. It costs a company in reputation and benefits to bring on more than it needs and then start firing people. It gives them a rep for a toxic environment by pitting employees against each other. Some retail and commission sales jobs may do this where they aren't out as much, but this rarely works for other roles. This is why researching the company and asking questions during the interview is so important.

16. Dr. Patty GrossOctober 1,2024 at 3:43AM UTC

    The original post was for one opening. She later posted that she had contacted the company and that they would need two because the role was expanding rapidly. Read the entire thread.

17. AnonymousOctober 2,2024 at 1:35PM UTC

    I wouldn't worry about it too much. They may have decided that there is more than enough work and want to put two people in. They may be expanding the department and will be moving people around; they may know that another team member or two will be leaving or transferring. Sure, ask questions but don't assume they are going to fire someone.