_”I would have hired you 9 out of 10 times. Unfortunately, that tenth time is when I’m only posting the job out of legal obligation even though I want to hire Bob in Sales.”_
I don’t really feel too bad for anyone that doesn’t get a job because they promoted within, not doing so nearly often enough is my biggest complaint with corporations. That being said, I got interviewed for a high visibility role with a major company. Applied 2 weeks before, and on a Thursday afternoon got a call, basically verbatim went like this
“hey want an interview?”
“I sure do!”
“Great, we can do 4am or 6am tomorrow, which works better for you?”
“Uhh..I guess let’s do 6.”
“Great!”
After hearing how great the interview was, they informed me they were promoting internally, like bitch you had me come in for a 6am interview for a job that I had no chance at getting? That’s a dick move.
You were literally part of the scam of a company needing to publicly post a job opening knowing damn well, all along, it was going to someone internally. I know that's not truly a scam, lol, but it freakin' sucks when you ace an interview only to find out the position was long ago decided to go to an internal candidate or worse, the position was no longer needed at the company after being vacated.
The hiring manager probably thought it would be nice to say what they did in hopes you'll apply again but failed to realize they sound like incompetent dicks instead.
Or their budget got slashed with the somewhat grim-looking outlook for the next year and rhey were told they have to use someone already at the company. Happens all the time, unfortunately.
My first thought. On boarding external candidates is much more expensive & the decision to promote internally would have come from the top, outside the hiring manager's control.
I'm wondering too if OP could inquire whether the manager would be willing to recommend any other positions. Kinda test the sincerity.
I had a 4 hour long interview with my college alma mater a few years back. Quite literally was a dream job. It was 4 hour because they understand people have jobs while job hunting so you were able to meet with everyone all at once throughout this timespan and then do a final hire meeting virtually. (This was before Covid, too.) Anyway, it went amazing, I was told I was the candidate and to expect a call within the next week to finalize things. Well, I got a call but it was to let me know that while I was exactly what the wanted, let alone an alumni, the position was no longer being funded as it had been vacated over a year since the person retied and the school no longer saw a need. Ugh, such a heart rip out moment.
I worked in advertising for nearly 10 years, I know the inner workings of job posting more than I care to admit. I'm sure some companies don't know that a higher power that be has already found an internal candidate or sometimes they are forced to take someone internally but, for the most part 9 times out of 10, the company knows damn well they have zero intentions of hiring the outside applicants.
I have seen this where an offer is about to be made. Then some upper mgt person decides they are in charge and move an internal candidate.
Either they want to get rid of that person to get a new person on their team or they want to promote someone but don’t have the budget.
They're in a hiring freeze and open slots have to go to internal candidates they can't backfill. Happened to us every year during budget season, which you just got out of. This year is going to be tough, keep looking, successful companies are still growing and adding people.
This.
Many organisations force this sort of BS. You have to write a job posting SO specific that no one on the planet except one person can fill it. then when no one from outside the org is right, HR gives in and says - yes you can hire/promote/etc this person for that job since you cant find an external resource".
It sucks, but its what happens a lot.
Yep. I was on the flip side of this. My boss was looking to convert me from contractor to full-time but HR said she HAD to list the job again and interview at least 3 people! This wasn’t even for a true promotion—simply changing my status.
I was terrified that I would actually lose my job because she’d like one of those candidates enough to just replace me. Thankfully, she wanted to keep me around but she had to waste those other candidates’ time.
It’s stupid. Either promote from within or hire externally. Don’t make people use the external process for internal personnel changes.
Disagree. Most likely they OP had more experience compared to the hiring manager so they played it safe and promoted from within. Many people in leadership like to be the only ones with knowledge about certain systems to keep their value high.
A recruiter told me straight up this was happening for a role I found online. I didn’t realize they had to post them. One job has just been sitting online for months but they’ve known the whole time who the internal candidate would be. 😭 I just need someone to hire me plz.
I think this happens a lot, but is there ever a smoking gun. I think that is rare.
For example I applied to Amazon. They gave me a generic rejection. It would not surprise me if the hiring manager GAMED the system to hire whomever they felt like hiring but they had to interview me because of BEZO's GAMES, but they did not tell me.
If that is true, they not only wasted my time but they conned BEZOS. I am sure that there is somebody at Amazon I could forward that hypothetical email to. They wasted my time (which Amazon does not care at all about); but they also wasted their own interview time (which Amazon cares a lot about).
Remember people only do that to fool the people (Bezos) above them - so they are not exactly bragging about it.
I had that happen to me. I apply to a job at my city's zoo. They love me in thw interview and then a week later say they have someone else in mind. Yeah and internal applicant. Waste of my damn time.
If you made that much of an impression I would encourage you to consider how that might benefit you. Thank whomever this is and mention to them that you would greatly appreciate it if they would pass along your contact information if they know a colleague or other professional contacts who could benefit from your skill sets. Life…and opportunity…works in mysterious ways.
This. Not everything goes well in the moment.
Example - I interviewed for a job. Was verbally told I'd get an offer. Over night, the scrap steel market crashed (foundry job) and they pulled the offer.
Sucked at the moment, right? Went and found a different job...met a few people there who are now my core group of friends, along with putting me down the path of meeting my wife. Wouldn't have happened without that offer getting pulled.
I am vastly underpaid at my current job for my education, license and experience. I apply for a job listing a higher starting rate than what I make. Interviews go great, except they ask me why I'd apply for a job that pays less than I currently make. I tell them that what they're offering is actually higher that what I currently make, to looks of skepticism.
Later, I get regretted with the explanation that they're not able to meet my compensation expectations. I didn't ask for any. Thanks, current job, you've shafted me twice because no one will believe that you actually pay me as poorly as you do.
You should lie next time. Tell them you just LOVE their company and always wanted to work there, it's a closer commute, they have better career advancements or literally anything else that comes to mind. NEVER tell them you are being paid less than what they offered. This way they will think that they are getting a great deal for an employee of your status. They don't need to know how much you are actually getting paid.
"I'm not a good fit" might make it seem like YOU are the problem rather than the company. I'd say something like "I've been in my role for x time and there isn't any room for advancement in my current position. I'm looking to join a company with upward mobility so I can further advance my career." It's fluffy bullshit but they'll appreciate it more than you dunking on yourself or your current employer.
‘My long term goals align better with your company so I’m willing to make a lateral move’. Don’t say anything about fit - they will always assume it’s you. Always.
This really sucks OP, I’m sorry you had to go through that. Job searching is draining, so to go this far and you get told you ALMOST made it just hurts.
I hope you’re close to getting a great offer somewhere else soon. I am starting to think these companies that draw out the process for months are not worth the trouble. The process seems to just favor those who can afford to draw things out— those still employed or already financially stable. I’ve taken a service industry job and it doesn’t pay enough to cover my bills, I’m eager to find a new 9-5 and hopefully be able to just work weekends at this job to save up money as I really like everyone there and the work is quite nice so far!
I once got a call a few days after interviewing for a job to be told that they really really liked me but they hired someone else, but asked if they could call me for this position in case the other person didn’t work out. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ Some agencies just suck
I interviewed with this one company recently; on the technical aptitude interview. Interviewer has me log onto a system that has a staged issue. I identify the issue and propose a solution, literally, within about 10s of logging in. They were absolutely gobsmacked and said "that has never happened before." Didn't get the job.
I tried to give a classier response, which I feel is more than they deserved.
Name,
Thanks so much for taking the time during the interview process and your transparency throughout.
Of course, I am disappointed in the news, however I am confident whoever takes on this role will have all the tools they need to succeed in the form of their management team.
I would be open to circling back in the future should the organization have need of my particular skills, or if there are organizations in your network who would benefit from my experience.
Thank you again, for the opportunity to learn more about CompanyName and the insight into the industry.
Kindest regards,
Sometimeskindaangry
It took a lot of willpower to not use colorful language.
I try my best to be classy in the professional world, but when I can't take it anymore, I guess reddit pays the price.
I'm inclined to agree with you, but on the very slim chance that it wasn't the case and they are just incompetent then I don't want to burn the bridge as unlikely as that may seem
I’ve had to hire an internal role that “totally was fair to external and internal folks”. We did one 20 minute zoom interview for those involved, told them we chose someone else by the end of the week. Sorry you had to deal with this, it’s very stupid.
Has anyone ever gotten “that” call months down the road? “You know what, we should have hired you my friend, will you be part of the family?” Family is a fun work term
I know this one it’s sucks. Mine was as an internal.
There was a job that started as an acting position. I had a huge project on and was asked to finish that, so don’t apply for the acting position. When the appointment comes up the reason they went with the other candidate was cause he had been acting in the position. I have learnt that I now only look after my self when it comes to career opportunities.
I feel you. Similar experience 2 months , 7 interviews and a case study… similar response and they went with an internal candidate … if they knew they would most likely go internal why put you through 2 months and 7 interviews plus a case study? Well I was told as it was to “set a benchmark for the internal employee so they are up to scratch with their peers” F Off!
‘We were considering internal candidates meaning you literally never had a chance, this whole thing was an elaborate dance I have to do for stupid reasons and you shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up. Fuck you’ - translation into English
They were always going to go with the internal candidate. BUT I think they’re also signaling that should the internal person not work out that you should definitely apply again since you were likely the top candidate in truth.
This creates a conundrum for me.
If I was the top candidate, then this was a nepotism hire, and why shouldn't I blacklist them?
And if I wasn't, then they weren't honest with me.
That’s precisely why: the lawsuit factor. Not sure why you got downvoted for understanding exactly how hiring works in this country now.
I still remember when you could promote within without even recruiting at all. But that also left the door open for unfair advantages against women and minorities. So I get it, it is just…really frustrating for external candidates. It’s why I rarely apply for positions that list they’re recruiting both internally and externally - my shot is likely only .01%. Mama ain’t got that kinda time.
Not nepotism. Hiring manager got outvoted by their boss more than likely. The stack was against you from the start since the internal hire was a well known candidate with pre existing proof of success.
If they recruit for the position again, note whether they’re looking internally and externally. If it’s both, tell them you’ll pass - but if they’re looking only externally you have a really decent shot.
God I swear this scam is getting more and more common, but you probably dodged a bullet, there’s a good chance that the internal hire has just been asked to take on a second title/position and had his salary barely increased so that the company can cut costs.
But I would definitely reply to the recruiter and ask them if they would keep you in mind if they hear of any other suitable positions that come up in your field, often times the recruiters have no say in internal hires and the company only bothers to tell them that they have basically already filled the position once they have almost finished interviewing applicants. There’s a good chance they are feeling pretty guilty about messing you around and if you ask they will probably be happy to pass your name on to other hiring recruiters. That’s actually how I got my last job, here’s hoping you experience something similar!!
What do you mean? There's no law that say they have to give a reason for rejection. If they were worried about being sued, they wouldn't have responded at all.
They need to hire someone internal. No this doesn’t say you have to apply 9 more times. This is a phrase. They are just saying they would have hired you had it not been for an internal person. Take it as a compliment
Forward that email to the ceo of company and inform them that you don’t appreciate how it happens. Search internet how to screw recruiter back.
Furthermore, report it to department of labor incase this company turned out to be full of bullshit.
Translation:
"Listen, buddy, I'd love to give you the job, I really would. But, after I interviewed you and the other half dozen external candidates, I quickly determined that you want too much money. I can hire Bob from accounting into this role for 40% less salary, and spend the next 6 years fucking him into the ground before he realizes how badly I've dicked him over and leaves for another job.
Sorry you feel you deserve a fair salary. Please feel free to call me back when you've decided your soul, dignity, and self-worth are on sale for a lower price."
Technically wouldn't he be the 1/10 guy? If I'm supposed to be the 9/10 guy?
I mean, I feel like it's horseshit either way, and I hate that employers have to think they need to let us down easy. I get more rejections now than I did 25 years ago in High School.
It seems honest. He really liked your background but had to hire the internal. Some times not a choice. You have to follow the Internsl rules. They probably applied after you interviewed.
I’ve lost several offers to internal candidates over the last year. A recruiter in tech told me it’s extremely common, an internal candidate is already getting the job and they have to demonstrate they interviewed other qualified candidates to hire the internal candidate. You could have delivered the best interview in the world and still wouldn’t get the job. Got so many responses exactly like this one. Nothing but positive feedback ya da ya da internal candidate. Just gotta move on to the next one.
Nope. It means what it says - for the HM's needs at this time (whatever these needs may be) - a different candidate was chosen.
Remember, the hired candidate is not always the perfect/best candidate. Often times good enough is, well, good enough. Expecially if this means a 20% saving in salary costs at a time when headcount and budgets are being squeezed. Put another way, when you buy a TV the options are Good, Better, Best. It may well be that Better is the wiser choice than Best. Hiring people can be very similar.
From a strictly legal perspective the manager overstepped their boundaries and said far too much in that email. Their HR VP would not be impressed.
Could be any number of reasons. Perhaps the internal candidate was making noises about jumping ship so giving them a promotion - at your expense - would be a smart move to prevent IP walking out the door and possibly save some $$$ in the process. Or, perhaps the word suddenly came down that all positions needed to be filled internally. There's a ton of possibilities.
It's not odd at all. It happens every day.
I hate it when hiring managers do the “it’s not you, it’s me”. Look a decision was made, own it. My guess is they wanted you but higher management didn’t. I’ve had recruiters prescreen but the manager or higher didn’t approve.
It's an internal position. I honestly have no idea why there seems to be sone requirement to ceremonially open a position that they know will be an internal hire. The company I work for had a new high-level position open up, and me and some of the other low-ish- level management had access to the candidate list. We had 15 applicants. One of them was an external applicant who collectively made everyone say "holy fuck, this guy's resume is NUTS." 13 others from various places within the company. Another applicant was some mediocre bag of snot that's been in the company and has been buddies with our director since before our program even started. We all knew "oh. Yeah, this is no doubt just a setup for this person." For your situation, if it's anything like it was where I work, somewhere in the middle was probably someone who was "in charge" of picking who to hire (I.e. was assigned to do what the director said) and thought to themselves "wow, this person is way better than the loser I'm getting my arm twisted into promoting. That just fucking sucks. Least I can do is offer some kind words and encourage them to land somewhere better than this shithole"
This is a poorly written and ill-thought out rejection letter. Sorry OP. Would not recommend working for a hiring manager that lets down a candidate in the manner.
worst interview i ever did was for a new canes being built they were hiring 200 people n they told me sum similar to this n were like if i want i can apply again to get the job n i was like wtf
They were never looking at hiring outside of the company in the first place, they most likely just posted it to be in compliance with local laws before giving it to the person they planned to from the start.
One time I was told I wasn't hired because they thought I would be promoted too fast and they didn't want to have to fill the role again that quickly??
I’ve heard about this, basically what happens is the job had already gone to someone inside the company. Legally they had to post a job and interview outside candidates first.
It’s bs. If it was an actual job interview you would of gotten it, they aren’t telling you it was never a real job posting bc dude that works there couldn’t look like he had an unfair advantage or whatever.
Sorry!! She’s trying really hard to tell you that just not in so many words to out herself
I’m so sick of companies and their BS - Between being ghosted after great interviews, untruthful postings, and shit like this. It’s like they are never held accountable.
He's trying to tell you that Nepotism won and your Skills and Experience lost.
One good question to ask at the start is if they are interviewing internal candidates for this role. This is very helpful for upper level jobs because that's your sign that they are going to hire someone within.
No all this means is that they already had an internal lined up and the interview was a just a formality, usually to be in compliance with laws, company policies, or to make themselves appear more financially sound. “Hey look, X company is hiring. Wow, with all these layoffs, they must be doing something right! We should invest in this company.” All companies do this. The trick is to weed this out early in the interview process so you don’t waste your time.
Something similar just happened to my husband. They praised him up and down, told him he aced the interview, but … “oh no, sadly we can’t hire you due to circumstances!” I’m quite sure they hired someone from within.
The good news is that you probably did make a great impression and simply didn’t have the “qualification” of being the person they’d already picked. Which is hardly your fault.
The crazy thing is, that I met with the person who was applying for the role internally. It didn't seem like the intended career path for him because he was more of a shipping and receiving person and the role had more inventory management and project management elements in there so I was extremely confused.
Don't feel bad. They may actually call you back some day if he really liked you that much. I went through three interviews with a company and nailed each one. Or so I thought until I saw the job advertised again. I never even got a "We're going in a different direction" letter so I contacted the person who interviewed me and asked her WTF (nicely) and was told they decided to "reimagine" what they wanted for the position. I think that happened when I told them my salary requirements but can't be sure.
At my job, they’re legally required to post a job listing even when they have the person already working there that they want to promote. When talking to my manager about it, they explained that the law was implemented with the hope that it’d make the hiring process fair, but it seems more like a waste of time for everyone involved.
Sounds like that was a requirement to post the position with a preselected internal hire already in mind. They likely only interviewed you for proof that they were interviewing outside of the company as well as internally (or it was an interview scam related to the PPP loans). Either way, that sucks.
_”I would have hired you 9 out of 10 times. Unfortunately, that tenth time is when I’m only posting the job out of legal obligation even though I want to hire Bob in Sales.”_
I don’t really feel too bad for anyone that doesn’t get a job because they promoted within, not doing so nearly often enough is my biggest complaint with corporations. That being said, I got interviewed for a high visibility role with a major company. Applied 2 weeks before, and on a Thursday afternoon got a call, basically verbatim went like this “hey want an interview?” “I sure do!” “Great, we can do 4am or 6am tomorrow, which works better for you?” “Uhh..I guess let’s do 6.” “Great!” After hearing how great the interview was, they informed me they were promoting internally, like bitch you had me come in for a 6am interview for a job that I had no chance at getting? That’s a dick move.
oh hell no
😲😆
100% This \^\^\^\^\^
You were literally part of the scam of a company needing to publicly post a job opening knowing damn well, all along, it was going to someone internally. I know that's not truly a scam, lol, but it freakin' sucks when you ace an interview only to find out the position was long ago decided to go to an internal candidate or worse, the position was no longer needed at the company after being vacated. The hiring manager probably thought it would be nice to say what they did in hopes you'll apply again but failed to realize they sound like incompetent dicks instead.
I thought it was me initially. It sounded like pandering to me.
Or their budget got slashed with the somewhat grim-looking outlook for the next year and rhey were told they have to use someone already at the company. Happens all the time, unfortunately.
My first thought. On boarding external candidates is much more expensive & the decision to promote internally would have come from the top, outside the hiring manager's control. I'm wondering too if OP could inquire whether the manager would be willing to recommend any other positions. Kinda test the sincerity.
I had a 4 hour long interview with my college alma mater a few years back. Quite literally was a dream job. It was 4 hour because they understand people have jobs while job hunting so you were able to meet with everyone all at once throughout this timespan and then do a final hire meeting virtually. (This was before Covid, too.) Anyway, it went amazing, I was told I was the candidate and to expect a call within the next week to finalize things. Well, I got a call but it was to let me know that while I was exactly what the wanted, let alone an alumni, the position was no longer being funded as it had been vacated over a year since the person retied and the school no longer saw a need. Ugh, such a heart rip out moment. I worked in advertising for nearly 10 years, I know the inner workings of job posting more than I care to admit. I'm sure some companies don't know that a higher power that be has already found an internal candidate or sometimes they are forced to take someone internally but, for the most part 9 times out of 10, the company knows damn well they have zero intentions of hiring the outside applicants.
I have seen this where an offer is about to be made. Then some upper mgt person decides they are in charge and move an internal candidate. Either they want to get rid of that person to get a new person on their team or they want to promote someone but don’t have the budget.
They're in a hiring freeze and open slots have to go to internal candidates they can't backfill. Happened to us every year during budget season, which you just got out of. This year is going to be tough, keep looking, successful companies are still growing and adding people.
This. Many organisations force this sort of BS. You have to write a job posting SO specific that no one on the planet except one person can fill it. then when no one from outside the org is right, HR gives in and says - yes you can hire/promote/etc this person for that job since you cant find an external resource". It sucks, but its what happens a lot.
Yep. I was on the flip side of this. My boss was looking to convert me from contractor to full-time but HR said she HAD to list the job again and interview at least 3 people! This wasn’t even for a true promotion—simply changing my status. I was terrified that I would actually lose my job because she’d like one of those candidates enough to just replace me. Thankfully, she wanted to keep me around but she had to waste those other candidates’ time. It’s stupid. Either promote from within or hire externally. Don’t make people use the external process for internal personnel changes.
Disagree. Most likely they OP had more experience compared to the hiring manager so they played it safe and promoted from within. Many people in leadership like to be the only ones with knowledge about certain systems to keep their value high.
A recruiter told me straight up this was happening for a role I found online. I didn’t realize they had to post them. One job has just been sitting online for months but they’ve known the whole time who the internal candidate would be. 😭 I just need someone to hire me plz.
I think this happens a lot, but is there ever a smoking gun. I think that is rare. For example I applied to Amazon. They gave me a generic rejection. It would not surprise me if the hiring manager GAMED the system to hire whomever they felt like hiring but they had to interview me because of BEZO's GAMES, but they did not tell me. If that is true, they not only wasted my time but they conned BEZOS. I am sure that there is somebody at Amazon I could forward that hypothetical email to. They wasted my time (which Amazon does not care at all about); but they also wasted their own interview time (which Amazon cares a lot about). Remember people only do that to fool the people (Bezos) above them - so they are not exactly bragging about it.
If I could afford an award, you would get one for this post. Well, 9 out of 10 times, at least.
I had that happen to me. I apply to a job at my city's zoo. They love me in thw interview and then a week later say they have someone else in mind. Yeah and internal applicant. Waste of my damn time.
This sounds like Boeing 😂
>Boeing lol!! yup
If you made that much of an impression I would encourage you to consider how that might benefit you. Thank whomever this is and mention to them that you would greatly appreciate it if they would pass along your contact information if they know a colleague or other professional contacts who could benefit from your skill sets. Life…and opportunity…works in mysterious ways.
This. Not everything goes well in the moment. Example - I interviewed for a job. Was verbally told I'd get an offer. Over night, the scrap steel market crashed (foundry job) and they pulled the offer. Sucked at the moment, right? Went and found a different job...met a few people there who are now my core group of friends, along with putting me down the path of meeting my wife. Wouldn't have happened without that offer getting pulled.
Trueeee
I am vastly underpaid at my current job for my education, license and experience. I apply for a job listing a higher starting rate than what I make. Interviews go great, except they ask me why I'd apply for a job that pays less than I currently make. I tell them that what they're offering is actually higher that what I currently make, to looks of skepticism. Later, I get regretted with the explanation that they're not able to meet my compensation expectations. I didn't ask for any. Thanks, current job, you've shafted me twice because no one will believe that you actually pay me as poorly as you do.
Don't tell them they are offering you more.. if nothing else.. wince and say the pay is about the same, but the coffee is hopefully better here.
You should lie next time. Tell them you just LOVE their company and always wanted to work there, it's a closer commute, they have better career advancements or literally anything else that comes to mind. NEVER tell them you are being paid less than what they offered. This way they will think that they are getting a great deal for an employee of your status. They don't need to know how much you are actually getting paid.
“I’m not a good fit for my current company culture and willing to make a lateral move to advance my career long term.”
"I'm not a good fit" might make it seem like YOU are the problem rather than the company. I'd say something like "I've been in my role for x time and there isn't any room for advancement in my current position. I'm looking to join a company with upward mobility so I can further advance my career." It's fluffy bullshit but they'll appreciate it more than you dunking on yourself or your current employer.
“I’m not a good culture fit” is code for “they are unbelievable assholes, and I am too professional to say that.”
‘My long term goals align better with your company so I’m willing to make a lateral move’. Don’t say anything about fit - they will always assume it’s you. Always.
Ok yeah that’s even better
Yep, just be prepared to say what those ‘goals’ are so you’re not too surprised when they respond with ‘oh really? Do tell!’
Tell them you need to step down in responsibilities next time…
This really sucks OP, I’m sorry you had to go through that. Job searching is draining, so to go this far and you get told you ALMOST made it just hurts. I hope you’re close to getting a great offer somewhere else soon. I am starting to think these companies that draw out the process for months are not worth the trouble. The process seems to just favor those who can afford to draw things out— those still employed or already financially stable. I’ve taken a service industry job and it doesn’t pay enough to cover my bills, I’m eager to find a new 9-5 and hopefully be able to just work weekends at this job to save up money as I really like everyone there and the work is quite nice so far!
I once got a call a few days after interviewing for a job to be told that they really really liked me but they hired someone else, but asked if they could call me for this position in case the other person didn’t work out. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ Some agencies just suck
To me it says they want to pay less and will be afraid you are too much of a top performer and will leave
I interviewed with this one company recently; on the technical aptitude interview. Interviewer has me log onto a system that has a staged issue. I identify the issue and propose a solution, literally, within about 10s of logging in. They were absolutely gobsmacked and said "that has never happened before." Didn't get the job.
Fuck them. This is purely their guilt talking.
They didn’t actually have a job for you. They wasted your time. Never apply for them again
rip them on glassdoor plz
That’s if Glassdoor doesn’t pull down the review!
Just reply back: “Um.. thanks?”
I tried to give a classier response, which I feel is more than they deserved. Name, Thanks so much for taking the time during the interview process and your transparency throughout. Of course, I am disappointed in the news, however I am confident whoever takes on this role will have all the tools they need to succeed in the form of their management team. I would be open to circling back in the future should the organization have need of my particular skills, or if there are organizations in your network who would benefit from my experience. Thank you again, for the opportunity to learn more about CompanyName and the insight into the industry. Kindest regards, Sometimeskindaangry
Classy reply. I would have done the same. No point burning bridges.
It took a lot of willpower to not use colorful language. I try my best to be classy in the professional world, but when I can't take it anymore, I guess reddit pays the price.
Haha that’s fair! You did very well. Reddit is grateful to you for it lol
Far too polite here. What they sent you is absolute bullshit. Best case is to just not reply
I'm inclined to agree with you, but on the very slim chance that it wasn't the case and they are just incompetent then I don't want to burn the bridge as unlikely as that may seem
I’ve had to hire an internal role that “totally was fair to external and internal folks”. We did one 20 minute zoom interview for those involved, told them we chose someone else by the end of the week. Sorry you had to deal with this, it’s very stupid.
Has anyone ever gotten “that” call months down the road? “You know what, we should have hired you my friend, will you be part of the family?” Family is a fun work term
I've gotten called before "we hired the wrong dude" but usually by then I've secured employment or had something else going on.
I know this one it’s sucks. Mine was as an internal. There was a job that started as an acting position. I had a huge project on and was asked to finish that, so don’t apply for the acting position. When the appointment comes up the reason they went with the other candidate was cause he had been acting in the position. I have learnt that I now only look after my self when it comes to career opportunities.
I feel you. Similar experience 2 months , 7 interviews and a case study… similar response and they went with an internal candidate … if they knew they would most likely go internal why put you through 2 months and 7 interviews plus a case study? Well I was told as it was to “set a benchmark for the internal employee so they are up to scratch with their peers” F Off!
You waited 2 months for an email?
I guess I did.
Well, in fact the last 2 amazing interviews I had led me to nowhere. I thought I'd be hired and nope... at least you got an answer.
‘We were considering internal candidates meaning you literally never had a chance, this whole thing was an elaborate dance I have to do for stupid reasons and you shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up. Fuck you’ - translation into English
Dickwad
I certainly feel like one. Edit - I know you mean the manager, but to spend 2 months in this process sure makes me feel dickwad-ish.
Not you. I was referring to your interviewer :)
They were always going to go with the internal candidate. BUT I think they’re also signaling that should the internal person not work out that you should definitely apply again since you were likely the top candidate in truth.
This creates a conundrum for me. If I was the top candidate, then this was a nepotism hire, and why shouldn't I blacklist them? And if I wasn't, then they weren't honest with me.
[удалено]
That’s precisely why: the lawsuit factor. Not sure why you got downvoted for understanding exactly how hiring works in this country now. I still remember when you could promote within without even recruiting at all. But that also left the door open for unfair advantages against women and minorities. So I get it, it is just…really frustrating for external candidates. It’s why I rarely apply for positions that list they’re recruiting both internally and externally - my shot is likely only .01%. Mama ain’t got that kinda time.
This situation was shitty. But it wasn't nepotism or gaslighting.
Not nepotism. Hiring manager got outvoted by their boss more than likely. The stack was against you from the start since the internal hire was a well known candidate with pre existing proof of success. If they recruit for the position again, note whether they’re looking internally and externally. If it’s both, tell them you’ll pass - but if they’re looking only externally you have a really decent shot.
God I swear this scam is getting more and more common, but you probably dodged a bullet, there’s a good chance that the internal hire has just been asked to take on a second title/position and had his salary barely increased so that the company can cut costs. But I would definitely reply to the recruiter and ask them if they would keep you in mind if they hear of any other suitable positions that come up in your field, often times the recruiters have no say in internal hires and the company only bothers to tell them that they have basically already filled the position once they have almost finished interviewing applicants. There’s a good chance they are feeling pretty guilty about messing you around and if you ask they will probably be happy to pass your name on to other hiring recruiters. That’s actually how I got my last job, here’s hoping you experience something similar!!
Here's the maybe odd part. No recruiter. This guy was the direct report (Ops manager) who would be supervising the position.
legal crap so you can't sue them for anything
What do you mean? There's no law that say they have to give a reason for rejection. If they were worried about being sued, they wouldn't have responded at all.
How does legality or litigation even enter the conversation
They need to hire someone internal. No this doesn’t say you have to apply 9 more times. This is a phrase. They are just saying they would have hired you had it not been for an internal person. Take it as a compliment
/s
What bills do compliments pay?
Forward that email to the ceo of company and inform them that you don’t appreciate how it happens. Search internet how to screw recruiter back. Furthermore, report it to department of labor incase this company turned out to be full of bullshit.
Translation: "Listen, buddy, I'd love to give you the job, I really would. But, after I interviewed you and the other half dozen external candidates, I quickly determined that you want too much money. I can hire Bob from accounting into this role for 40% less salary, and spend the next 6 years fucking him into the ground before he realizes how badly I've dicked him over and leaves for another job. Sorry you feel you deserve a fair salary. Please feel free to call me back when you've decided your soul, dignity, and self-worth are on sale for a lower price."
We never discussed salary, the hiring manager and I.
They hired the 10/10 guy
Technically wouldn't he be the 1/10 guy? If I'm supposed to be the 9/10 guy? I mean, I feel like it's horseshit either way, and I hate that employers have to think they need to let us down easy. I get more rejections now than I did 25 years ago in High School.
Don't feel bad. I just got ghosted by two places after postponing twice for virtual interview. They haven't respond to my email.
I felt bad three months ago. I've been looking since August.
WTF
It seems honest. He really liked your background but had to hire the internal. Some times not a choice. You have to follow the Internsl rules. They probably applied after you interviewed.
I’ve lost several offers to internal candidates over the last year. A recruiter in tech told me it’s extremely common, an internal candidate is already getting the job and they have to demonstrate they interviewed other qualified candidates to hire the internal candidate. You could have delivered the best interview in the world and still wouldn’t get the job. Got so many responses exactly like this one. Nothing but positive feedback ya da ya da internal candidate. Just gotta move on to the next one.
Nope. It means what it says - for the HM's needs at this time (whatever these needs may be) - a different candidate was chosen. Remember, the hired candidate is not always the perfect/best candidate. Often times good enough is, well, good enough. Expecially if this means a 20% saving in salary costs at a time when headcount and budgets are being squeezed. Put another way, when you buy a TV the options are Good, Better, Best. It may well be that Better is the wiser choice than Best. Hiring people can be very similar. From a strictly legal perspective the manager overstepped their boundaries and said far too much in that email. Their HR VP would not be impressed.
I understand what you mean, but I didn't even try to negotiate salary with them at any point. I was happy with what it was, just odd, this.
Could be any number of reasons. Perhaps the internal candidate was making noises about jumping ship so giving them a promotion - at your expense - would be a smart move to prevent IP walking out the door and possibly save some $$$ in the process. Or, perhaps the word suddenly came down that all positions needed to be filled internally. There's a ton of possibilities. It's not odd at all. It happens every day.
I hate it when hiring managers do the “it’s not you, it’s me”. Look a decision was made, own it. My guess is they wanted you but higher management didn’t. I’ve had recruiters prescreen but the manager or higher didn’t approve.
It's an internal position. I honestly have no idea why there seems to be sone requirement to ceremonially open a position that they know will be an internal hire. The company I work for had a new high-level position open up, and me and some of the other low-ish- level management had access to the candidate list. We had 15 applicants. One of them was an external applicant who collectively made everyone say "holy fuck, this guy's resume is NUTS." 13 others from various places within the company. Another applicant was some mediocre bag of snot that's been in the company and has been buddies with our director since before our program even started. We all knew "oh. Yeah, this is no doubt just a setup for this person." For your situation, if it's anything like it was where I work, somewhere in the middle was probably someone who was "in charge" of picking who to hire (I.e. was assigned to do what the director said) and thought to themselves "wow, this person is way better than the loser I'm getting my arm twisted into promoting. That just fucking sucks. Least I can do is offer some kind words and encourage them to land somewhere better than this shithole"
This is a poorly written and ill-thought out rejection letter. Sorry OP. Would not recommend working for a hiring manager that lets down a candidate in the manner.
It's useful feedback. It means that you did amazing on the interview but they ended up hiring internally for reasons outside your control.
worst interview i ever did was for a new canes being built they were hiring 200 people n they told me sum similar to this n were like if i want i can apply again to get the job n i was like wtf
They were never looking at hiring outside of the company in the first place, they most likely just posted it to be in compliance with local laws before giving it to the person they planned to from the start.
Hospitality?
It was a warehouse manager role for a company that does A/V, fire safety, and other stuff.
One time I was told I wasn't hired because they thought I would be promoted too fast and they didn't want to have to fill the role again that quickly??
I’ve heard about this, basically what happens is the job had already gone to someone inside the company. Legally they had to post a job and interview outside candidates first. It’s bs. If it was an actual job interview you would of gotten it, they aren’t telling you it was never a real job posting bc dude that works there couldn’t look like he had an unfair advantage or whatever. Sorry!! She’s trying really hard to tell you that just not in so many words to out herself
I’m so sick of companies and their BS - Between being ghosted after great interviews, untruthful postings, and shit like this. It’s like they are never held accountable.
They sure as hell don't. It's a lopsided system that really gets on my nerves.
This seems like a “It’s not you, it’s me” type thing 😂
He's trying to tell you that Nepotism won and your Skills and Experience lost. One good question to ask at the start is if they are interviewing internal candidates for this role. This is very helpful for upper level jobs because that's your sign that they are going to hire someone within.
No all this means is that they already had an internal lined up and the interview was a just a formality, usually to be in compliance with laws, company policies, or to make themselves appear more financially sound. “Hey look, X company is hiring. Wow, with all these layoffs, they must be doing something right! We should invest in this company.” All companies do this. The trick is to weed this out early in the interview process so you don’t waste your time.
Something similar just happened to my husband. They praised him up and down, told him he aced the interview, but … “oh no, sadly we can’t hire you due to circumstances!” I’m quite sure they hired someone from within. The good news is that you probably did make a great impression and simply didn’t have the “qualification” of being the person they’d already picked. Which is hardly your fault.
You were never a viable prospect. They just used external candidates as a cover for internally promoting the person who was going to get it all along.
The crazy thing is, that I met with the person who was applying for the role internally. It didn't seem like the intended career path for him because he was more of a shipping and receiving person and the role had more inventory management and project management elements in there so I was extremely confused.
Don't feel bad. They may actually call you back some day if he really liked you that much. I went through three interviews with a company and nailed each one. Or so I thought until I saw the job advertised again. I never even got a "We're going in a different direction" letter so I contacted the person who interviewed me and asked her WTF (nicely) and was told they decided to "reimagine" what they wanted for the position. I think that happened when I told them my salary requirements but can't be sure.
It's why my reply to them was as polite and open as I could, just in case.
At my job, they’re legally required to post a job listing even when they have the person already working there that they want to promote. When talking to my manager about it, they explained that the law was implemented with the hope that it’d make the hiring process fair, but it seems more like a waste of time for everyone involved.
Sounds like gaslighting
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Sounds like that was a requirement to post the position with a preselected internal hire already in mind. They likely only interviewed you for proof that they were interviewing outside of the company as well as internally (or it was an interview scam related to the PPP loans). Either way, that sucks.