Applying to similar position after not getting offer 1st time

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

There is a job that I would like to get, and when I applied and interviewed, I got to the final round of interviews (of 3 rounds), but was not selected. This was 6-8 months ago. I recently got a generic email saying they have decided to move forward with another candidate (I assumed as much after not hearing back from them), but that I am welcome to apply for other jobs as well. I now see another opening for a very similar position as the first one, which I am still interested in.

My question is if I should do anything special or keep in mind when applying to this new position - I.e. should I ask how this position is different from the old one, use different stories/examples when interviewing, etc. The interviewing team and hiring manager are likely to be the same as last time I applied for the position.

Its a large company and I am not sure if they would normally contact previous candidates or not - I imagine that depends a lot on the personal choices of the hiring manager, nor am I really sure where to ask / look for that information other than their current employees

manpreet 2 years ago

You should apply and using the knowledge from the last interview process prepare more rigorously. You should be totally on point technically.

Despite being a large company, it is very likely that the department you are applying for is smallish and the hiring managers chat. So even if the position is with a different manager he likely has talked with the manager that interviewed you the first time. Part of your job is to remind them that you interviewed there before. "I recall meeting Joe Manager and really enjoyed my time with them".

You cannot be bitter at all about not being hired during the first interview. You do not know what kind of internal drama went on behind the scenes. Given your information it is somewhat likely that the person they picked over you did not work out. It is likely that you had people on the hiring committee advocating for you over the person that they picked.

Going in more technically prepared, with a "happy to be back; I really hope to work here someday" attitude is the best course of action to be hired. Also do not have the attitude, that you are a "shoe-in" for the job. That is very self-destructive.

Interviewing people takes time, the fact that you were interviewed three times shows a high level of interest. You should take that as a positive.

Good luck. It would be great for you to update this question with the things that happened.