Anyone else been in the position of prepping and getting ready [presentation in front of directors] for a second job interview, only to be told that the employers have now filled the position?

Is this the norm? For what it’s worth it was a graduate position with one of the UK’s biggest housebuilders…

If THE right person walked into your interview room you’d take them wouldn’t you?

I’ve been a filler candidate for a LA position that went to an internal candidate which was annoying as **** to realise

I’d like to think I’d treat everyone the same, and at least wait until all have been interviewed.

FWIW I was told the position went to someone who was local to the role..

How irritating, did you fill for long?

Annoying, but I’d get more annoyed if I wasn’t told it was filled and went through the second stage anyway.

Once I was nearly offered a job (they told me I was the best candidates they interviewed and waiting for paper works to come through from HQ) only to be told the HQ decided not to fill the position.

Not an unusual thing to do….

Timing for final round interviews meant that I had to take the third slot.

Which obviously meant that the first person the MD met was the one who was offered the job before he’d seen the others. Obviously. Which is why no-one told me that before I took time off work and rocked up for a 90 minute grilling. I found out afterwards from the recruitment consultant*, though seeing him exit his office before the interview started and then finding myself interviewed by two other directors told me everything.

Having committed the preparation and time off work, I decided to use it as interview practice. When it came to the salary discussions, I pitched in an unrealistically big number and, when they asked if that was the value of the package, I replied “No, the basic.”

Poor form on their part, but what can you do? Chin up OP.

*Someone I know well and who’s placed me before – doesn’t matter how trustworthy they seem, they aren’t.

You seem to get the full spectrum of recruitment idiocy at grad jobs.

Surprise numerical / reasoning tests.
Additional rounds of interviews being added on ad hoc.
Entire recruitment schemes being binned.
Bizarre interview questions.
Application forms that are more work than most degree modules…

There’s probably more but that’s what I can think of off the top of my head.

Been told I was the best candidate, but they needed a woman for equality purposes

Been told I was the best candidate but they’d had to give it to someone already at that grade who was in the redundancy pool. (That was a training job, and he later ran a course I was on. I was the better candidate)

Had a second interview today. Waiting to hear the usual…..

Wait ’till you’ve been around a bit longer, no doubt you’ll see it again.

Would you want to work for people who treat selling themselves to you so poorly? Lucky escape OP.

In terms of “life”, and all its frustrations and disappointments, I’d say it’s the NORM!.

Been told I was the best candidate, but they needed a woman for equality purposes

Surely that’s discrimination then?

Not so long ago I had lengthy discussions with a prospective employer, they created a position specifically for me (involving HR and higher management), I was the only credible candidate (probably only applicant), had the interview….and then they decided not to create the post after all.

Could have been that I was so piss-poor in the interview that I put them off. Thinking back on it, I probably dodged a bullet that day.

sometimes they already have an idea which candidate they want (might be internal) but they still go though the process.

Thanks all, some interesting comments – Appears many of you have been in far more annoying situations.

FWIW I had been down to attend the interview last Thursday, but due to prior engagements I couldn’t attend – they therefore had agreed with two directors for me to attend this Friday .

Anyway this morning I’d emailed my contact [previous first interviewer] to ask about travel expenses, and it was this contact who later called me to tell me the news – She sounded particularly embarrassed, and said the ultimate reason for their choice was that this person lived locally and would be there for the role takeover! [even though they knew I’d move AND be there for the takeover]

On the other hand if anyone is the buildings, energy & sustainability sector and fancies taking on a grad… 😉

onwards! Thanks all

some postie jobs going in the lakes fella 😉

that’d be ideal Rich!

So you cancelled an interview and then asked asked about travel expenses and are now wondering why they gave the job to someone else?

It’s a bloody mystery…..

FWIW I had been down to attend the interview last Thursday, but due to prior engagements I couldn’t attend

And there is your important life lesson. You turned down the interview. I don’t know what your prior engagement was, but unless it’s some lifesaving surgery then you need to go to the interview on the day they say. By all means ask for flexibility on timing within the day, but go on the day.

Quite apart from the fact it doesn’t reflect well on your motivation and it is a Ballache to get people together to do an additional interview you give the people that do attend on the right day extra time to be considered and thought about whilst you get no consideration.

Been told I was the best candidate, but they needed a woman for equality purposes

You do know that (assuming this is in the UK) that is well illegal and you could sue their asses off, right?

sometimes they already have an idea which candidate they want (might be internal) but they still go though the process.

Not necessarily a write off, I had this from the other side. I was in a ‘temp to perm’ position, my boss wanted to make me permanent without further ado, HR insisted on a proper process with external candidates, one of them got the job (and I was out on my ear).

Yes, it happens all the time.

I have been on the other side of this. When I interviewed for my current job, they called me afterwards and offered to cancel the rest of the interviews if I would accept. I guess employers don’t want to miss out on the right person in case they take another job while they wait a few weeks to finish the rest of the interviews.
It wasnt a graduate role though.

paddy0091 – Member
Anyone else been in the position of prepping and getting ready [presentation in front of directors] for a second job interview, only to be told that the employers have now filled the position?

Is this the norm? .

Yes, next.

Yes, it happened to me last week. I’d spent ages on my CV for the position, and then even longer researching the role so I’d have something to talk about in the interview, then got told right at the last minute that they’d already found someone.

I wouldn’t have minded so much but the position was going to be working with an old university professor who had contacted me directly saying that she wanted me on her team. I was peeved off for a day but soon got over it.

Went for a job at a city council, eventually found out it went to the woman who was already in post on a temporary contract.
Turns out we’d both scored identically on each section and i was going to edge it on references, before the head of department stepped in and made the call to keep her, even though he’d had no involvement at all in the process.
I dodged a bullet because pretty much the whole dept got made redundant six months later
Win some/lose some. I went into a crap job for three years after that but have a great one now

Local Authority bis the worst for this sort of bs. Found out after an interview that they knew who they wanted, it was just an exercise in box ticking, despite the fact that I was the only candidate who had the qualification they were asking for.

The other one that left a bad taste was scoring highly enough to get the job but it went to someone from the redeployment list who scored lower because the bar was set lower for them so they exceeded the target score by a greater margin!

Not too bitter though as I’ve landed on my feet and in a much better situation now.

Paddy, joking aside – have you looked at jobs related to the construction industry?

I did a grad scheme for M&B, basically learning to build pubs! Most of the breweries and pub co’s have pretty big construction departments, a lot of it is refurbishment rather than new build but its a way in.

They put me through post grad and also my chartership so support is good too.

The prior engagement had been an all day graduate assessment in Oxford – falling on the same day [which they knew about, hence they suggested an alternative day for my second interview]

Again, sounds like some of you have been in a lot worse of a situation!

@spudly – Cheers for your comment. I have, but finding graduate level positions is difficult as most want experience, but spending today looking further afield.

thanks again