I Already Talked To The HR Guy, Will He Think I'm A Doofus If I Re-Apply?

June 6, 2012 1:08 PM

I applied for a job online at a really large company, got as far as a phone screen from someone from their HR department, but never got called for an interview. The job has just been reposted. Do I apply again? Do I call the HR person I spoke with back? Do I just let it go?

About a month ago I applied online to a job posting within a very large company - it was one of those company specific job application websites powered by Taleo where you upload your resume and then it extracts the information and populates a form (which then requires you to futz with formatting, etc), and then you answer a bunch of position specific questions and then submit the application. I knew that they were probably going to get hundreds (if not more) applicants for the position, and to be honest the position was a bit of a reach, but figured there was no harm in trying.

And then hey! The next day I got a call from their HR department - one of those preliminary phone screen calls. I was a bit taken aback because I wasn't expecting my resume to even be noticed and I was more awkward than I would have liked to have been, but it wasn't a train wreck by any stretch of the imagination. The HR guy said that the hiring manager would be in touch in a few days - however, she never called. I have the HR guy's contact info so I was considering calling him back after a week or so just to "follow up", but I've never been good at judging whether that's a good idea or something that would just piss them off, and considering the largeness of the company I wanted to err on the side of caution, again, given how many applicants they are probably getting.

It's been over a month, and I figure oh well, I didn't make the short list of people the hiring manager was going to call - either because I really did bomb the phone screen, or more likely they ended up with several applicants with more experience than I have. I'm not going to waste time being sad over it - I figure it's cool enough that my resume caught their attention enough to even make the first cut of the phone screen (something that has never happened to me before with a company this large).

That being said - they just reposted the job. Is it silly to resubmit my application? (Would the computer that screens the applications even register my having applied again?) Is this the moment when I should call the HR dude back? Or do I just let this one go? I've never dealt with a company this large before, nor have I ever had any modicum of success with the computer-screened job application thing and I don't really know what the appropriate protocol is. Does it really harm anything if I resubmit my application?

I am currently employed, so I'm not desperate. But, it is an interesting job, one that I think I could do (and that I would love to do), so I don't want to lose the opportunity...if I still have one.

Thoughts? I'd be especially interested to hear from hiring managers or HR people who have worked with these Taleo powered job application sites.

posted by thereemix to work & money (7 answers total)

Is this the moment when I should call the HR dude back? Or do I just let this one go? I've never dealt with a company this large before, nor have I ever had any modicum of success with the computer-screened job application thing and I don't really know what the appropriate protocol is. Does it really harm anything if I resubmit my application?

Oh, I would absolutely call him back. "Hi, this theremix. We spoke about JOB NUMBER on DATE. I saw that the position has been reposted and I think it would be a great fit for me. Is there a way for me to reactivate my previous application or should I go ahead and apply through your website?"

Can't hurt, might help.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 1:13 PM on June 6, 2012 [8 favorites]

I think it's normal to check in after a week or so. In fact, I've done the exact thing you're talking about. I applied at Company X, talked to someone and seemed like it'd be a good fit. Then I sat around waiting for an interview. It never happened, so a month later I emailed the bloke I'd been in contact with. Turns out my application got lost in the shuffle, but they were still interested in interviewing me.

So my point is – yes, it's a good idea to try to contact them again. It's been a month, so there's no risk of looking desperate. What's the worst that happens?
posted by deathpanels at 1:22 PM on June 6, 2012

Repost your resume, and also contact your HR contact.

Weirdly enough, it could be a completely different position, or in a different department, or whatever.

That happened all the time at AT&T. You'd see 3 identical postings for 3 openings. Weird, but there it is.

You might be doubling your chances!

Good luck!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:50 PM on June 6, 2012

Definitely contact the person you spoke to and do not feel bad about it. It is their job to talk to you. It's entirely possible the original person you spoke to is no longer at the company, or no longer working on that position, and you may end up talking to someone new. In case that happens, be better prepared to have a conversation about your career as it pertains to the position posted, and what you're looking for that their company has to offer. Good luck.
posted by curtains at 2:29 PM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

I got my current job by re-applying to a second, identical job posting. Turned out, there was a minimum number of people they had to bring in to interview, and the first time around they didn't get enough qualified applicants. They really wanted to bring me in, but couldn't, and were really glad I re-applied.

Maybe that's not the case with your large company, but it couldn't hurt to re-apply. I felt a little dumb, like “well they didn't like me the first time around...” but it turned out great. You never know!
posted by mon-ma-tron at 2:30 PM on June 6, 2012

It might be pointless, but it also might not be. I can't really see a downside to calling or to re-applying.

So might as well!
posted by Kololo at 5:40 PM on June 6, 2012

No real downside to re-activating your application process. I'd just call the HR guy directly.
posted by sm1tten at 7:48 AM on June 7, 2012