Should I reapply to this job?

September 25, 2014 7:00 AM

In mid-August I applied for a job and was brought in for an interview. After the interview I never heard from them again. Now, the same organization has posted the same or similar job. Should I reapply to this job or contact the person I spoke with?

Just a few extra notes: This was earlier in my job search before I'd learned all the etiquette of job searching so I didn't send a thank you note after the interview - don't know if that makes a difference. The last contact I had with this organization was an email from one my interviewers asking me to fill out a form application; I did and sent it back, and never heard from them again. I know they didn't contact my current employer - he knows I'm searching and would have told me if he'd gotten a call. My friend says I should email them, but I'm afraid that would just come off as desperate. Plus, what would I say, "Hey, saw you reposted the job I didn't get. I'm still searching if you're interested"? Any advice would be much appreciated.

posted by Partario to Work & Money (14 answers total)

Not sending a thank-you note was probably not a deal-breaker. It's extremely bad form for them not to follow up with you after an interview. You could definitely follow up with a quick email asking what the status of your application is (in fact you could have done that approx two weeks after your interview), without mentioning the new job posting.

I've heard that a company reposting a job doesn't necessarily mean anything. It could have auto-reposted. Or the HR person might not be in sync with the hiring manager. Or they could have some requirement that they need x number of finalist candidates before making a decision.
posted by radioamy at 7:03 AM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I don't think that the thank you note would make that much of a difference, to be honest. Unless your circumstances have materially changed in the last two months (gained some really relevant certification or new set of skills), I would not get in touch again. You have already been passively rejected.
posted by hellomiss at 7:04 AM on September 25, 2014 [4 favorites]

Oops sorry, misread the date that you applied. I think that a follow up email checking on the status of your application and reiterating your interest wouldn't be too pushy. I don't think you should reapply though as they already have your materials and you have their contact details-- they might assume that you didn't realize you were applying for the same role.
posted by hellomiss at 7:09 AM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I agree with hellomiss that you were (rudely) passively rejected, but they can't not-hire you even harder, so it's worth reaching out to your contact just to say, "Hey, would it be worth my while to re-apply for this?" If you don't hear back, then forget it and move on.
posted by Etrigan at 7:18 AM on September 25, 2014 [4 favorites]

Best answer: A friend of mine got a job after applying repeatedly to the same company - one she really wanted to work in. This was an initiative application, though. Still, the HR-person said they thought her repeated applications showed she was very motivated to work with them, and that is what got her the job.

I wouldn't worry about "sounding desperate", this was over a month ago, I don't think it would have this effect. I also think it is not a relevant concern in this case, to be honest, it's not a lover, it's a job.

So I think contacting them is worth a shot - who knows, maybe the person who was hiring hat to leave, and your application fell through the cracks. A number of things could have happened.
posted by ipsative at 7:25 AM on September 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

Agreed with the above answers. Go ahead and send a short email indicating you are still interested, b/c it can't really hurt. It's likely that they have rejected you, but there's a small chance you're still on their short list.
posted by aka burlap at 7:37 AM on September 25, 2014

Best answer: The worst that can happen is that you won't get hired, and the best that can happen is that you will! Being passionate about wanting to work somewhere is a really great indicator to those who want to hire, so definitely go for it.
posted by xingcat at 7:43 AM on September 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

If you really want it contact them and re-apply. It is possible that the funding was not as settled as they had expected initially. A management shuffle can put all hiring in flux until it settles down.
posted by captaincrouton at 9:44 AM on September 25, 2014

Depending on the company it could be the exact same job title and duties, but a different opening and posting.

If this is a large enterprise, get your documentation from the previous position, and see if the posting title is different. In cases I've seen, it would be the posting number, or perhaps the department.

If it's different, re-apply. If it's exactly the same, I suppose you could send an email, but it's not like they forgot how to get in touch with you. I wouldn't bother, and I would assume that they didn't want me.

Since it has been quite a while, there is an outside chance that their top candidate fell through, and might be willing to review your qualifications again.

But really, unless they were falling all over themselves to hire me, I would move on.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:58 AM on September 25, 2014

Before doing anything else, have you checked your spam folder?
posted by Perodicticus potto at 12:39 PM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Go ahead and send an email to the person you interviewed with, and after you hit "send," forget about that job completely. Because you may never hear another word from them. So if they do get back to you it'll be a nice surprise.
posted by zardoz at 2:34 PM on September 25, 2014

Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers! Timidity is something I'm trying to overcome - I've been too passive in my job search. I'll do what zardoz suggested: send the email and not think of it again.
posted by Partario at 2:50 PM on September 25, 2014

I'm going through the job-search jungle right now too. One company had posted a job on Linkedin that I'm well-qualified for, so I applied for it... and heard nothing from them. Just last week they re-posted the exact same job, and I was a little ?!?!?! about it. I emailed the person who posted the job a follow-up, carefully worded:

I had applied to a posting for a (job title) with (company) back in (month), and see that a similar position has been posted again on your website.

I was wondering if I could send you an updated resume, better tailored to your (department/group)'s current needs.

Could you tell me what type of project your (department/group) is currently looking for experience in, please?

Many thanks for your help,
(lizbun)

And the lady wrote me back to say thanks for the follow up, and that I'm on the top of their resume pile actually. She said they frequently post the position to keep relevant applicants on file, though they weren't given the go-ahead to actually interview and hire quite yet until some projects came through.

It's possible the company you interviewed with may have considered that a pre-screening interview, lame as it sounds. Might as well follow up with them in similar fashion as above, and get a more definitive answer.
posted by lizbunny at 4:54 PM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

I never send thank you notes, because they couldn't care less about it. If you are good and have the chutzpah and the experience, you will reach the next level of interviews, the rest just go in trash.

Reapply, what do you have to loose?
posted by jellyjam at 5:17 PM on September 25, 2014