Why Is a “Filled” Position Being Reposted?
Kent R.
Q. I interviewed for a position. Unfortunately, I was told that I did not get the job and that the position had been filled. What’s weird is that the position has been recently reposted. Why would they repost it if it has just been filled? A. There are several reasons why a position might be reposted after you were told it was filled.
They lied: This is pretty unlikely. Not only is it just not in a company’s best interest, I doubt that they are so concerned about your feelings that they wanted to “let you down easy.” The idea that someone on the other end is wringing his or her hands over the idea of notifying rejected candidates is kind of satisfying. But it likely just isn’t happening that way. The following are more probable...
They made an honest mistake: This is very likely. In many organizations, HR coordinators post open positions in bulk. It is easy for a position to not be pulled prior to it being reposted. The job may have also simply been auto-reposted before someone updated the system.
The opportunity still exists: For one, candidates don’t work out all the time (other offers come up, background checks don’t pan out, etc.). It could also be that you are simply seeing a posting for a position that is similar to the one you interviewed for.
You may have seen my post on why it is a good idea to send off a thank you even after you have been rejected. You just never know when that “filled” position might quickly open back up or a similar opportunity may come along.