Jamaica Gleaner
Published: Wednesday | September 23, 2009
Home : News
Why is the post still being advertised?
Dear Mrs Kitson,

I have read and learnt a lot from your articles posted on the Go-Jamaica website. Now I require some valuable advice from you.

My question to you is, if an individual did a job interview, then received a call a few days later from the prospective employer, telling the individual that they still had some more interviews to conduct and would get in touch, only to see the same job being advertised on a website a few days after this call was received, what would you read into this?

Is it that he or she would not be considered for the position? Would it be prudent to call to get a further update?

Thanks for your time and I look forward to your response.

- Jacan

Dear Jacan,

Thanks for reading my article and for writing to me.

It is considered a "good gesture" for an employer to contact an interviewee with an update of an interview, particularly if he or she made a promise during the interview to do so.

This meant that you made a favourable impression on him or her.

But, being told that more interviews are being conducted does imply that the employer is not fully satisfied with the persons interviewed, that is, he or she feels that the right candidate has not yet been found.

Yes, there are possibilities (you perhaps being one of them), but there is a felt need to look further.

Since there is the need to look further, the employer in question has taken the search to another dimension, the Internet, to widen the playing field for applicants.

Perhaps the conventional means did not produce the type of applicants they were seeking. This is their right. If they inadvertently implied during the interview that they were considering you for the position, they corrected this by calling you to alert you to the fact that they would be continuing the search.

Noteworthy candidate

So, in a nutshell, the status is this: they may not be considering you for the position. You were a noteworthy candidate, but something is missing. It really makes no sense calling them back for a further update. If their continued search produces no better stream of applicants, they may contact you for a second interview. If it does, you will perhaps receive a polite rejection letter.

Do continue your job search and best of luck.

Regards,

Patricia Grant-Kitson.

Patricia Grant-Kitson is a human resource management and training consultant. Email patriciaktsn@yahoo.com.

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