A couple of years ago I applied for a job in a local non-profit organisation, and got as far as the final round before they decided to go with the other candidate. In fact, the competition was so close that they added an extra round of interviews for us both – a tiebreaker of sorts. Bad luck of course, but there can be only one winner. Anyway…
This same place is now advertising for a very similar position, and I am going to apply. What I am wondering is, should I mention in my cover letter that I made it to the final round for that similar position three years ago? In a perfect world they might remember me (it is not a large organisation), but HR staff change and the supervisor may have changed as well, so mentioning the other position might get their attention. On the other hand, it might come across as pushy.
Interestingly, when I received the rejection letter for the first position, the letter promised (as they always do) that they would keep my CV on file in case something appropriate came up. If they really did this, they should have contacted me about this position!
It wouldn’t hurt to mention it, but don’t make a big deal about. Just a sentence or two about being considered for a previous position and let them do the leg work to decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Three years is a long time and they may not remember or care.
I don’t think I’d mention it, Orville. Nobody ever remembers who came second.
Your application will speak for itself. If any relevant staff members recognise you from your previous interviews, that’s a bonus. And if there’s been 100% turnover in the few years since that contact and nobody has a clue about your Maxwell Smart moment, then you don’t end up looking like a dick.
Also, it’s for a similar positon, rather than the same position.
So no - just attack it all dewy eyed and innocent like.
Well, the thing is, from a logical point of view, if I got an interview call for the first position, you would expect I should get it for the second one.
But in my experience from the other side of the table, the screening of applications is less than imperfect, and is usually done by a junior HR staff with little knowledge of the specific position. So it is possible (common?) that they may miss some good candidates. One time I was recruiting for a position and I asked to see all the applications we had received. In the end I shortlisted two candidates that did not make the HR cut.
So by mentioning my first attempt in my letter, I would hope to avoid getting incorrectly filtered out…
Advice I got from a job coach: go ahead and write about it and then go on to say that you remain very interested in working for the organization and why. A local NPO may weigh your continued interest in working for them in your favor.
Actually, that sounds like a great solution: mention it in passing, as an example of how you are really interested in the field that they’re in (very important for a non-profit).
I agree with Q.N. Jones, and I wanted to specifically disagree with the quoted statement.
In the last year, I’ve been involved in two rounds of hiring that involved interviewing a large number of people in each round. In both cases, it was a very close call regarding the person to whom we ultimately made the offer vs. the person who was second (and, in one round, a third person as well). I would definitely remember the person who came in second, and would almost certainly want to hire her for the same position if an opening came up now.
I wouldn’t mention it, but I’d use it.
Since you went through the process already, you probably know something about the place which those new to the organization don’t know. That should let you tailor your cover letter and resume to exactly what they are looking for.
Second, if you kept contact information about managers you talked to, you should give the most senior one a call and say to her that you saw the opening, loved the place when you interviewed before, and would still love to work there. Sometimes you have two candidates almost as good as each other, and you hate having to reject one. If that is the case for you, she might say, fantastic, come on in, and we can save some time by just hiring you right now.
Going through normal channels and putting it in the cover letter might allow some lackey to think that you’ve been rejected already and toss the resume.
If you remember anyone who interviewed you, contact them and have them submit you resume. Find them on LinkedIn if necessary.
Resumes submitted by employees have a huge jump over the pile that are submitted to HR directly. Furthermore, the employee you contact might get a bonus. If you made a good impression, it’s worth a try. Pick the highest ranking person who you think would remember you. If that one don’t remember, move to the next.
Here’s the deal. Do you feel like you can call the hiring manager you met with 3 years ago and discuss the new position you are applying for? If yes, then that is how you apply for the job.
The company probably does keep your CV on file. Along with thousands of others. That doesn’t mean it’s going to come up in a search when a new position opens up, or that they will even search their database of old resumes. Besides. That resume would be three years out of date anyway.
Reaching out to someone to inquire about a job isn’t being pushy.
Being pushy is the guy I met for 10 minutes and a networking event for project managers sending me half a dozen messages asking for contacts at a company I just started working at after being told we aren’t actively hiring (even if we were, I don’t know this person at all to vouche for them).
