UncleBeer, you sweet thang.
How nice of you to drop in and wish me well. I sure do miss messing with you!
Big hugs, mon OncleBiere.
Best of luck, Gazelle. May you ace the follow up project, and may their acceptance letter arrive as swift as… well, you know.
Good luck, Gazelle!
Thank you, Scuba_Ben and Billdobaby!
Went home last night and found a message on my machine from the hiring manager: “Call me back.”
I called back; she wasn’t there.
I called early this morning, expecting her not to be there, and she was… They want me to come back for a second interview. ::sigh::
Yes, yes, this is a good thing; however, I thought she was going to make her decision this week!
Cardiac arrest seems possible at this point.
Gah!
Given that you were late in the interview process, they’ve clearly made the decision to delay making an offer until they have other people (maybe the hiring manager’s boss?) talk to you.
If you weren’t a serious contender, they wouldn’t bother.
As frustrating as it is to you, I’d interpret this as good news.
Thanks Algernon!
You know how it is, don’t you? At first, you’re like, *Hmmm… I think I’ll try to find another job.
If I don’t get it, no big deal.
Wow, this one sounds pretty good.
IF I DON’T GET THIS JOB I’M GONNA DIE!!!*
Jes kiddin’.
Are you sure you’re kidding?
I’ve had that exact same thought pattern.
We’re pulling for you!
Thanks scoutybaby! Yes, I have had the thought pattern; however, I know logically that it will not be the end of the world if I don’t get the job.
The second interview went very well; better than the first, I think.
The hiring manager closed the door and asked how much I would be asking, should she offer me the job. I know I’m supposed to say a number higher than I really want, but I opted for honesty instead. I’ll take the job at the exact same salary. She said that she would never bring someone in from another part of the company without a raise. 
She asked – again – when I could start and how my manager will feel about me leaving… I told her that two weeks will be plenty o’ time and that my manager will be excited for me because he knows that this is the kind of job I’ve always wanted.
I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the interview, turning it over and over in my mind. She gave several positive signs and a few signs that could be interpreted as negative… So I’m 50/50 on whether I got it… She said she’d let me know “within the next couple days.”
The suspense is killing me!
It’s killing us too Gazelle! I was just thinking about you last night, hoping that the second had gone well. Sounds like it did!
Another new development!
Got a call from the hiring manager this morning. “Can you come in again to meet the president?”
“Sure! Let me look at my calendar.”
“Well, today’s the only day he’s available.”
I wore jeans to the office today! Oh well, I needed one more new suit. Went to T.J. Maxx and lucked out. I am now the owner of a beautiful green Ann Klein II, an incredible bargain at $70.00.
Zero hour is 2:00 PM this afternoon.
Best of luck to you, Gazelle!
I’m anxiously awaiting a call from the company that laid me off. I had an interview two weeks ago, and I thought it went well. It’s getting down to the wire, though. I need to give 30 days notice on my apartment on Saturday. I’ve reserved a trailer so I can move half of my stuff up to Washington. I really need to be employed for another year, and I’m really hoping I get the Project Analyst job I applied for. But I need to hear from them soon, else I’m outta here. [hanging on tinterhooks]
I’m hoping for you too, Johnny. This waiting this sucks ass.
So I go and meet the HR director and the president… It felt okay, but not great. The hiring manager interrupts about a half-hour later. We go back to her office and she says, “I’ll go see how it went right now, if you can wait a minute.”
She comes back and says, “I’m just going to let you go now.”
I’m like, What?!?
More later. Exhausted from stress right now.
What??? You leave us hanging??? evil. I hope you got it, and a big fat raise.
I’ve held at various times in my career the positions of hiring manager, HR director, and executive approving the hiring. I don’t want to jinx you but all that is happening are signs that you’re going to get offered the job. They’re only working on details and getting the offer letter together. I feel really confident about this.
(Oh I hope I didn’t screw it up… I hope I didn’t screw it up…)
PS - Sounds like a nice suit. 
Maybe he got tied up doing something else and she couldn’t get an answer from him as quickly as she’d thought, so she lgt you go.
Honestly, 3 interviews and they kept the position open longer just to talk with you? That’s a really good sign if you ask me.
So she comes back and says, “I’m going to let you go.”
I tell her I’m confused. Do they need more information or something? She says that she has to deal with someone that was thrown at her at the last minute. Here’s the weirdest part: She tells me that shouldn’t tell me this, but she has to offer the job to someone else first. She’s 99% sure that the other person isn’t going to want the position at the terms she’s offering, so she’ll contact me right after. (I may have misinterpreted this part… ?)
Now I’m having second thoughts.
Pros:[ul][li]I don’t have to work where I am now.[/li][li]I get to start over and try to do this one right.[/li][li]Away from downtown; will spend less money.[/li][li]A raise.[/li][/ul]Cons:[ul][li]Commute from Hell; may result in the need for a new car.[/li][li]She wants me to work 8 AM to 5 PM. Rush hour. See Con number 1. (This is negotiable.)[/li][li]I am not the first choice. (Maybe not the end of the world.)[/li][/ul]Bah.
And another Pro: It’s a real writing job!
Hmmm. There are only two reasons I can think of where someone else must be given the option of taking the job.
First, and least likely, there is a friend or relative of the CEO who the CEO has committed to finding a job. Unfortunately, nepotism still lives on in many companies.
Second, and most likely, there is someone within the department who has applied. Sometimes there are rules about hiring and promoting from within departments before going outside the department.
This is not necessarily true, for the reasons I mentioned above. You may well be their first choice, but due to rules they have to offer the position to someone else first.
Obviously, not knowing your company, this is pure speculation. But it is speculation based on personal experience.
Again, good luck. I’m going to be very disappointed if you don’t get this job.