Dear Evil HR Lady,
I recently interviewed for an area I have 5+ years experience in. I had sent a Thank you follow up to my interview and heard nothing and just sent an email to the HR recruiter asking to touch base on when they were looking to fill the position and received this response:
Hi Jane,
I hope all is well, and thanks for following up.We are still in the interviewing process, but we also have a [similar position on a product line I have no experience in] available.Would you be interested in that role?Best,Jessica
How do I respond to this email? Is she basically saying I didn’t get the position I interviewed for or is this a trick question and another opportunity to why I think I deserve and am qualified for the position I originally interviewed for? I would think would be less of a fit for me and less likely to nail that interview so this is a tricky email.
It’s not a trick question. It also doesn’t mean that you won’t get the original job. It simply means that another position has opened up. It’s similar to the one you interviewed for and the recruiter is simply asking if you are interested.
Now, the question is, are you? Would you take that job if offered? Because if you would, you should say, “Yes, I would be interested in learning more about this position.” If you are not, you should say that you are not interested and, of course reiterate why you are a great fit for the first job.
The recruiter’s job is to find the best candidates and fill positions. If she has a candidate that she thinks may work for two positions, there’s no reason to not put the candidate forward for both. (Well, given that the two managers are rational people and won’t get into a fight over a particular candidate.) Also, some positions are easier to fill than others. There may be 15 qualified candidates interviewing for the first job, and no one has applied for the second, so she’s trying to move some people over.
Don’t over think it. Just answer the question. Are you interested?
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
Ha! Yes.