Contacted for an interview and they changed their mind?

[Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP]

So I've been a registered nurse on a med surg floor for over a year. I applied for a new job at a facility closer to my home. The requirements was 1-3 years experience. I received an email from a receuiter saying that my resume was exemplary and that she felt I'd make a great addition to the hospital and to call to schedule an appointment. I call, and suddenly the conversation flips to me being under qualified and that the hiring manager only wants people with more than 3 years experience, etc. I said but the criteria said for 1-3 years and she kept saying I have less than a year of experience. I continued to tell her that I had over a year at this point but then she said they won't hire me, it's not safe, etc etc and to keep applying. I'm so confused.

Is this normal/common or something I should protest? I really want this job.

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

I don't think arguing will get you the job. One year may be the minimum to apply, but it sounds like they have more experienced candidates in the running. The recruiter was doing her job, I guess ...but she obviously doesn't have the final say when it comes to hiring.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

If you were dealing with a '3rd party' recruiter... not employed by that organization... keep in mind that s/he is basically in sales; making a commission when she 'sells' a candidate to the organization. Naturally, that situation will generate in a very convincing sales pitch to keep you interested so that you won't go off looking for jobs on your own... which would not generate any commission for the recruiter. If the recruiter was in-house, there seems to be a real problem because it looks like s/he's not on the same page as the hiring manager.

Don't feel bad & try not to take it personally. It wasn't about you at all. You got caught up in a mis-communication (between the recruiter and hiring manager) through no fault of your own. Chalk it up to experience and move on.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Unfortunately, a complaint doesn't really have a leg to stand on. An offer to interview is not a binding offer of employment, and employers are allowed to change their minds regarding the requirements. Also, calling to complain won't really make you more desirable as a candidate to them.

Fair? Not really. It does suck though.

All you can do is chalk it up as a loss and move on.

Best of luck in the job hunt.

[caliotter3]

Have encountered the "false" rejection reason often enough to have learned that it is not worth the effort to spend more than ten minutes being upset about it. Your time and effort is better spent in redirecting your search.