BAD Reference

Doesn't make sense to me either why they wouldn't have just hired the OP anyway, if she has been advised to submit a second application. Why bother at all then? That's a waste of time and resources.

I wouldn't be overly optimistic.

The suggestion to submit a second application was a polite brush off. I've used it myself when a candidate just wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

I interviewed a young man recently who bombed his interview badly. On paper, he looked impressive, but his communication skills were awful. Thinking he was just nervous at first, I tried to lead him thru some easy territory before getting to more pointed questions. It didn't help, and I attempted to wrap up the interview at that point. He realized what I was doing and made an effort to extend the interview by "selling himself." Unfortunately, he ended up revealing just how little he knew about our field, solidifying my impression that he was not a good candidate. I finally had to get firm and end the interview. In doing so, I let him know that if he gained relevant experience and/or education, I would welcome a future application. IF he actually learns more about our business and improves his communication skills, I would welcome the chance to talk to him again.

But that's the difference between my interview and the OP's. Unless she takes a job elsewhere and gains experience and references that "enhance" her presentation, the employer will be no more interested in her next time than they were this time. Resubmitting an application does not make an unacceptable candidate suddenly qualified. Improving one's skills, knowledge base, and work relationships does.

In your situation Jolie, it's perfectly acceptable to welcome a second application based on improvements in the applicant.

However, with the OP's scenario, I would have just said, "Thank you for coming in." And left it at that. Why give someone false hope?

In your situation Jolie, it's perfectly acceptable to welcome a second application based on improvements in the applicant.

However, with the OP's scenario, I would have just said, "Thank you for coming in." And left it at that. Why give someone false hope?

While it's not the best response, sometimes an interviewer will say this to get an especially persistent applicant out of the office or off the phone when they just won't take no for an answer. It's much nicer than, "We have no use for you, please go away...."

I interviewed a candidate once for an entry-level receptionist job. Usually I have an application in hand before I schedule an interview, but this young lady was bringing hers that day. Upon reviewing it, I saw that the hours of availability she listed were not at all what we needed. During the interview, I asked her if she had any flexibility in her hours or was willing to consider anything other than what she had listed. Her answer was no. At that point, I thanked her and said that although she interviewed well, her availability did not meet our needs. Suddenly, she had a change of heart and claimed to have completely open availability. I asked her to fill out a new application, reflecting her more open availability. She then asked me exactly what hours we were looking to fill so that she could list them on her app. At that point, I was done. She was not interested in answering truthfully, she just wanted to know what to write down in order to "look good." Obviously, I did not give her the information.

I wonder if the OP's case might have involved a similar situation. Something about her application, interview and references made her undesirable. If it was something "fixable" then a second application may make a difference. If not, the suggestion to apply again was a somewhat polite attempt to get rid of her.