Rejected hours after an interview

[edilleyrn]

Hello all,

Ive been a Peds ICU nurse for the last two years. I interviewed with a labor and delivery high risk unit. I just got back from my interview at 11 am today. Then, I received a rejection letter through email a few hours later. I am so confused because my references have told me that they were not contacted. I had nothing but good vibes with the manager and educator. They told me during the interview to expect to hear in a week or two because they have "several" other people to interview, yet I've already been rejected? Has this ever happened to anyone?! First time happening to me.

[Flatline, BSN, RN]

I would not put too much thought into it.

I have gone through the interview process where they sent rejection letters and closed the position to stop any further applicants from applying until they slogged through their current list of interviews.

I have also been rejected by the HR talent scouts/automated process but then picked up by the manager. Most important thing is you got the interview.

If you are really worried call or email the interviewing manager to thank them for their time and ask for feedback on how you could have done better. I have a feeling they will tell you they are still considering you but closed the job in the system to prevent spamming.

[klone, MSN, RN]

My guess is either you did spectacularly horrible in your interview (which you would likely know) or they already know who they're planning on hiring.

[Wuzzie]

Me thinks you were a "place filler" to fill their interview "quota". They usually hide it better.

[caliotter3]

If I had a job for every time I was told what I wanted to hear after an interview, I would be independently wealthy from all that income.

[NuGuyNurse2b]

I had the opposite happen...I got a job offer hours after going home from the interview. It was a psych facility, red flags even for my new grad body at that time. I knew it was unsafe and sure enough, a few weeks later, there was a news story about the facility re: unsafe environment for both patients and workers.

[jennylee321]

Sounds like they were hiring an internal candidate, and interviewing anyone else was just done out of obligation. Don't take it personally, this happened to a friend just the other day.

If you wanted to pursue any further, you could always email them thanking them for there consideration and asking how you could of been a better candidate.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

If you wanted to pursue any further, you could always email them thanking them for there consideration and asking how you could of been a better candidate.

^that^

Or just thank them. Most times when people aren't hired it has noting to do with YOU, the candidate, and everything to do with the employer(their needs, who they already know, someone from nights wanting to go to days, or any other number of reasons).

[AceOfHearts<3]

I've had this happen before. I much prefer this to being strung along- saves me time and energy wondering what's going on, did I get the job, when will I hear from them, etc.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

IMO, it's one of a few things:

1. They knew who they were already going to hire, and your interview was to fulfill whatever hiring wickets (interviewing external candidates, having a number of interviews, various demographics of applicants, etc.) they needed to do first.

2. An earlier applicant who was given an offer finally accepted. Just because they made a candidate an offer doesn't mean they stop interviewing.

3. Or other candidate came along just after you and wowed them to the point that they decided then and there to stop the process and offer them the job.

4. Something came back on your background/reference check that for whatever reason knocked you out of the running. Could have been major, could have been minor, could have been entirely insignificant but paled in comparison to another applicant's results.

and last...

5. It was a mistake and they didn't mean to send the email out. This had happened to me: I received the rejection email, but the manager called a couple of days later with a job offer. They were unaware that the rejection was sent out. So they created a new position for me to apply to as a formality. I did, they just skipped right to the job offer and pre-hiring process, and that was the start of 2 happy years there. Now, this is the the VERY LONG SHOT scenario, so please don't hang your hopes on it. It's happened to me only once in more rejections than I could count.

A "Thank you for your consideration and if you have any suggestions how I could improve as a candidate and/or please keep me in mind should future opportunities open up" email couldn't hurt, but for the most part, accept the defeat and move on.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

A year ago I traveled 2 hrs to an interview. I was asked to do a job shadow, so I traveled the 2 hrs for a day long shadow a week later. The day following the job shadow I get a computer generated email from HR that they have decided to not fill that position. Couldn't they have decided to not fill that position before wasting two of my days or at least a personal call or email that they were sorry for having me waste my time and expense to interview and job shadow?