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Here's the situation, eight months ago I applied for a job with a company. They really liked my CV/resume and invited me for several interviews over the course of a month. At the end of the interview process, I took a supervised software test with their technical manager. During the test the manager verbally told me that I was doing quite well and demonstrating a good understanding of necessary concepts.

To my surprise, the recruiter called me after a few weeks to inform me that they would not be going through with my application. She gave two explanations for this:

  • Due to covid-19 they have to be very critical and only hire applicants they think will hit the ground running
  • My technical skills were not quite sufficient. This was surprising because it contrasted rather significantly with what the technical manager told me during the test.

Finally, she mentioned that they would like to keep my resume/CV on file for future opportunities. Fast forward to a few months later and I see that the vacancy is still open. I hate my current job, there are limited job opportunities at this time and so I am very tempted to call the recruiter back. I would like to ask her if they have hired someone for the position, and if not that I am still interested in the position. I would also like to explain that I am also interested in other positions if these become available.

My question is: does this look too desperate? My idea is that it can't hurt to ask, since if they aren't interested she'll just tell me again and this will help orient me towards other companies.

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    Has anything changed between then and now that would make you a more attractive candidate? (Learning new skills, tackling more difficult projects, mentoring peers, etc.)
    – AffableAmbler
    Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 12:19
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    To be honest no. It has only been 8 months, and part of the reason why I would like to leave my current job is precisely the fact that the amount of new skills I gain is disproportionately small compared with the amount of time I have spent in my current position
    – user32882
    Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 12:21
  • 5
    It's no problem - nobody will remember anything from 8 months ago. Just send a polite, SHORT, yet HIGHLY ENTHUSIASTIC email and away you go. It absolutely won't "hurt" you.
    – Fattie
    Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 13:27
  • 1
    "My question is: does this look too desperate?" You are inquiring about a position that you were rejected from 8 months ago, some people would consider that to be desperate...
    – sf02
    Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 13:41
  • It kind of is I guess. After some thought I think I might not do it. They have my CV, they can contact me if they want...
    – user32882
    Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 13:43

2 Answers 2

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IMHO, you may want to contact the company again.

In your cover letter, you can mention the company's culture, technology etc is very appealing to you.

If they didn't find anyone by now, perhaps you have a chance.

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  • this was an in house recruiter
    – user32882
    Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 16:11
  • @user32882 Then please disregard my comment about the recruiter. updating
    – Strader
    Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 16:27
  • I see no-harm in this approach.
    – matt freake
    Commented Oct 19, 2020 at 17:04
  • One potential harm is that they interpret it as over-enthusiasm, and be more reluctant to actually hire me in the future if there is a real opportunity. But I have ended up reaching out to the recruiter anyway, since I would be very glad to find another job at this time... even at the price of creeping this recruiter out lol
    – user32882
    Commented Oct 20, 2020 at 12:41
  • @user32882 You mentioned it has been a few months since your initial interview
    – Strader
    Commented Oct 20, 2020 at 14:40
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There’s probably no point.

They told you that they’re only hiring for the most critical positions right now due to Covid, and the position is still open eight months later. This indicates to me that it isn’t viewed as a critical position, and they’re unlikely to hire anyone but the “perfect” candidate.

Maybe their hiring stance or financial position has changed for the better in the past eight months, and they might be more open to hiring you, but it seems unlikely.

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    There’s always a point. Things change. In eight months things change a lot. Business can grow. Employees can leave. The cost is practically zero. Ops chances are good.
    – gnasher729
    Commented Oct 20, 2020 at 7:20
  • @gnasher729 Sure, but if that was the case, they probably would have already filled the position.
    – nick012000
    Commented Oct 20, 2020 at 7:28
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    That's daft. With that attitude nobody would ever get a job, because if a company had an open position, they would already have filled it.
    – gnasher729
    Commented Oct 20, 2020 at 22:57
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    You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. There's no harm in trying.
    – Old Nick
    Commented Oct 21, 2020 at 12:10

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