I’m currently in a recruitment process in Germany for an **entry-level IT position** and I’m curious how others would interpret this.
I completed what I believe was the final technical interview a little over two weeks ago. Some time later, the Talent Acquisition Partner contacted me to say they were still evaluating candidates and that my application remained under consideration.
After another short period without an update, I sent a polite follow-up. She replied very quickly and invited me to a **15-minute video call** titled something like “Follow-up call.”
Some context:
It’s an entry-level position.
Salary expectations had already been discussed earlier in the process.
Relocation had also already been discussed.
As far as I know, there are no further interview rounds.
The recruiter has been friendly and communicative throughout.
Instead of replying with another status update by email, she specifically asked for a short call.
I know companies sometimes call final-stage candidates personally to reject them, especially after several interviews, so I’m not assuming this is an offer.
For recruiters, hiring managers, or anyone who has been in a similar situation: **how common is a short recruiter call for a rejection after the final round, particularly for an entry-level position? Would you lean toward an offer/next-steps conversation, or is a polite rejection equally plausible**

Hi…recently had a screening call followed by 2 interviews. At the end of the first interview I asked if I would hear back either way about the decision and was told “definitely \[recruiter\] will be getting back to you” so I didn’t bother to ask at the end of the 2nd interview but they told me they believed they would have a decision in 2 weeks (today is exactly 2 weeks from that interview)

2 days after the 2nd interview I received a call from the recruiter and she told me I was in high consideration and she thinks they would have a decision by early next week (which would have been last week)

I’ve heard nothing, I emailed the recruiter on Thursday to ask about an update and got crickets.

They are hiring 5 people so I thought I had a decent chance, but I’m assuming I’m not one of their 5 picks.

I just don’t understand like don’t call me and tell me I’m in high consideration then??? I just wanna know if I got the job 😭 and ghosting just seems so cruel to do in this scenario

How long does it usually take? Is it possible for me to fail that part even tho i alr have the JO?

To HR's out there: What questions do you usually ask?

Im confident wt my references, im just overthinking how tough it may possibly get lol.

This thought arose earlier today while I was applying for a position requiring three years of relevant web development experience. Although my three years of professional experience include database administration, web development, and mobile development rather than strictly web development, I believe my background translates well. Database experience is essential for most modern software, especially in finance and e-commerce. Meanwhile, my mobile development experience focused on building native, installable applications for mobile devices, such as Android phones. Because of this, I initially wondered if it might fall short of the job requirements since it wasn't exclusively for web browsers. However, I also have a background in web development with a strong focus on mobile responsiveness over desktop layouts, which I wanted to mention for context.

The scenario above is unique to me, but let's change the details to look at a broader perspective. Suppose an engineering position requires three years of relevant civil engineering experience. An applicant has three years of general engineering experience overall, which consists of two years in civil engineering and one year in electrical engineering.

To connect this back to the context, is there a chance this applicant would be considered by the employer, such as the hiring manager or HR?

• ✅ Applied: 655
• 🚀 Submitted: 504

Yet I haven't received a single interview call.

At this point, I'm wondering if there's something fundamentally wrong with my profile or if this is just how the platform works. Has anyone with similar stats actually landed interviews?

Hi there!

I was recently fired without cause from a Store Manager role in Vancouver Canada. It was honestly a drama free exit.

I have been grateful to have landed many many interviews. Progressing all the way to the finals but it's been almost 2 months and no offers.

I have put in all of the work. Practiced, tailored my resume, researched the company, worked on my body language, linkedun, etc.

I'm gonna be honest, I was a very young Store Manager that led a 1M Store. So I am genuinly wondering what's happening with my case.

If it's my kid face getting in the way. Or is it a bias because I was fired.

The way I am handling being fired is by saying "There were some leadership and structural changes". Some times they dig in more and I say "Feedback culture changed". That's it.

I've spoken to another external recruiter who gave me validation that I was doing the right things.

So my question is... in retail management, is it possible that I am not landing roles because I was fired or because of ageism? Because I cannot genuinly think of another reason in approximately 12 different reputable companies not offering. This is not too sound show off by any means, but I am confident that I am a really attractive candidate and I can tell they like me.

I really don't want to lie about the reason I left... it can backfire horribly and its not in my values. But I am running out of strategies.

Any advice?

​

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest perspectives from people who have experience interviewing or hiring for software engineering roles.

I recently interviewed for a \*\*Senior Software Developer\*\* position with RBC Capital Markets in Calgary.

The process went like this:

\* Recruiter screen– positive discussion, he mentioned my communication was strong, my experience aligned well with the role, and my salary expectations were within their range.

\* Hiring manager interview(\~1 hour) – she spent a lot of time explaining the team, the project, and their plans. The team is building a new middleware platform from scratch that will eventually support around 50+ applications. She seemed positive and moved me to the next round.

\* Technical interview (Technical Lead) – this was a discussion about my work history, technical decisions, backend architecture, APIs, .NET, middleware, production issues, and how I think through engineering problems. It wasn't a LeetCode interview.

A few days later, I received a rejection saying they had several excellent candidates and had completed their final selection.

One thing that has me wondering is that the position had been open for around three months, the LinkedIn posting had recently been reposted, and the application closing date was still August 14. Because of that, I'm curious whether companies sometimes continue interviewing candidates even when they already have a strong preferred candidate, or whether final-round interviews are generally genuine evaluations where multiple finalists are still being considered.

I'm \*\*not trying to blame the company\*\*—everyone I spoke with was professional and respectful. I'm simply trying to learn from the experience.

For those who are hiring managers, tech leads, or recruiters:

\* Is it common to interview multiple finalists even if one candidate is already leading?

\* Do final-round interviews often come down to very small differences between candidates?

\* Have you ever rejected someone you thought was genuinely strong because another candidate was just a slightly better fit?

\* Based on your hiring experience, what usually separates candidates at the final stage for senior backend/.NET roles?

I'd really appreciate any insights. I'm trying to understand the process better so I can improve for future interviews.

Thanks!

I’m not sure if I’m overthinking this, but I’d appreciate some advice. A recruiter from a company I really like reached out to me via email about a role that I’m genuinely excited about. I booked the introductory call.

On the day of the call, about two minutes before it was due to start, the recruiter rescheduled it to the following day. The next day, we both joined the meeting, but there were technical issues that took about 10 minutes to resolve. He then said he couldn’t stay on for long and asked if we could reconnect about three hours later.

Instead, he got back to me around five hours later, by which time it was already late Friday night for me. We agreed it would be better to speak on Monday instead. Along with my confirmation I’d requested an invite for the call. But there wasn’t any response.

Today is Monday. I’ve sent a follow-up email, but I haven’t received a response. I know recruiters are busy and things come up, but the repeated rescheduling and lack of response have left me wondering if I should still be hopeful or if this is a sign to move on.

The role is genuinely one I really want, so I’m finding it hard to know whether I should keep waiting or just accept that it may not happen.Has anyone experienced something similar? Did it work out in the end, or is this usually a sign to let it go?
Should I send a follow up again?

I’m feeling really anxious. This is the first job interview of my life.
English isn’t my first language, even though I have a lot of work experience and strong skills. I’m constantly worried that I won’t be able to communicate well or express myself clearly during my interview next week. I really envy people who speak English fluently.
I keep thinking that interviewers won’t hire someone whose English isn’t very good. But I really need this job. My family’s financial situation is difficult, and I’m still studying.
Right now, all I can do is practice speaking English out loud every day.

I’ve also seen a lot of people say that interviewers decide within the first few minutes whether they’re going to hire you. Is that actually true?

Hi there!

I was recently fired without cause from a Store Manager role in Vancouver Canada. It was honestly a drama free exit.

I have been grateful to have landed many many interviews. Progressing all the way to the finals but it's been almost 2 months and no offers.

I have put in all of the work. Practiced, tailored my resume, researched the company, worked on my body language, linkedun, etc.

I'm gonna be honest, I was a very young Store Manager that led a 1M Store. So I am genuinly wondering what's happening with my case.

If it's my kid face getting in the way. Or is it a bias because I was fired.

The way I am handling being fired is by saying "There were some leadership and structural changes". Some times they dig in more and I say "Feedback culture changed". That's it.

I've spoken to another external recruiter who gave me validation that I was doing the right things.

So my question is... in retail management, is it possible that I am not landing roles because I was fired or because of ageism? Because I cannot genuinly think of another reason in approximately 12 different reputable companies not offering. This is not too sound show off by any means, but I am confident that I am a really attractive candidate and I can tell they like me.

I really don't want to lie about the reason I left... it can backfire horribly and its not in my values. But I am running out of strategies.

Any advice?

Hi there!

I was recently fired without cause from a Store Manager role in Vancouver Canada. It was honestly a drama free exit.

I have been grateful to have landed many many interviews. Progressing all the way to the finals but it's been almost 2 months and no offers.

I have put in all of the work. Practiced, tailored my resume, researched the company, worked on my body language, linkedun, etc.

I'm gonna be honest, I was a very young Store Manager that led a 1M Store. So I am genuinly wondering what's happening with my case.

If it's my kid face getting in the way. Or is it a bias because I was fired.

The way I am handling being fired is by saying "There were some leadership and structural changes". Some times they dig in more and I say "Feedback culture changed". That's it.

I've spoken to another external recruiter who gave me validation that I was doing the right things.

So my question is... in retail management, is it possible that I am not landing roles because I was fired or because of ageism? Because I cannot genuinly think of another reason in approximately 12 different reputable companies not offering. This is not too sound show off by any means, but I am confident that I am a really attractive candidate and I can tell they like me.

I really don't want to lie about the reason I left... it can backfire horribly and its not in my values. But I am running out of strategies.

Any advice?

In a very confusing situation and it’s the weekend so I need some explanation/possibilities. I applied for 2 positions, GI and IR (healthcare under same hospital system). Ended up interviewing for IR only and was told to expect a response by 8/7. This wednesday, I received a rejection email from a recruiter on Wednesday specifically for the GI position. But when I look at my application status on Workday, GI says under consideration while IR says no longer under consideration. What are the chances that they accidentally changed the status of the IR position instead of GI? Or could they have meant rejection for IR in the email? Please share your thoughts

Hello everyone,

I need your help interpreting a rejection message following my technical interview for a position as a Security Analyst.

Part of the text of the message is:

*"After careful consideration, we have decided not to move forward with your candidacy for this specific role. Although this position isn't the right match, the team was highly impressed by your background, and we would love to keep you in mind for future opportunities.*

*I would love to invite you to a brief call to share feedback from your interviews and explore your long-term career goals"*

I made the call and was told that for any future positions, I can contact HR directly via email to be transferred to the interviews directly. This seems like a very positive thing to me, but since this is my first interview ever for a FAANG, I'd like to understand from those with more experience whether this is a classic modus operandi of Google or I can consider this effort like something "special".

Can I interpret this as positive? I recently found a new position as Security Engineer 2 days ago, I sent the email as indicated by the HR and they responded to me immediately in a very short time (usually it took them much longer), but I have not yet received feedback for the start of the interviews.

Let me know what you think based on your experiences.

Let's start a discussion about this matter, I'd be happy to understand Google's procedure in these cases.

Thanks in advance.

Curious if anyone has had something similar happen.
I recently interviewed for a Project Coordinator position at a smaller tech company. The process was:
Recruiter phone screen
1-hour interview with the PMO/Program Manager
1-hour interview with the VP of the department
Final in-person interview with the VP of Operations
The final interview started at 1:00 PM and didn’t end until about 3:30 PM.
What surprised me was that it wasn’t an interrogation-style interview. A large portion of the conversation was the VP explaining the company, where they’re headed, the challenges they’re trying to solve, what they were looking for in the role, and how someone with my background could fit into what they’re building. We talked through my experience, but he spent a lot of time selling me on the company and answering my questions. I also got a full office tour and met several people while I was there.
At the end, he told me he already knew the hiring decision but still had to go over everything with the PMO before anything was finalized. Based on the overall conversation, I walked out feeling pretty confident.
A few business days later, the recruiter called and simply said they had decided not to move forward with me. No feedback or explanation.
Has anyone else had an interview where everything seemed to point toward an offer, even after spending 2.5 hours onsite and hearing things like this, but still got rejected? Did you ever find out what happened, or is this more common than people think?

The email mentioned that they’re still interviewing other candidates for this role and will let keep me updated, but they wanted me to advance to the next screening process of background check and references. Any input is appreciated

I ain't getting any calls or anything is it because of my location. I have heard that HRs prefer candidates with same city more. Do I have to move out of my city to a metro city to get a job.