Didn’t get an interview

Yes, it's like asking for feedback after an interview. Useful information for your future progression

You can ask but they might not tell you. If there were a lot of applicants you might just get a general "you didn't meet all the criteria" answer. Or "other applicants were more qualified". When I'm shortlisting I don't pay much attention to those that get weeded out quickly, so there might not be a lot of feedback to give.

I'd probably give more feedback, but it would be similar to the above. In most cases, if an internal candidate doesn't get an interview it's because they didn't have all the essential requirements from the job description. You can give a bit of leeway on desirable skills, but for us, essential means just that. If they don't show it on the cv or cover letter, you can stop reading.

We have a policy that all internal candidates must get feedback. Externals get it if interviewed. If an external doesn't get an interview, they can ask for feedback, but it will either be nothing, or a bland "lot of candidates, others had better qualifications/experience."

Ask your current line manager to find out why.

So I actually had a situation a good few years ago now where a job came up in my (quite niche field) I rang up the manager, had a good chat, submitted my application and then I never heard and saw the post re-advertised. I knew something wasn’t quite right as it’s a small field in a rural area, not many people with the qualification required, so it seemed unlikely I wouldn’t have got an interview at least, so I sent an email to the manager apologising for the intrusion but asking if it was worth me applying again or if my application had missed the mark in some way, turns out he had never received the application, HR hadn’t passed it to him, he gratefully asked me to apply again, I got the job and it was a running joke for years to come.

So if you genuinely feel a mistake could have been made I would always suggest asking, the worst they can say is no. But I will say in my work now our system blocks reapplicants automatically and we don’t give much feedback (except scores).

(Sorry cross post with your last update!)

So, have they actually said “previous applicants should not reapply” in their re-advertisement for the role?

If you used to work in the team, then you know the hiring manager and you could email and ask, it’s a bit easier to contact them if you have a previous working relationship.

Generally speaking recruitment is a pain in the arse, if they’re not offering you the role they genuinely don’t want you in it for whatever reason (maybe they’re happy where you are and they don’t want to create a different gap, not acceptable, but happens). How is your reputation in the org? How different is the role to what you do now?

Yes you should leave it, you have been told why you didn’t get an interview, what more do you want?

Without trying to be rude I would say that they don’t want you back in their team. Best to leave it.

Sounds more like they didn't want you.

Which is perfectly reasonable. Sometimes personality and 'fit' is more important than 'skills.' You can train someone up, you can't fix a personality flaw that makes someone a bad fit for your team.

And the job's market is not in your favour - people can be incredibly picky right now (unless they're in one of the few sectors where recruitment is an issue i.e. engineering).

Of course, they said you aren’t right for the role, you need to accept it and move on.

No offence, but I am beginning to see why they might not want to hire you. Your first question should not be 'is it legal' but actually 'what is it about me that means they might not want me.'

Let it go. We all apply for jobs we're qualified for and don't get. It's just one of those things. Another job will come up that you'll get.

I was literally about to comment the same as @TheHungryHungryLandsharks.

Why would your first assumption be that they did something illegal? Sorry OP but that’s a red flag for me. Maybe you need to calmly and objectively reflect on whether you actually had the skills for the role or not.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this from Internal applicants. Maybe get a mentor they can be good to help you reframe this, because, in my experience, the internal applicants have never had the skills I actually value for the role, despite their belief they do.

Did you piss them off previously?

I guess you are not the right fit for the job e.g. if you have the skills then its probably a personality thing.

Perfectly legal.

That’s your question? I think we all know why they don’t want you back.

Unless they are discriminating against you for a protected characteristic, yes it's legal. Companies can hire or not hire who they want.