Name changed for advice, this is probably far longer than necessary so apologies!
Keeping things as anonymous as possible, I’ve had a pretty miserable time lately in an ill-advised jobshare with a colleague who is internally renowned for being unprofessional and who has made things really quite awkward for me. It’s been a year of lots of structure changes, little support and understaffing of what can be quite a difficult team in general. I have really tried my best to make it work but have been unhappy there and started interviewing for new positions.
A job came up recently that I really fancied. It was bit of a step up career wise from what I’m doing now (I stepped down to go part time although my previous job was a higher grade) but I have the right background etc, know the service well and felt I could do the job. The interview was a month or so ago and went well although I was ultimately unsuccessful.
The company called again this week to advise that I was pipped to the post by another candidate at interview and this person’s circumstances have now changed so they wanted to ask if I was still interested in the position — which I am. They want to meet to bring me up to speed with some changes, have advised that this isn’t an interview and I am the only person they are speaking to. The manager text me to confirm details of the meeting next week.
Today I have received a standard looking email inviting me to interview with the job description etc attached. I’m telling myself it is just the official H.R. confirmation of the meeting arranged yesterday but from the conversation I understood that I was being offered the job, not invited to interview iyswim.
Is this standard? I suppose my first interview was technically unsuccessful so do they have to “interview” me again now in order to offer the job? The anxious part of my brain is now wondering if circumstances have changed, if somebody else has been raised as a possibility for the job or even (paranoid I know but the atmosphere there is pretty awful at the moment) if something has been said by my office to make them change their minds. And would you now prepare for an actual interview or just turn up for the informal discussion this was made out to be? I can’t tell if I’m jumping to worst case scenario because it’s a second bite at a job I really wanted and things have been so grim where I am at the moment or if this is a bad sign. What would you think in my position?