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Original poster

Have you ever been the back up candidate and got the job?

28 replies

doggydesperado · 03/07/2025 08:44

My partner has been pretty much told last night that after a few interviews- the final one being him and one other person, that the other person has been selected for a final interview. The interview was last night. He feels very down as it was a perfect opportunity. He also thinks it strange that they wouldn’t interview the last two candidates ( final interview is with the big boss) so that he has a comparison. Anyway have you or anyone been the reserve candidate and then got the job?

OP posts:
NoodleNuts · 03/07/2025 08:51

Twice. First time I was offered a fixed-term contract instead however the preferred candidate didn't turn up on their first day and phoned to say that they were staying in their current role. I then got the permanent position.

Second time the successful candidate lasted a week in the role before deciding it wasn't for them - they left, I got the job.

Original poster
doggydesperado · 03/07/2025 08:52

Oh! That’s pretty cool!! You’ve given us hope. Maybe something will work out for him xxx

OP posts:
Paranteser · 03/07/2025 08:53

Yes. As they refused the job. I then refused it also :D. I am also hiring at the moment, and I have offered the position to the second candidate. There's not always a big difference, but if you have one position you need to make a decision.

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BarnacleBeasley · 03/07/2025 09:02

I've twice been the reserve candidate and had an extra position created for me.

SheilaFentiman · 03/07/2025 09:04

Yes- the other guy left after a month and they offered it to me. I stayed 2 years.

Original poster
doggydesperado · 03/07/2025 09:11

This is encouraging me so much. Would it be usual for only one person to be brought to final stage? For clarity dp hasn’t been told he hasn’t got it (yet) but he knows that another player has been taken to the final stage with the founder. I’m hoping he then decides to interview Dp- I mean unless they are 10000% certain the other person is the guy they want, why not do a 10min call with Dp?!

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Fearfulsaints · 03/07/2025 09:12

Yes. The other person even started. Did a day or two and left. I got a call to say was I still available.

iwentjasonwaterfalls · 03/07/2025 09:14

Yes, there were 6 people taken to interview and I got the email to say "you aren't one of them".

I then had a phone call on the day of the interview to say one of the candidates had dropped out and as I'd been 7th on the list, would I like an interview?

I interviewed and got the job over the original shortlist.

UncertainPerson · 03/07/2025 09:16

I’ve been the reserve candidate and got the job. And actually I’ve just hired the reserve candidate as well (the initial hire said yes and then withdrew later). 🤞🤞🤞

Original poster
doggydesperado · 03/07/2025 09:18

Oh fingers crossed you guys! I feel so sorry for him today - he’s miserable

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Ohnobackagain · 03/07/2025 09:45

@doggydesperado had this from the other side many times - candidates actually not turning up having accepted the job (and not telling us), turning up and leaving within a couple of weeks and so on. Sometimes being over-ruled by someone picking someone else who then turns out to be unsuitable. I always say if it’s meant to be, it will happen but maybe not the way you expect!

TheOtherBear · 03/07/2025 09:48

Yes. Was very clearly told that I was the second-best candidate and that they really liked me. They even said they'd keep an eye out for any other vacancies.

I nodded and said all the right things during the phone call, but never thought it would come to anything.

They they contacted me two months later to say someone else had put their notice in and needed replacing, so did I want the job? I said yes.

Over a decade later and I'm still there. The first-choice person lasted about 1-2 years (nothing against them though, they were good and went on to be really good elsewhere).

Interestingly, the third choice person was also eventually hired, just two months after me, when the company won a new project that needed more staff. Like me, that person is still with the company and we're both senior there now.

Ormally · 03/07/2025 09:49

It can happen... fingers crossed.

But your 'would it be usual for only one candidate to be brought to final stage?' thought: there are obviously lots of reasons for this, so keep that in mind, but having something about them that the interviewers like in terms of 'fit' is certainly one of them. Such as being a candidate who has some kind of connection to the set-up already.

TheOtherBear · 03/07/2025 09:51

UncertainPerson · 03/07/2025 09:16

I’ve been the reserve candidate and got the job. And actually I’ve just hired the reserve candidate as well (the initial hire said yes and then withdrew later). 🤞🤞🤞

Actually yes, I've just done this too! I forgot that.

Still at this company (where I was second-choice) and we're hired three new people. Two were the top two in our list of favourites, but the third and fourth pulled out, so the third person is the fifth choice.

They're still very new, but all seem to be doing brilliantly so far. (To the extent that I'd actually forgotten one of them wasn't a top choice - once you've actually made the decision and think someone will be good, it's no longer a relevant piece of information).

CalamityGanon · 03/07/2025 10:32

Yes. On more than one occasion. Often the preferred candidate had changed their mind or been offered another job.

There was one notable case which was for a Safeguarding Manager role for internal candidates. I had worked in Safeguarding for at least 5 years by then so plenty of experience. Unfortunately the manager of the person they choose was best friends with one of the interviewers and he got the role. To add insult to injury jury the successful candidate rang me to ask me to give him an input on safeguarding because ‘he didn’t know anything about it’!😳 It was then pointed out that he’d actually been arrested for domestic violence against his wife so the offer was hastily retracted and I got the job.

GripGetter · 03/07/2025 10:34

Yes, was turned down and then called back for the same job a couple of months later. Got the job that time.

Goonie1 · 03/07/2025 10:38

If I was the hiring company, I wouldn’t tell “the back up” this info, because what if it went pear shaped with the front runner? If I ended up offering the back up the job, I’d never want them to feel like second choice!

Original poster
doggydesperado · 03/07/2025 10:58

Just for information he has t been told per se that he’s the ‘back up’ but the recruitment agency told my partner that the other fella was being put forward to the final stage.

OP posts:
Original poster
doggydesperado · 03/07/2025 10:59

As it stands, the company haven’t said yes or no to him they were interviewing the other candidate last night

OP posts:
Beamur · 03/07/2025 11:01

Where I work we have struggled to recruit (niche job) the last 4 jobs we have advertised have not gone to the preferred candidate. But the people in post are doing just fine.

Jellycatspyjamas · 03/07/2025 11:07

Yes, I was told I hadn’t got the job but the preferred candidate didn’t pass pre-employment checks and their offer was withdrawn. I was appointed and later found the appointing manager had wanted me but was over ruled by the HR representative on the panel, who had a personal connection to the person they appointed.

JustGiveMeWineNow · 03/07/2025 11:09

Yes - my husband got a rejection letter and then a call a week later offering him a job. It set in place a chain of events that were life changing for us. (In a good way).

Original poster
doggydesperado · 03/07/2025 11:12

In deep down hoping the the company, after interviewing last night then decides to interview my partner too. They probably don’t know that the recruiter has told my partner that the other candidate was interviewed for the next stage last night. Could this happen?

OP posts:
kerstina · 03/07/2025 11:14

Yes I was offered a position a few months down the line when someone went off on maternity leave ( she didn’t come back either so the job was mine)

Badbadbunny · 03/07/2025 11:16

Yes, twice. Both times I was told I "narrowly" missed out as there was someone else who was a "better fit" in terms of experience/qualifications.

First time, they randomly phoned me a few months later to say another position had become available and did I want "first refusal"? I joined them and stayed there for several years, I quickly worked out who had got the job I originally applied for, and yes, they were indeed better qualified and experienced so they'd made the right decision.

Second time was completely different. I'd gone for two interviews, one with the "staff partner" of the practice and the second time as an interview with all the partners (small 4 partner accountancy practice), but again told I'd narrowly been "pipped" by someone with more experience/qualifications. Several YEARS later, I noticed the same partner at an accountancy (CPD) training course and we basically nodded to each other, and then had a quick chat the break over coffee and he invited me in for a more formal chat as he had a vacancy which I ultimately accepted and worked there for a few years! (Not as surprising as it sounds as it was another small firm and that job was for a qualified accountant, and they only had a couple of qualified's working for them, so only recruited every few years when one of them left!).