To be dubious about being second choice (work)

[BeatieBourke]

Posting for last minute traffic. More of a WWYD - sorry.

I'm about to start a new job. As in, tomorrow.

Tonight I've been looking through emails I've been sent ahead of my first day, getting a grip on my priorities for tomorrow. Email access was sorted last week just prior to the four day bank holiday weekend and it's taken a few days for everything to be synchronised and get through.

I've been included in an email group that discusses my recruitment. This is obviously an error. I didn't know what I was reading until I'd read it. It wasn't obvious from the subject title, and who expects such an obvious oversight of confidentiality / good practice? They've dropped a clanger.

Its clear from the email that I was the second choice candidate. The first choice person was trying to negotiate a salary considerably above the highest advertised band. It's a small third sector organisation so not huge amounts of money sloshing around.

So, I was obviously second choice. It's a bit shit to find this out the day before starting, and to know I shouldn't know, if that makes sense. Its a great job. I thought I was a good fit, although I didn't feel "got the job" vibes at interview so was surprised when they offered it to me. I thought I must have impressed them more than I realised. Now I feel like a bit of an idiot.

WWYD? I can't tell them I know (although I did think I could say "I suspect I wasn't the first choice candidate, I just got that vibe"). I still got the job. But now I feel like I'm not their first choice and am starting from a tricky place with even more to prove than usual.

The job is a step up for me but one I think (thought) I'm capable of. I wish I didn't have this information but don't know how to process it now I do.

Would you back out? Would you address it? How would you get past this I'm your first week in a new job?

Its my first full time career type job since having kids so I'm probably a bit more nervous than I would otherwise be, I that helps to make sense of my thought process.

This happens frequently (not you finding out this way though, which is a major balls up). I work closely currently with a woman who was second choice in the interview, the preferred candidate interviewed better but ended up getting another job and taking that. The ‘second choice’ woman is absolutely fantastic at her job and far better than our first choice probably wouldn’t have been, with hindsight. But interviews are artificial situations and it’s not always easy to gauge who is the best fit.

I’ve also been not the first choice before (multiple internal promotion positions, I scraped through with a temporary promotion as an opportunity to prove I could do it, whereas the others all got the permanent roles). Within 2 years I’d leapfrogged them all because I was really good at the role, I’m just not good at interviews.

Pulling out now would be stupid and huffy, IMO. I don’t think you should mention it either, doesn’t seem like there’s anything to be gained and it might seem whiney. Just crack on and do the job well.

Oh so what. Get over it. The truth is if you had been witness to all the hiring decisions people made about you, you would probably find in many you were further down than just second choice.

They've hired you so obviously thought you good enough to do the job.

I would not take the job. If they have not chosen you are who they wanted, you will always feel that you are not living up to some expectation. I'd just find something else tbh.

All I can think is they did not have to recruit you. They would not have recruited you unless you met the job specification demands. Give yourself a break and forget about it

You've got the job, make the most of it. Doesn't matter if you were second choice. Recruitment is very hit and miss. I have literally never thought longingly of the candidate that got away. I usually find I get the right person for the job.

Sometimes you end up with second choice. Often there is not much in it.

Other times salary expectations means first choice is not available to us. It doesn't follow that you get what you pay for as a well paid candidate is not always the best. Now is your time to shine so seize the opportunity.

I wouldn't embarrass your new employer by mentioning it. Yes, it was a clanger but you can't unsee what you saw and you're not going to gossip about what you saw. No good will come to you about mentioning this.

Sometime second choices turn out to be better. I know a situation with a first choice. He was more confident and personable than the second choice. He turned out to be an impossible employee who didn't turn up half the time and did almost nothing. Almost nobody gets fired in a hurry in my organisation but I think he was the exception. They got the second choice guy and he was really good and warmed up when he got to know people.

Hopefully that's what happens with you. BTW, the first choice either didn't want the job or they had no common sense about the salary.

It is a "jobseeker's market" atm. There aren't enougj people with skills to fill jobs in most industries. So you do not have to go anywhere where you feel undervalued and like you have to prove yourself before you even start!

They have made you feel negative about it, that would be enough for me. If you have skills they should be biting your hand off to recruit you right now!

And if the other candidate was trying to negotiate a higher salary, is the salary too low? In some industries like accountancy and finance they are barely retaining staff with 7-10% increases and promises of more next year (effectively maintaining current pay, in real terms). Any less than this and people would walk.

If the other candidate felt the salary suggested by the company needed renegotiating to be viable I'd look into that myself before deciding if I was you, and make sure what they are paying you benchmarks against your industry for that level or challenge them to improve the offer.

You did impress them. You were second choice. That’s no mean feat. If you hadn’t have impressed them, you wouldn’t have been second choice. Even if only 2 applied for the role, they would have advertised again, if you didn’t impress them.

I know I was second choice for my job. They actually gave it to someone else, she lasted 12 weeks. They came back to me and I got a bigger wage offer. I am here 3 years later earning 3 times as much as I started in. I joke with the MD about it all the time. Just because they felt someone slightly popped you, doesn’t mean they were the right person or that you are not the right person.

You got this job. Hold your head high.

I was clearly second choice for a job I got 15 years ago! I only got the job after the first person quit after a week. I was there for 8 happy years, one of the best jobs I ever had. X

Congratulations OP. X

Try to forget you ever saw the email. Second choice is still a great achievement - lots of people probably applied for the role, and it's often a close call between the top two. If they hadn't wanted you, they wouldn't have appointed anyone and would have re-advertised the position.

Good luck with your first day!

They didn't have to give you the job. They wouldn't have if you weren't good enough.

Good luck! X

I'd still take the role. It is unfortunate you know you were second choice, but as the other person tried to negotiate a much higher salary than reasonable, sounds like they were not a good fit after all.

I've worked in recruitment and there can be very little in separating the top two or three candidates. We used a scoring system and it could be the difference in one candidate given a slightly stronger answer for one question that tips the balance.

You clearly wanted the role, go and make a success of it.

I used to work I'm HR dealing with recruitment and we would decide which candidates were appointable and rank. Ranking wasn't always easy. It means that you're appointable, along with the first choice and possibly third and forth choice.

I wouldn't even mention the email. If asked you could say you've seen it but it didn't look like it was intended for you. I wouldn't raise it though. I would just get on with the job and be your fantastic self. You never know, they could have decided 1st choice fit all of the criteria but liked you more.

I recruit all the time and the 2nd (and sometimes 3rd/4th choice candidates) are often offered the post if the first-choice turns it down. Last year I interviewed 12 candidates for 2 positions and we got to number 5 on the list (the top 6 were appointable). I don’t give it a second thought once the candidate is in post. And neither should you. It happens ALL the time. Good luck, hope your first day goes well 🍀

I had this issue last time I recruited. Took 3 forward to interview and ended up with two really appointable candidates. It was very hard to put a hair between them in terms of suitability but they were both differently qualified. In the end the first offer went to someone overqualified who would have been a great asset to the organisation overall but maybe not the best fit to my role, but because of where they had worked before I was under pressure to try to secure them. The stinger for me is that they took over a week to decline (as I knew that they would), and ultimately I lost my second candidate. This was super annoying because I was very happy with my second candidate, would have offered them the job in a heartbeat and they didn’t put a foot wrong at interview. The main difference was that #1 had done the job (and more) before so might have fast tracked things for my team. #2 was solidly skilled but would need to grow into the role a little, which would have been ok too. So I think you can’t read too much into this. Try to put it out of your mind, and just get in there and show them why you are the one they really wanted all along.

I was second choice for my current job. Was told I wasn’t successful, then 2 weeks later got a call to say candidate they had recruited had left. I negotiated better salary and hours to suit school run. 27 years later, I’m still here

The other person wasn't the best fit as they did not understand the market for the role. So you are the best candidate and they are lucky to have you. Go in and dazzle them.

I was the second choice candidate for my current job, I'm doing fine! Good luck and don't worry about it.

It's a slight setback and blow to your pride, but please don't cut off your nose to spite your face. Take the job! They wouldn't have offered it to you if they thought you weren't up to it.
Good luck.

I wouldn't do this.

They probably realised their mistake as soon as the other person started asking for an unrealistic salary. Who does that for a third sector job?

I was second choice for a job I was very good at and I don’t think it made any difference.

I applied and interviewed for my current job a couple of years ago. The interview went really well and I was gutted when I got the phone call to say I was unsuccessful. I carried on where I was working and kept applying for different things but a couple of months later got a phone call from that manager that the person they had chosen had pulled out and they wanted to offer it to me before putting it back out to interview. I felt a bit embarrassed and like second fiddle but put it out my mind and I've been there over two years now.

1. you're still the appointed candidate. 1st wasn't suitable.
2. get feedback on your interview.
3. make sure you have an onboarding plan and 90 day plan.
4. enlist the support of your interview panel. They have a vested interest in you turning out to be a good hire.
5. do not compare yourself to the other candidate.

I was second choice for my current job. The preferred candidate spoke Chinese and that was the reason why they were offered the job ahead of me. The first choice actually started and work there for 3 weeks before being let go which was when I was offered the job. I was very nervous starting off knowing that I had been second choice but it really didnt matter. It was obvious that the boss had liked me from the interview but if there is only one vacancy they can only hire one person regardless of how many excellent candidates apply. I was never made to feel like I was second best and was made very welcome in the team.

I have also been on the other side where I was first choice candiate and rejected the role as it would have greatly upset my work life balance. A few weeks later I found out the person who had taken the role was an ex collegaue who has been there now for 6 months and is really enjoying the job. Being second choice doesnt mean that you arent suitable or that you are unwanted. If you werent suitable for the role they wouldnt have hired you at all and would have contuied interviewing for the position.