To be upset that I didn't get an interview?

[Sundaycoffee]

I have worked within my team for the past 5 years and was actively encouraged by my manager to apply for an internal role after a development meeting (working within the same team). She is the director of the team but not the line manager of the role. It would have been a promotion on what I do now and although I didn't have as much experience for the role as others may have, i have a lot of transferable skills and have obviously already built relationships within the team which helps. She told me that I should apply and would be happy to give me a chance and I could definitely do it.
Today I received an automated email from recruitment saying that I have not been selected for an interview.
AIBU to feel a bit put out by this?
Would have understood had I been unsuccessful after the interview but why encourage someone to apply then not even give them the chance? And then to just receive an automated email rejection...

YANBU

It may well simply be that other candidates were better qualified, but certainly someone should have had the basic consideration to tell you in person. Perhaps you could ask your manager?

They needed other internal candidates to apply so they could give the job to the person they already knew was getting the job

At my current contract I spotted a job ad for a role in our team but hadn't heard there was a vacancy. When I enquired it appeared the jobholder was already in place several months having transferred from another department - but they HAD to advertise it.

This happened to me yesterday but it was the actual job I didn't get after the interview.Absolutely gutting.

This happened to me. Not long afterwards i moved to a different team and after a while i secured a promotion there instead.

Its shit at the time but yes i would advise taking your skills elsewhere as soon as you can find a good opportunity.

Did you tailor your cv to meet the skill set needed for the role? It's likely your cv didn't sufficiently evidence your ability to do the job.

You're always able to ask for feedback from the person who asked you to apply... see why you didn't make the cut.

Could be the CV, could be the other candidates, could be something else... you'll never know otherwise

Did you adapt your CV and tailor it for this role?

Even if she encouraged you to apply, you still have to put in the effort in your application as most companies do have a set recruitment process that has to be followed. If your CV did not cover the skills and experience required, or how you could meet the role expectations, whoever was sifting would have to remove you from contention.

In our company they are very strict on scoring applications and interviews. They look at applications with name redacted and even at interview are only allowed to score in things actually said in answer to that question. Recommendations from other managers etc are irrelevant. So it's not uncommon for someone to be encouraged by a suppirtive manager to go for something but not come anywhere near getting it.

I've recently unsuccessfully applied for a couple of internal jobs and in the feedback from the first I was told although at interview I was only one point off the person who got it, and they would happily appointed me if there were 2 posts, I almost didn't get an interview at all as my application wasn't tailored enough for the specific role. If they had been interviewing one less person I'd have had same email you did.

Perhaps it's something like that, especially if it was a CV. Do ask HR for feedback so you can use this to learn for next time

It’s quite possible that your cv has been read only by a computer system or the recruitment team. And it’s probably your cv that needs work.
You’re internal so perfectly placed to make urgent enquiries while continuing to express interest. Don t take no for an answer just yet.

Sometimes systems auto-reject/or a human made an error. Flag it to your line manager and see what she says.

I have known it happen to candidates before.

Did you include covering note? tailor your CV to highlight transferable skills etc?

After the recruitment is finished, I’d recommend having a chat with your line manager about ways to develop your application skills. Being able to articulate your value is important and you won’t be able to progress without it.

The manager in question sounds good - encouraging you to pursue opportunities but she (rightly) can’t interfere in the recruitment process; it’s on you to demonstrate why you’d be a good hire for this role.

Your application simply wasn't as good as the ones they shortlisted. I recently applied for my current line manager's role as she is moving on. Not wildly different from what I do. Didn't get an interview - there were almost 50 applicants. The ones who did get interviews were already working at that grade so was a sideways move for them rather than promotion. It happens.

I've shortlisted and interviewed for roles where I have had internal candidates but if their application or interview isn't up to par and there are better candidates they don't get the job much as I would have loved to give them the opportunity

You need to get some feedback from the recruiting manager about why you weren't selected for interview.
It could be that your CV needs an overhaul, or that you didn't tailor it to the role. It could simply be that there were many applicants who were more experienced/qualified and they've rejected lots for interview.
If you'd already been doing the role, or were in a very similar one at the same level within your organisation, or had previously covered that role that was advertised then I'd be put out not to get an interview. However, if it's for a true promotion then sometimes this is just how it goes if the organisation doesn't have a policy of always offering interviews to internal candidates.
The person who encouraged you to apply won't have had any say in the outcome.

Ask the recruiter, it could be that there were a large number of more suitable internal applicants, which you might feel more comfortable knowing. Or it could be an error. Either way, you could ask for help with CV writing, as that skill is required wherever you try to move to.

This happened to me.

I did ask for feedback and was given some BS about my GCSEs not being as high (even though I had a degree and had been doing the job very well for at least a year).

It turns out that the person who got the job was well known to the boss and was looking to relocate to the area but couldn’t do so until they had work.

As others have said, ask the shortlister for feedback. I work in recruitment for a large company and most rejections at shortlisting are due to a lack of experience and/or qualifications. It may be that the applicant does have those but they haven't explicitly stated it on their CV/application form. Shortlisting is essentially a tick box exercise against the person specification so your CV needs to have all the essential (and as much of the desirable) criteria mentioned. Also in my company internal and external candidates are treated exactly the same.

Though managers can sometimes press the wrong button so double check!!

The director is highly unlikely to have done the initial sift. Someone else did that, likely recruitment. You can’t have tailored your cv to the job, using rhe same words, as requirements, or mentioned in the comments section you’d been encouraged to apply for development reasons.

I would be very wary of applying for internal roles, having been quite badly treated a couple of times.
Go and talk to the director who recommended you try. Also, it is worth asking the hiring manager for feedback - you may not be 'entitled' to it, but there's no harm in asking.

To be honest, internal recruitment is often fraught, and you can tell a lot about an organisation on how they deal with the aftermath for unsuccessful candidates.

But most importantly, try not to take it personally, or let yourself be too brought down by it. Try applying for external roles to see how that goes, and to give youself a bit of practice.

That’s not very nice - you knew you weren’t guaranteed the job but if you had been heavily encouraged then what on your application could have made you not get to interview ! Even if there was something you hadn’t done right , they know you and know your capabilities !

I had a similar situation last year - I was working somewhere as an agency worker and was heavily encouraged to apply for a permanent position. I got through to interview but ultimately didn’t get the job , however I was given detailed feedback , i wasn’t that fussed about a permanent position- I wasn’t looking - but I applied as it was such a boost to my confidence to be asked to and it was a lovely environment. The feedback was really helpful and actually boosted my confidence so it wasn’t a waste of time . However , had I not got an interview I would have seen it as a complete waste of time considering they had witnessed me in the role so clearly knew I could do it at a standard high enough that they wanted me to apply - just the same as you !

Two things to do:

1. contact the recruiting manager or HR contact and request feedback on your application. For internal candidates they should be offering this really.

2. email the director to thank her for her support and let her know that unfortunately you weren't selected for interview on this occasion. Say that you have asked for feedback from the hiring team but would be grateful for any advice from her on further development activities that would increase your chance of making the shortlist for future opportunities.

Number 2) will at least help build your relationship with this senior manager further and might get you some good advice. It also lets this senior manager know that people who she thinks are good prospects are not being considered for internal advancement in a non accusatory way and she may want to follow that up if she is so minded, but don't count on it.

My suggestion now is to keep your eye out for opportunities outside the organisation. If people think you are ready, you are ready and don't need to wait for another opportunity to arrive at your current employer.

Did you get the person who told you to apply to check your cv before applying? Did you tailor your CV to the exact job sp3c or was it just a generic cv