Interview feedback...silly question. In your experience...?

[user1471523870]

Myself and two other colleagues applied for a promotion few weeks ago and went through the interview process etc.... Tomorrow we will be told who got it and didn't.... so nervous! Chances are really good for all of us, so it's a bit difficult to bet on it.
We will have individual meetings with HR/managers and the meetings are held at 9am, 10am and 11am. Half an hour each.

And the question is...in your experience, is the order random or do they normally tell the successful candidate first (or last)?

DH and I are have opposite opinions. I think to remember in similar instances, in the past, the colleague who got the job was told first. He believe if he was the hiring manager would keep the 'winner' for last.

Any insight to share:)?

If I was the hiring manager I’d probably tell the one who got the job last, otherwise it could get back to one of the other candidates before I’d had chance to speak to them myself.

In my organisation the first choice applicant is contacted first so if they decline it they can rethink the other applicants or re-advertise.

In my experience the successful candidate usually hears first - in case they turn the job down - and is asked not to disclose the outcome until they've had confirmation everyone else has been told.

Silly question, but have you checked that you're not just in alphabetical order?

Tricky! It crossed my mind they could tell the winner first because if then the person doesn't accept the job, they can give it to the second one. But I doubt there is enough room to go through the offer and the negotiation in half an hour before moving to the second one.
Mmmmmmmhhhhh

As above, in my organisation the successful person is told first in case they decline.

Yes! We are actually in alphabetical order, but still it could be very random

I went through one change program where they told the unsuccessful people first and the successful people at the end. Get the awful job out of the way first then to the nice jobs.

With only three of you, alphabetical order isn't that meaningful, but in the absence of a directive to tell people in order of success, an organised person would probably default to alphabetical order.

My guess is that the half hour slot would be outcome and feedback and confirmation of acceptance in principle; then a further meeting would be booked for full contractual negotiations.

Would be first in my last job

In my former organization the unsuccessful people were told first to avoid them hearing from someone else. It was unheard of that anyone internal offered the promotion would decline it (why put yourself through the process if you wouldn’t take it ?!)

That was at senior manager level mind, and turning down a promotion would have been pretty-much career ending.

The exception of course would have been if the intent was to offer the job to an external candidate - they would be offered the job first as they might turn it down.

Where are you in the order? Fingers crossed for you.

Forgot to say, wishing you luck tomorrow! .

I've known people turn down promotions when they have more than one application on the go at once, and get offered a role they prefer in another department.

Thank you all! I am last in the order and soooo keen on knowing how I went. I agree I wouldn't imagine any of us rejecting the promotion as we all work in the same team and know perfectly well what the new role is.
I also believe I am the best candidate (of course ha ha), but we all have slightly different skills and it's really not obvious who will get it.
Will update you tomorrow:)

Successful candidate first.

Successful candidate first

Ooh difficult one! If you tell the successful applicant first then the other two will be able to tell just from the look on their face. Same as for last!! I was in a similar position a few years ago and the manager split it so we both were told at the same time, the unsuccessful one was told by HR manager and successful one by the hiring manager.

I would try not to read too much into it... relax and enjoy your evening! And good luck for tomorrow, please come back and update us! Fingers crossed!

Well, so far no one has said the candidate(s) in the middle would be the successful ones in anything other than an alphabetical or random order, so being first or last is promising!

I was in this position and was first in, I got the job.....

Good luck OP

In your situation successful would be last. Externals would be the other way around.

Everywhere I’ve worked, they just used to phone the successful candidate! What a lot of drama for a job! The unsuccessful applicants were asked if they wanted a debrief and the successful one came in to discuss salary and contract details. Successful candidate was offered first. If they declined, then next in line was phoned. We said we would phone the next day or after the interview) and we expected an answer - no days of thinking time. We asked candidates if they were offered the job, would they accept. We occasionally had successful candidates pull out before signing the contract because they got offered a better job elsewhere (teaching). You cannot really hold people to a verbal contract in this situation.

Ive had a good think and reckon last is best in your shoes, being internal and all that.

Best of luck.

Successful first.

And that's having experience being in same position as you.