Position on hold after 4 interviews?!

[Frimley111R]

Is this BS? A colleague has just been through 4 interviews and completed a presentation to a senior member of the company and has now been told they've put it on hold. Is this BS because they haven't found the right person? Seems harsh given all the work he put in to it? They said they'd keep his details on file and to keep an eye on other openings but, if it was me, I'd tell them to FRO.

[davek_964]

It could well be genuine. Our company has recruitment freezes from time to time, and it comes from top level usually with very little notice. I'm quite sure it sometimes happens part way through interview process.

[alangla]

I once traipsed from Glasgow to Canary Wharf (at my own expense!) for an interview for a Scotland based role with a very large bank. Passed the interview but it appears the budget for the position hadn’t been secured so the role didn’t actually exist. This could potentially be something similar, possibly on hold pending a budget round.

[Hoofy]

"For the next round, give us a presentation for a groundbreaking idea that will double our profit for 2026-2027."
<receives 5 presentations with different, excellent ideas>
"Thanks, we've decided to pass on these ideas to our product development team and are no longer recruiting. We'll keep your details on file for the next time we need ideas free of charge."

[Jamescrs]

Frimley111R said:

Is this BS? A colleague has just been through 4 interviews and completed a presentation to a senior member of the company and has now been told they've put it on hold. Is this BS because they haven't found the right person? Seems harsh given all the work he put in to it? They said they'd keep his details on file and to keep an eye on other openings but, if it was me, I'd tell them to FRO.

While telling them FRO may be tempting it's never a good idea to burn bridges in that way, you never know what may happen in the future or how you may meet them again in another setting.

[Frimley111R]

Hoofy said:

"For the next round, give us a presentation for a groundbreaking idea that will double our profit for 2026-2027."
<receives 5 presentations with different, excellent ideas>
"Thanks, we've decided to pass on these ideas to our product development team and are no longer recruiting. We'll keep your details on file for the next time we need ideas free of charge."

Do you think companies actually do that? It's very underhand.

[Freakuk]

I've been in the same boat, contracting at a company (global bank) for years and they wanted me to go perm, had to go through the interview process with people who I worked with every day and was offered the role. HR got in touch to start the negotiations then called to say there had been a global headcount freeze so the role was put on hold with no idea how long for.

My contract was nearing it's end and they had a policy to negate any IR35 implications that they couldn't extend a contract if you had been there over a certain period of time, and you guessed it I was at that limit. So I ended leaving and getting another contract and about a month later the freeze was lifted but it was a foxtrot oscar from me.

[JoshSm]

Frimley111R said:

Hoofy said:

"For the next round, give us a presentation for a groundbreaking idea that will double our profit for 2026-2027."
<receives 5 presentations with different, excellent ideas>
"Thanks, we've decided to pass on these ideas to our product development team and are no longer recruiting. We'll keep your details on file for the next time we need ideas free of charge."

Do you think companies actually do that? It's very underhand.

I've seen it done with full scale bids before, ripping off a few presentations from interviews would be nothing to some people.

Was on a government bid last time it happened and left a nasty taste when it suddenly didn’t proceed and the technical proposal got 'borrowed' to flesh out the existing vague policy.

On the upside they'd then accidentally built their public policy around patented technology...

[TheK1981]

Im possibly in the same position with a large company, they had the ok to recuit, all interviews done and looked like it was going to be offered to me but they have frozen all recruitment and will have to work with the numbers they have for now, its a team of 24 and 2 are leaving,

I think all are waiting to see how bad the budget is....

[Hoofy]

Frimley111R said:

Hoofy said:

"For the next round, give us a presentation for a groundbreaking idea that will double our profit for 2026-2027."
<receives 5 presentations with different, excellent ideas>
"Thanks, we've decided to pass on these ideas to our product development team and are no longer recruiting. We'll keep your details on file for the next time we need ideas free of charge."

Do you think companies actually do that? It's very underhand.

Yep. I've read about it on Reddit and since companies employ people, I am in no doubt that it can happen. Some people are noble, some are scum, or at best, daft. If someone has come up with great ideas that your own team couldn't think of, why wouldn't you want to employ them... and possibly bin your current team.

[krisdelta]

Unfortunately, in "corporate" this happens regularly, hiring freeze heading into Q4? Budget pulled a no notice? Super super frustrating, but it happens. Patience and affable understanding required. You want your name front-of-mind when the malaise clears, as it will.

[craigjm]

Jamescrs said:

Frimley111R said:

Is this BS? A colleague has just been through 4 interviews and completed a presentation to a senior member of the company and has now been told they've put it on hold. Is this BS because they haven't found the right person? Seems harsh given all the work he put in to it? They said they'd keep his details on file and to keep an eye on other openings but, if it was me, I'd tell them to FRO.

While telling them FRO may be tempting it's never a good idea to burn bridges in that way, you never know what may happen in the future or how you may meet them again in another setting.

Absolutely this. Things change in business and things may come back or they may not. No point in acting like a child and throwing toys out of pram. If it comes back then they should decide if they want to go for it or not. Can only make that decision at the time.

[ThingsBehindTheSun]

Nothing new, John Lewis kept my partner hanging on like this for a project manager role about 8 years ago. It really pissed me off they messed her about for so long when there was clearly no job available. I seem to recall they said they would get back to her once a role had been confirmed.

I was very pleased when she got offered a job elsewhere and didn't have to waste any more time listening to excuses and hoping there was a job at JL

[spikeyhead]

Frimley111R said:

Hoofy said:

"For the next round, give us a presentation for a groundbreaking idea that will double our profit for 2026-2027."
<receives 5 presentations with different, excellent ideas>
"Thanks, we've decided to pass on these ideas to our product development team and are no longer recruiting. We'll keep your details on file for the next time we need ideas free of charge."

Do you think companies actually do that? It's very underhand.

I've been in an interview and was given a question that was a bit too specific. I know how to solve a problem that they clearly didn't know how to solve but had decided to interview a few people to see if they could get the answer. I called them out on it and they admitted it.

[Frimley111R]

Blimey, some companies are clearly complete bds.

[Dog Star]

alangla said:

I once traipsed from Glasgow to Canary Wharf (at my own expense!) for an interview for a Scotland based role with a very large bank. Passed the interview but it appears the budget for the position hadn t been secured so the role didn t actually exist. This could potentially be something similar, possibly on hold pending a budget round.

I’ve been in IT as an analyst programmer since 1989 and over two decades contracting.

You would not believe the number of time this budget unapproved situation has happened.

The other classic is your location being redacted from your cv, so you go all the way to Surrey (from Lancashire) for example and find that “oh, we wanted someone local”.

[EJH]

Frimley111R said:

Is this BS? A colleague has just been through 4 interviews and completed a presentation to a senior member of the company and has now been told they've put it on hold. Is this BS because they haven't found the right person? Seems harsh given all the work he put in to it? They said they'd keep his details on file and to keep an eye on other openings but, if it was me, I'd tell them to FRO.

This happened to me in 2011 when I was looking to move back to the UK. I had 9 interviews (1) for a role (plus 2 interviews that were cancelled the evening before they were to take place, when I was already in transit) which meant 5 or 6 trips back to the UK, at my expense. In the last interview, I was offered the role and terms were agreed, with the contract to follow.

I went on holiday for 3 weeks and followed up when I returned and was told the role wasn't there anymore due to a corporate re-org and that they, "hoped it wasn't too inconvenient..."

It was far from ideal but very much one of those things.


(1) Yes this is, clearly, madness...but this was just how this organisation did (and probably still does) things.

[Peterpetrole]

Just to confirm yes this goes on, the not very famous company Gerflor (flooring) did this to me after 3 interviews, I did send them an invoice for my travel costs didn't hear anything back.

Hopefully head office Europe did at some point start wondering why they lost all their business at a French supermarket chain (family connection), but I doubt it.

[Hoofy]

EJH said:

This happened to me in 2011 when I was looking to move back to the UK. I had 9 interviews (1) for a role (plus 2 interviews that were cancelled the evening before they were to take place, when I was already in transit) which meant 5 or 6 trips back to the UK, at my expense. In the last interview, I was offered the role and terms were agreed, with the contract to follow.

I went on holiday for 3 weeks and followed up when I returned and was told the role wasn't there anymore due to a corporate re-org and that they, "hoped it wasn't too inconvenient..."

It was far from ideal but very much one of those things.


(1) Yes this is, clearly, madness...but this was just how this organisation did (and probably still does) things.

What role required 9 interviews?

[borcy]

EJH said:

This happened to me in 2011 when I was looking to move back to the UK. I had 9 interviews (1) for a role (plus 2 interviews that were cancelled the evening before they were to take place, when I was already in transit) which meant 5 or 6 trips back to the UK, at my expense. In the last interview, I was offered the role and terms were agreed, with the contract to follow.

I went on holiday for 3 weeks and followed up when I returned and was told the role wasn't there anymore due to a corporate re-org and that they, "hoped it wasn't too inconvenient..."

It was far from ideal but very much one of those things.


(1) Yes this is, clearly, madness...but this was just how this organisation did (and probably still does) things.

They must be repeating questions at that point. Or just asking pointless ones.