I read a post about new hires getting pushed back, and it sprouted a question from when I was interviewed by Fidelity. I was laid off x amount of years ago, and had an interview with a job at Fidelity that got cancelled shortly after I interviewed. I was just wondering what that could be.
A few months after I was laid off from Fidelity, I was given another interview with the firm. It was in the product area I got laid off from. When I interviewed, I was able to articulate my work at Fidelity prior to my layoff very well. I got a vast majority of the interview questions correct, and showed a very agreeable attitude and ability to jive with the team. I think they appreciated my curiosity for the work the team does, as well as me asking some questions about how our team provides that value. It felt like we really liked each other: the interviewers and manager were smiling and joking with me in the call, too. All while keeping everything professional. The feedback even said I did really well, but was constructive in 1 or 2 places I agreed with.
It looked like a potentially perfect fit. After the interview, I felt as if I KNEW I got the role. However, apparently, there ended up being a new manager who “repurposed the requisition” (I believe the new manager wanted someone more senior level). The recruiter provided reasonable constructive feedback to me, and said “yo let’s call again this week to look at other roles”. I never heard from that recruiter again.
The impact of a layoff seems to depend on the person. For most of us (including me), it’s he-l. It already su-ks when a company pulls a job you just interviewed for. I can’t calculate what exponent the su-kiness factor is multiplied by when the company that laid you off in the first place is the one pulling it after an interview. I asked Fidelity HR about it once. From what Fidelity HR told me, I’m in good standing with the company. Although I realized that maybe Fidelity had something about me or my performance that they aren’t showing to me since I’m out of the company, my layoff status still had nothing performance related. So… idk why I never got a response back.
Have I moved on from it? Well, I’m here talking about it on a public forum, asking what possibly made this happen, so you tell me if I got closure. At least I’m in a place much better for me now, and it’s all love from me with (most of) the people who work there. I have no regrets working at Fidelity and I think being laid off made me a better person, and led me to where I am today. Again, a layoff’s impact on someone is purely individual.
Bringing up the title of this post, without giving too much of my identity, what is the reason behind something like this? I was viewed as an easy pickup who knew the product area already, had natural chemistry with team members, and could have been an immediate positive impact on not only my own work, but helping other people right from day 1. And it gets pulled out of nowhere. Made no sense to me. On top of that, why’d the recruiter ghost me? HR said straight up there’s nothing bad on my record, so I was fumbling around trying to figure out if I offended anybody.
If anyone could give me a comprehensive list of possibilities as to why I was ghosted or why this happened, I would really appreciate it. Thank you, happy holidays!