Vimto

My company has unwritten rule even when they have a 'shoe in' candidate, the postings are only open for the minimum time allowed, in fact I was once called by the manager who had a position that was about to be posted telling me that he wanted me to apply for job number #xxxx which was only going to be open for a week (minimum allowable by the system) and I had to apply even though he was offering me the position verbally just so my application was on record with HR and my appointment would be seen to be 'above board' should someone complain

scrubbedexpat091

When I transferred with a company once they had to post it, but the job was mine the posting was just a formality required by the union contract.

Southy_SWFC

Though I'm sure it doesn't change anything, it's a job with the county, not a company that I was interested in.
Also, I had to wait to hear back from an application my wife had in before knowing for sure whether I'd be able to make the hours work. Ironically, she had to turn down that job because if I didn't get this job it wouldn't work with my current hours and childcare.

AdobePinon

Wrong strategy. You apply right away. If it starts going somewhere, THEN you worry about the details and how to make it work.

Pulaski

Lots of good advice above, and I agree with all of it. My employer routinely posts almost all positions, and the clue that there is already a "preferred candidate" is that it is posted for five calendar days. Jobs are routinely removed from the listings ahead of the indicated end dates, but conversely jobs are often reposted, sometimes multiple times.

A few years ago a position in my department that I had already posted for once, unsuccessfully, was unexpectedly reopened, for five days .... over a holiday weekend! I knew who it was ear-marked for, and could tell why it had been reposted - the salary had been bumped up 20%. I applied just to let the management know that I was aware of their game.

Southy_SWFC

I don't get why usually they post "open until filled" but this time it had an end date on it which is what made me think I'd got time.

Pulaski

My employer's job listings always have an end date but are often pulled early at the discretion of the hiring manager, with 50 applications being a rule of thumb as to how many applications trigger the listing being pulled. A few listings are extended beyond their original end date, occasionally repeatedly. I myself presided over a recruitment drive for multiple vacancies which I extended several times, eventually resulting in over 1,000 applications, and I think we interviewed over 30 people.

carcajou

Unfortunately for you there is no law against filling the position before the closing date - many HR departments even put in the ad that they reserve the right to close the search early if they find a suitable candidate (but even if they don't put that in the fine print, they can still take that action).

mrken30

Slightly off topic, but is it normal to get an offer letter these days or do a lot of companies just send an email? I know contracts are few and far between in the US for 99% of people.

AdobePinon

Yes, but don't know how often it's the exception. For an internal transfer, a letter is probably less common.

scrubbedexpat091

Always been verbal offer on the phone anywhere I have worked. Little is done through email except applying for the job initially, a few places have emailed to arrange interviews, but phone is still king it seems.

Never got an offer letter in the US, have gotten a couple here in BC, but majority of the time verbal job offer as companies just generally hire and follow basic employment standards, not offering anything above and beyond what is required by law.

hungryhorace

Lots of times a position is internally advertised, yet there is a chosen candidate in mind already. It could be the case here that the job was just waiting for the person to apply and be offered it.

MsElui

i work for a large bank and there are hundreds of vacancies in the database. they are pulled randomly as far as i can tell - guess if they have a bunch of interest already they close early - the thinking being that anyone really interested has contacted the HR recruiter and/or hiring manager to discuss at a minimum.

scrubbedexpat091

Random seems to be popular with large companies these days. But suppose they get so many resumes these days, humans just don't have time to review them all.