ASK HR: I am interested in this job, how do I go about getting it?

Q. I was one of the finalists in a job interview back in November last year though the job went to someone else. Recently, I heard through the grapevine that the person left. How do I approach the human resource manager who interviewed me to let him know that I am interested in the job? Note that the position is yet to be advertised.

You need to reflect on a few issues before you approach the organisation to be sure they are interested in you.

First, reflect on the feedback you received after the final interview. If it related to lack of some desirable competencies or experience, it is possible your situation has not changed much, but if you have made effort to enhance your competitiveness, you have some value to offer.

Just in case no one bothered to reach out to you with feedback, especially after making it that far, that is a clear pointer to the value this company places on employees - be sure this is an employer you would like to work for.

Second, when wrong hires are made and it becomes clear termination is imminent, some employers tend to review the list of final candidates, and if there are strong candidates who closely match the role, they may select a replacement without re-advertising. Chances are they may reach out to you if you were in this category, so hang in there for a while. However, if it takes long, feel free to make your move.

Third, try to establish the reasons why this appointment failed so quickly. Whereas the obvious conclusions tend to fault the employee, my experience is that many new hires are unsuccessful for failure of the employer to support their onboarding journey. Some candidates realise very quickly that they made a mistake, or find a culture they know would not enable them to thrive, or leave due to unfulfilled promises. Before you make any move therefore, use your grapevine sources, or better still, look for the candidate and seek to find out their reasons for leaving. If their departure had nothing to do with the employer, your plan is now falling into place and can be executed.
One professional way to follow this up is to reach out to the hiring manager, assuming that you established some professional relationship during the interview process. Avoid statements like, “I heard from a reliable source that the candidate you hired has left and thought of reminding you of my availability,” as you will come across as the gossipy type and ruin the final chance to get this job.

Instead, say you are reaching out to keep in touch and would be keen to explore new suitable roles. If they say, “Interesting you say that, I have the perfect role for you,” bang, you are hired. But if they say, “Sure, I will keep that in mind,” that is a clear NO. Search elsewhere.