…on what could’ve happened? Their reasoning was too vague and I’m starting to worry that I’ve been blacklisted by one of my previous companies or something, as this is not the first time I’ve been close to landing a job only to have it yanked from me so suddenly in the final stages. Or are companies really being this unprofessional with candidates? Something’s gotta give. Feeling discouraged :(

Also…the interview invite was never cancelled and is still on my calendar

Google your name and check your social media history. If there's multiple of instances of getting close, with last minute cancels, it could be something caught in an auto-screening.

If you honestly have nothing to hide (well even if you do, who cares at this point) just talk to the recruiter. Insist on speaking to them in detail and ask all your questions to them directly... Everything else is speculation. If I were you, I'd do the same with the other company that pulled out last minute. Depending on their reply, at least you'll get some closure as to whether their reason is valid or there's more to this story.

I’ve been having similar issues. I locked down my social media and erased accounts that had my name attached to them.

A likely scenario would be that when the recruiter scheduled the meeting with the VP for you they got a response back saying that a hiring decision had already been made for a previous candidate. Often times the recruiter is the last to know. Ideally the recruiter should be the one making the offer, handling the negotiations, etc. and won’t decline other candidates until the candidate is firmly committed to join the organization. It sounds like someone overstepped their bounds to me.

Basic hygiene things you should consider: - new job search, new email address - change your LinkedIn identifiers and only use alias for social - stop pretending that the world cares. Hold back on opinions and esp. Facebook. I’d go invisible - don’t ever give your real address on resume. Keep it at a high level. - blacklisting is illegal but they could keep a list internally. If you do the above you should be fine. - don’t chase jobs or recruiters. If you don’t hold value no one will. If you don’t think you’re awesome, no one will. You can reapply to another group with a different recruiter but use different identifiers it will mess up their CRM / HRIS systems - reset your LinkedIn and keep changing it until you find your spot Best of luck!

OP, I am so sorry this happened to you. Keep going, don't give up!

If the meeting is still up I'd take it, HR can sometimes send the wrong messages to the wrong people

Google “Hubert AI”

That happened to me. I thought it was strange so I

Knowing the backend of the interview process, its a miracle when one gets an offer without being previously connected with the managers and directors "pulling the strings." Not to mention that a lot of specialized positions are posted as a "technicality" to fulfill HR processes... when in reality the job was posted for an internal candidate thats already selected by the team hiring. In other words, many interviews are "filler." Very much like in the IT industry sales world, you will have OEM sales reps asking partners to send "fluff" quotes to customers just to fulfill a procurement department's "3 quotes before a PO" process... in other words the reseller/partner with the connections already won the deal and the other quote requests are merely "filler." Yes, it can be low-key ruthless out there. HR and sales specially. R U T H L E S S.

One hand didn't know what the other is doing....

OP, please let us know what happened at the end

there is too much indecision at all levels. Hiring managers moving forward without getting the necessary approvals. I think one of the bigger issues is decision by committee. I feel that Hiring Managers are trying to deflect any blame on his/her team. Formality of the process is a thing of the past.

Hi

Hard to say what happened. Lot of ingredients in the kitchen of recruiting. Take some comfort from the fact that a lot of companies/firms have a "no comment" policy that confirms only your hire date and departure date. They don't want anything to do with litigation. That said, you might want to review your references and update any who you wonder about. A low relevance positive review is better than a high relevance negative review.

I went through about 4 rounds of interviews over the course of a month and a half and had the same thing happen to me. Everything was going great until it wasn’t. I’ve been searching for roles since March and more often than not I can’t even get an interview.

Show up for the interview

I have got multiple rounds of interviews the last one with the evp and the head of division. They asked me very advanced behavioral questions. Then nothing. I followed up with the recruiter and then he said I was overqualified for the senior technical position and where afraid that I would get bored and not stick around for long. That was a miss. It was also the only time I got a seemingly genuine feedback on why I was rejected. Too qualified for a job were I felt under qualified. Bummer