Should you apply to a job you were previously rejected from following face-to-face interview?

Question

I have seen posts asking similar questions to this, wherein someone applied for a job but was rejected straight away. My issue is slightly more different - in 2018 I applied for a position with a company.

Met with the head of that department, had a face-to-face interview, but they later decided to go ahead with someone else that they had worked with previously. The recruiter I had been dealing with gave me very positive feedback from the interview itself but just said the other person was a better fit right then.

I'm in the process of job hunting once more and have noticed a brilliant job popping up with this same company - this time I'll be contacting the same department manager directly.

Should I apply for the job? The answer is probably yes. It wasn't because I was bad or underqualified, but just because they had a better working relationship with someone else.

If so, should I make reference to the fact they interviewed me before? The company has experienced a lot of growth in this time & the manager likely won't remember me as it was just under 2 years ago now.

Edit: just to clarify, it's in the same department, but a totally different role. The same company and hiring manager. So it isn't like re-applying for the same job.

Answer 1

Given the information you provided, I'd definitely apply for the job. If you think you were a good fit for the department 2 years ago, you probably still are.

If so, should I make reference to the fact they interviewed me before? The company has experienced a lot of growth in this time & the manager likely won't remember me as it was just under 2 years ago now.

Yes, you should mention it, because that means they can skip some of the introductory material about the company which you've heard already. It's probably more useful for you to learn about what has changed in the last two years. And maybe the manager does remember you, checks their notes and remembers the feedback they've given to the recruiter two years ago.