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During the past few weeks I've had a couple of interviews with company which went quite well, and that was confirmed with me last week when they said that they were working on a contract for me and asked me about my availability to start next week. I took this as a clear indication that I was going to be hired. They also contacted my references which went very well according to them.

The contract was supposed to be sent over in the last few days but when asked about it, I got an email back saying that they were still working on it and that it was delayed due to bureaucracy etc. As for now, if everything went well, I would be starting on Wednesday next week. This last email was sent yesterday.

Just now when I logged into LinkedIn, I noticed that the same job posting was still there and it seemed to be posted 2 days ago.

Should I be worried? Also, is this something I can bring up with them?

EDIT:

I did end up receiving the contract in the end. I have not found out the reason behind the job reposting, but if I do I will comment below for future reference.

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    I don't exactly know how job adverts work on LinkedIn, but on other job sites you have a fixed running time and it's also reposted regularly. To make a long story short: I'm quite sure, you shouldn't worry!
    – csabinho
    Feb 29, 2020 at 0:53
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    Were you hired to fill a vacancy or is the company adding headcount? Is this a very large company? Is it a generic job ad or is it for a specific role, team, and project? (Is there any chance they're hiring more than one person with this posting?)
    – BSMP
    Feb 29, 2020 at 2:20
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    @Bilkokuya I work in Australia but the company (and HR department) is in the US
    – Subbeh
    Mar 3, 2020 at 6:57
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    @Subbeh That definitely complicates things, I was hoping to be able to give you a view of what the law says about offers being contracts - in Australian law, even a verbal job offer is binding (they can't just change their mind). However, once things start going cross-border it can be harder to enforce anything like that - even if it is technically in the law. Sorry I can't provide the answer I hoped to; answers already here are good though.
    – user81330
    Mar 3, 2020 at 10:41
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    @Bilkokuya thanks very much for offering though, I appreciate it! And as a matter of fact, I just received the contract at last so it all worked out in the end
    – Subbeh
    Mar 3, 2020 at 11:52

4 Answers 4

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Assume you didn't get the job, keep on looking, keep on interviewing.

Right now, you may just be their plan B.

If you can start the job on Wednesday, that's great, but if not, at least, you won't have stopped looking for a job.

In the future, never accept the offer itself. Instead say "That sounds great, I'll make a decision after I receive the contract." Never be someone's plan B.

Even now, let them know that since they haven't sent you the contract yet and that you've seen the job listing reposted, that you're going to continue interviewing with other companies. Make sure that the hiring manager is carbon copied on this.

With that said, it's Friday now, and depending on the time zone, it may be too late for you to contact them before this weekend. So maybe don't say that at all and see what happens on Wednesday morning when you actually show up for your first day.

But definitely don't stop looking for another job in the meantime.

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    I'm quite sure this answer is way to negative. If a job got already offered they most probably just keep the job advert running because they've booked a package for a specific amount of time.
    – csabinho
    Feb 29, 2020 at 1:43
  • Thanks for sharing your point of view. I'll wait and see what happens next week and keep my options open
    – Subbeh
    Feb 29, 2020 at 2:32
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    @csabinho, Without a contract, the OP should keep his options open. That's all that I am saying. The natural emotional response is to stop interviewing and stop looking for a job when you have a job offer. I'm only trying to counter that natural reaction just in case.
    – Stephan Branczyk
    Feb 29, 2020 at 8:45
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    Being offered a contract means for me that the decision no longer on the companies side, but on the side of their potential future employee. Even if they are still interviewing other options, the OP is not the plan B, the persons that have interviews now are the plan B!
    – csabinho
    Feb 29, 2020 at 12:48
  • @csabinho, But that's the thing, he wasn't "offered a contract" yet. "The contract was supposed to be sent over in the last few days", but it wasn't done yet because of "bureaucratic issues". In any case, are you really 100% sure that he will be able to start on Wednesday, or that parts of the original agreement won't be reneged on? Personally, I am not. And to me, even if there was only a 20% chance of that happening, or even just 10%, my advice still wouldn't change. Continuing the momentum of a job search is not a particularly costly proposition. It's just good contingency planning.
    – Stephan Branczyk
    Mar 1, 2020 at 6:05
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Relax, you will find out next week.

There's many legitimate reasons a job may still be available. I know companies who have had the same job ad for years because they have multiple positions to fill. Others pay for a set advertising timeframe etc,.

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  • Thanks for answering. I hope you're right!
    – Subbeh
    Feb 29, 2020 at 2:36
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We do this too. Probably they were searching for more than one worker. Wait till wednesday and you will find out, but I am pretty sure they are just searching someone in addition to you.

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I took this as a clear indication that I was going to be hired.

That was your mistake - until you have a contract in hand, signed, then you don't have a firm offer and you should keep looking. This will avoid you getting burned by companies that have a tactic of saying "sure, you've got it" to try to stop you applying elsewhere while they decide whether they actually want you, or whether they can get in contact with the guy they really want while using you as a backup.

So until you have that contract, regardless as to job postings or anything else, you keep yourself in job hunting mode.

That being said:

Just now when I logged into LinkedIn, I noticed that the same job posting was still there and it seemed to be posted 2 days ago. Should I be worried?

No, not just based on this. It may be that they're after a similar role for somewhere else, it may be that they're looking to hire more than one person, it may be that they're paying a recruiter (or have a recruitment department) that just keep the ad up as a matter of course until all the contracts are signed and sorted.

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