Reapplying for a similar position at the same agency. Should I let my interviewer know?

Question

I applied for the dream job in January and was rejected in April after the final interview.

Similar job now opened at the same agency, but under a different team. Do I message one of my old interviewers who had connected with me on LinkedIn to give him a heads-up that I’m applying for this new vacancy, acknowledging that it is on a different team, and ask if he thinks it’s a good fit? Or is that going to look bad on my part? Note: I’ve never really had a conversation with him outside of our interviews because we had always communicated through a 3rd-party contracted HR rep (this job is managed by a contractor).

I don’t want to cold-apply to this new vacancy if I know that I was a top candidate for a similar position two months ago. That being said, I don’t want to come off as "cutting in line" in front of other applicants. My old interviewer may not have any contacts on the team that is hiring, but if he does, it could make sure that someone there sees my application.

Answer 1

Your suggestion of asking the previous interviewer whether you would be a good fit for the other team, seems to be a good idea.

Often, the hiring process is expensive and time-consuming - so companies are often eager to take sensible short-cuts. Although you have not spoken since the interviews, you reaching out now is clearly relevant, as you could potentially save them lots of time, effort and money.

As regards to 'cutting in line' - don't worry about it. You are merely re-presenting yourself and not at all going behind anyone's back. Off course there are social norms in the hiring process, but there is also an element of 'dog eat dog', meaning you should use whatever edge you may have over other potential candidates.

You possibly have an edge here and it seems you have found a way to use it politely and un-intrusively. I would suggest you go for it in the way you have described.