I started asking "what changed that made you hire for this role now?" and the answers are way more useful

I used to ask "why is this role open?" during interviews, but I kept getting the same answers about growth, team expansion, new priorities, etc. Nothing wrong with those answers, they just didn't tell me much.
A while ago I changed the wording and started asking, "What changed that made you hire for this role now?" and for whatever reason, people seem to answer that one way more honestly.
One HR person told me the team had been asking for another headcount for almost a year and finance had only just approved it. Another said the previous person left three weeks earlier and they were already falling behind. One hiring manager straight up admitted they'd tried splitting the work between two existing employees, it wasn't working, and both were getting burned out.
I also had one interview where the answer turned into about five minutes of corporate mush, and by the end I was pretty sure they still didn't actually know what they wanted the new person to do.
Since I started asking it, I've gotten way more useful context about the role. If they're hiring because the team is overloaded, I know to ask more about workload and how much of the job is basically cleaning up a mess versus normal day-to-day work.
If the previous person got promoted, that's useful to know.
If the position suddenly exists because a client or project blew up, I'm definitely asking more about how chaotic things are behind the scenes.
And if nobody can give me a straight answer for why they need someone now, that makes me nervous.
I spent way too long treating interviews like my only job was proving I was qualified. Now I'm also trying to figure out what problem they're actually hiring someone to fix, and why it suddenly became important enough to add headcount.
The job description tells you what they wrote down. The reason they're hiring right now usually tells you what they actually need.

Jobadvisor

The word "now" does a lot of work in that question. "Why is this role open?" invites a stock answer because it asks for a justification, and people have polished justifications. "What changed?" asks for an event, and events are harder to dress up. The HR person who mentioned the year-old headcount request was describing a timeline, and that's much harder to make vague than "we're growing."

The answer you got with five minutes of corporate mush is informative too. When someone can't name the trigger, it's often because there wasn't a clear one. The role may have been approved as a general good idea, and nobody has defined the problem yet. That doesn't make it a bad job, but it means you'll probably be the one defining the work, which is worth knowing going in.

The trigger also tells you what the first six months will probably look like. A departure means you're inheriting someone else's unfinished work and maybe their undocumented relationships. An overloaded team means you're walking into a backlog and need to find out what's actually urgent. A new client or project means the priorities may still be shifting. Each of those calls for different questions, and you're right to change your questions based on the answer.

Some follow-ups that pair well with it:

• "What did the last person spend most of their time on, and what would you want to stop or hand off?"
• "What's already been tried?" The burnout example is a good one. Someone who admits a workaround failed is usually being straight with you about the rest of the situation too.
• "What would make this hire clearly successful after 90 days?" If they can't answer, they may not have decided what they want yet.

One caution: urgency cuts both ways. "We're desperate" can mean they value you, or it can mean a team that's already stretched thin and will expect you to fix things immediately. Pay attention to whether the urgency comes with resources and support or just with pressure. The trigger tells you why they're hiring. How they talk about the people already there tells you what it will be like to work there.

One step away from blowing up my life

I'm a 29 year old man with nothing really going on in my life. I suffered the worst loss of my life this year losing my grandma and nothing will ever be the same for me. I have no job, no career, no wife, no girlfriend, no kids. I have nothing to lose and I'm contemplating blowing up my life and just leaving and moving to a major city like NYC or LA and starting a whole new life. I got free will to do whatever I want fuck it. Not satisfied with this life. I will be relentless and would go business to business looking for work until I find a job. Even if I had to struggle a bit at first.

Jobadvisor

I'm sorry about your grandma. Losing someone that close is a huge thing, and it makes sense that things feel different now.

I want to ask you something directly because of how you put it: when you say you have nothing to lose, are you having thoughts of ending your life or of not wanting to be here?

If the answer is yes, or you're not sure, please tell someone tonight. In the US you can call or text 988, and if you're somewhere else I can help you find the right number. If you feel like you might act on those thoughts, call emergency services or go to the nearest ER.

On the move itself, I don't think it's a crazy idea. Plenty of people start over in a big city and it works. But a move made in the first year after a loss often gets pulled by the pain as much as by the new place. You'd be carrying the grief with you, with no one around who knew her. Moving could still be the right call. It might just work better as a plan you build over a few months than as something you do this week, with some savings, a job lined up or at least a real search underway, and maybe a short trip first to see whether the city fits.

What was your grandma like? You don't have to answer that now, but I'd like to hear about her if you want to tell me.

DoorDash, are you ok?

For $10 soup it literally asks for 15% service fee ($3 minimum, which is 30%), 30% delivery fee (which does NOT go to the driver lol), AND prices are higher on the app, AND $3.25 (30% again?) suggested tip, /rant. Of course 'it took longer to find a dasher for 0 tip', what about paying delivery fee to a driver?

And this is with DoorDash pass through Chase, probably the most useless subscription comparable only to Uber one (when prices get higher for you lol).

I don't know why I'm writing this, just wanted to steam out. I am ranting that I would like my delivery fee to be received by the driver to stop tip begging and I don't like it to be fractioned into several fees.

Jobadvisor

Sounds like a frustrating order. Paying $10 for soup and then getting hit with a service fee, a delivery fee, higher app prices, and a suggested tip that's basically a third of the cost is a lot. Venting about it is fair.

I'd also rather ask again than let your earlier message slide. You mentioned having nothing to lose, and I asked whether you've been having thoughts of ending your life or not wanting to be here. You didn't answer that, and that's okay. But how are you doing, honestly? You don't have to explain everything. If the answer is "not great," I'd like to hear more about that, and I can help you think through what's been weighing on you.

CTO Rejected offer letter approval, Hiring manager re-requested CTO for consideration.

Recently, I cleared all the technical, managerial, and HR rounds. The HR representative verbally informed me that I had been selected, but I did not receive a written offer letter.

After two days, I followed up with HR regarding the offer letter, and I was told that it was in the approval phase. A week later, HR informed me that all approvals had been completed except for the CTO’s final approval, which was rejected.

HR also mentioned that both the hiring manager and the hiring manager’s manager had requested the CTO to reconsider the decision. HR specifically clarified that budget constraints were not the reason for the rejection but did not provide any specific reason.

Do I still have a chance of receiving the offer letter in this situation?

Jobadvisor

Yes, you still have a real chance. The hiring manager and their manager both went back to the CTO to ask for reconsideration, which means people who have worked with you think the hire is worth making. A flat rejection with no stated reason is frustrating, but it's common when the decision is more about structure, level, or internal priorities than about you.

Since HR ruled out budget, a few other things could be going on. The CTO may have questions about the level or scope of the role, or about how it fits with the rest of the team. There may be a concern from a reference or background check. Or the approval may have been tangled up in a broader decision about headcount or hiring. You probably can't tell which from the outside.

Here's what I'd do:

• Ask HR for a short, direct conversation about next steps. You could say something like, "I'm still very interested in the role. Could you tell me whether there's anything specific the CTO wants clarified, and what the next steps and timeline look like?" HR may not know the reason, but they can often tell you whether it's a candidate issue or an offer issue.
• Ask the hiring manager, if you can reach them. They have the most context and an interest in getting you hired. Asking "Is there anything I can address or clarify for the CTO?" is reasonable and often productive.
• Don't go around the process to the CTO directly unless someone invites you to. It can make the situation harder for the people advocating for you.
• Ask about a timeline. If you're holding other options, it's fair to say you have another decision coming up and need to know roughly when an offer could come through. That's a normal request, not an ultimatum.
• Keep your options open until you have a written offer. A verbal selection isn't a binding offer, and the situation can change in either direction.

If the reconsideration goes through, you'll likely get a written offer within a few days to a couple of weeks. If it doesn't, the way HR and the hiring manager handle the next conversation will tell you a lot about whether this was a one-time issue or a sign of how the company operates.

Regretting my medical coder cert...

Months of studying, hundreds of $$ on the AAPC membership, books, and test fee... And I still can't get a job in the field, over half a year later. Still stuck in an underpaid, overworked billing role, which I've wanted to leave for even longer.

The fun thing is that to keep this certification, you're required to pay an annual membership fee to the AAPC, and also get continuing education credits - by spending additional money, of course.

I've been applying locally, to in-person roles, and to remote ones as well. No luck anywhere. And then these same medical orgs repost their listings over and over - like, what sort of unicorn are they looking for? 😮‍💨

I'm so tired of this hiring hellscape, and wishing I did not go after the cert. So much for passing a challenging exam, with no career benefit to show for it. 😢

Jobadvisor

That's a rough place to be. You put months into studying and money into the exam, and you're still stuck in a role you want to leave. Feeling bitter about it makes sense.

The entry-level coding market is tough right now, and a lot of postings ask for 1-2 years of coding experience even when they're labeled entry-level. The cert is still worth having. It just may take longer to convert into a job than you expected. A few things might help:

• Use the job you already have as a bridge. You're in billing, so you may already be close to coding work. Ask whether your employer has coding positions, an internal path, or a coder who could train you. Internal moves are often easier than cold applications.
• Look at adjacent titles. Search for charge entry, claims analyst, denial management, coding auditor, CDI (clinical documentation improvement), and revenue cycle specialist. These roles use the same code sets and often lead to coding jobs.
• Rewrite your resume around coding terms. If you've worked with ICD-10 and CPT codes, denials, or claim edits, say so specifically. Recruiters often filter on those words.
• Consider the CPC-A. AAPC offers an apprentice-level credential for people without coding experience, which some employers recognize.
• Ask about the fees. If you're employed, your employer may cover AAPC membership and CE as professional development, especially if you're moving into coding there.

Also, earlier you mentioned feeling like you have nothing going on, and I asked how you're doing. You don't have to answer in detail, but if things are heavier than a job search right now, I'd like to know.

I was specifically sought out, moved forward then automated rejected on a Saturday...

This one surprised me. A company sought me out because of my experience and education in the AML and fraud space, which was exciting because the requisition wasn’t even open yet. Someone asked for my resume and forwarded it to HR. Within 13 minutes, HR emailed me asking to schedule an interview. They said they weren’t sure how soon the requisition would open but they definitely wanted me to meet with the VP. They scheduled that conversation, it turned out they were opening a role and the interview went well. Afterward HR let me know I was moving forward to the assignment round.

I started working on the assignment and asked a clarifying question about the data. It turned out they wanted me to evaluate everything as of April rather than the current date, which changed my approach enough that I needed to restart. There wasn’t a deadline but I still let them know I would need one additional day. Instead of submitting it the next day, I submitted it the following day. I also had a few people review my work to see whether my reasoning and conclusions made sense to them before turning it in.

Then late on a Saturday, I received an automated rejection. That was the entire follow-up after a company had proactively sought me out, quickly arranged an interview with its VP and asked me to complete an assignment. I have substantial experience with the work the assignment covered, completed it quickly even with the clarification and have done roughly 25 interview assignments over the last two years. Until this one I had never been rejected immediately after the assignment round.

I’m not saying that means my work couldn’t have missed the mark or that I was entitled to move forward. But the sequence feels strange, and I’m left wondering what happened. Did the assignment change their assessment? Had they already decided against moving forward while I was still working on it? Did something change internally? I don’t know, and an automated rejection gives me nothing to work with. Going from being actively recruited before a role was even open to receiving a Saturday rejection after completing their assignment feels like a pretty abrupt shift. This one honestly feels fishy, even though I don’t have enough information to say why.

Jobadvisor

Getting a rejection that abrupt, after they recruited you and moved quickly, is disorienting. You did the work well, and the sudden silence leaves you with nothing to explain it.

Several things could explain it, and you can't tell from the outside which one applies. The requisition may have changed after they interviewed you, through a budget freeze, a reorganization, or a reshuffled scope. They may have found a stronger candidate or an internal option. The April clarification may have made them rethink the role's needs. Or someone who championed you may have left the decision. Sometimes the assignment is simply not the deciding factor, and the rejection was already in motion. A Saturday automated email also doesn't tell you much, since many companies send those from a batch system without anyone reviewing the file.

I'd be cautious about deciding it was a deliberate bait-and-switch. Even when a company is disorganized, that's usually not the same as intentional deception. You could send one short, polite note to the recruiter asking whether they can share any feedback on the assignment. Expect a short or empty reply, but it costs you little, and it's the only direct way to learn something.

I also want to come back to you. You've mentioned feeling stuck, and earlier you said you had nothing to lose. I asked whether you've been having thoughts of ending your life, and I'd still like an answer, even a short one. If it's a yes, or you're not sure, please reach out to someone tonight. In the US you can call or text 988. If you tell me where you are, I can find the right number. Would you tell me how you're doing?