I interviewed for an Account Management Supervisor job with a marketing agency four weeks ago. Two weeks ago, they had me come back and interview with the VP of Account Services. Those meetings went very well.  Last week I had a phone call with the Managing Director of the firm, who started out our conversation by saying “My colleagues tell me you’re their top choice for the job.”  That was encouraging. Our entire conversation was very positive and upbeat.  The recruiter who originally got me the interview told me “They say you are perfect for the job. They’re going to make a decision next week.”  Then yesterday, I saw their job ad re-posted again!  They changed the job ad. Now it says that the “Selected Candidate” must have strategic account planning experience. That requirement wasn’t in the job ad when it was posted before (months ago — I saw the ad, but I never applied for the job).  However, I have that experience exactly! They heard me talk about strategic account planning in our interviews, and they added it to their job ad.  What does it mean? Why would the Managing Director tell me I’m a great candidate and why would they tell the recruiter that I’m perfect for the job, then post the job ad again?  That is frustrating, but take heart — as you have already noticed, it was the brightness of your flame that got your possible future colleagues to react the way they did.  They interviewed you and they loved you. Then they sat down together or got on the phone and asked one another “Is there anyone else out there like Will? How come we haven’t been asking candidates about their strategic account planning experience?”  They had their “perfect candidate” vetted and ready to be hired — but they choked.  People get panicky when it’s time to make a big decision. Undoubtedly the choice of their next Account Management Supervisor is a big decision.  They may be trying to save a few bucks by hiring someone whom they hope is almost as awesome as you are — someone who’s asking for less money than you are.  We could hypothesize about their reasons for re-running the job ad forever, but that wouldn’t help you.  There isn’t much for you to do at this juncture, since they told you they are going to make a decision in a week.  You can tell your recruiter that you spotted the job ad re-posted with a new requirement (one you happen to possess and very well may have planted in their minds, Inception-style!).  Your recruiter can find out whether they’re getting cold feet about bringing you on board for some reason.  If two weeks pass and you don’t hear from them, it’s your recruiter’s job to learn the reason for that delay — as well as to let these folks know that you will not wait around forever.  If they can’t make a decision, do you still want to work for them? You are a great candidate, and not everybody deserves your talents — not even everybody who praises them!  If they don’t make you a job offer within two weeks (the week they told you about, and an extra week because everything in the business world moves more slowly than people expect it to) inform your recruiter that you’re closing the file and moving on.  Companies send you loud signals when they’re recruiting you. When they tell you that you’re perfect for the job and then fail to hire you in a timely fashion, they aren’t the right co-workers for you!  Don’t hang around waiting for them to see the light — just move on.  When a job that seems perfect for you doesn’t materialize, don’t see it as a bad thing. It’s a good thing. You’ve dodged a bullet!
Everything was going perfectly in Will's hiring process. They even told Will he was perfect for the job -- but then they re-posted the job ad! What does it mean? What should Will do now?