Dear Cindy – When the Interviewer Mentions Other Jobs

I'm a recent grad, so I'm new to the interview world. Earlier today I had an interview, and the person started talking about jobs other than the one I had applied for. What's going on? Is this bad?

Sincerely,

A New Grad

This is not unusual – in fact, my former boss used to do it all the time. What's more, it's usually a good sign. It means that the interviewer is quite interested in you, and is considering options for you in the event that the job for which you actually applied is given to another candidate, or disappears due to restructuring, or the job description has changed so that you're no longer qualified for it, etc.

After all, if an offer comes for a job that you aren't interested in taking, you can thank them and decline. And if you're still interested in that employer, you can tell them that you do remain open to other options.

Good luck!