How to Ask About a Better Job Opportunity Without Risking Your Current Offer?

Hello, I am new to the list and I have a question that I would like to pose to HR professionals. Here is the situation...

A job seeker is in the process of interviewing for an examiner's position with XYZ company and will probably receive a job offer within 24 hours (awaiting the results of the pre-employment drug test). The candidate really wants to work at XYZ, so much so, that she has applied with XYZ on two previous occasions for an analyst's position (a position one step higher on the same career path as the examiner's position).

On the first occasion, a little over one year ago, the applicant was tested for the analyst position, passed the test, and proceeded to the interview phase but was not hired.

On the second occasion, approximately six weeks before applying for the examiner's position, the applicant applied for the analyst position again but was not even called in for testing.

Now the analyst position is open again, and the same person that the applicant is dealing with for the examiner's position is the contact person for the analyst's position.

My question is this: Is there a way to probe the hirer about the applicant's chances for the analyst position without losing the examiner opportunity?

Thank you in advance...

Hello,

My suggestion to the job seeker would be not to let go of the bird in hand for a better bird in the sky.

The job seeker has already applied twice and was also given an opportunity for an interview. The company might have strong reasons for not considering the job seeker. In turn, the job seeker might just inform the interviewer that she had applied for that position earlier. If the job seeker had realized her mistake made in her earlier interview, like not having adequate experience or skills, and has worked on it, she can also mention that to the interviewer.

The interviewer can check with the earlier records on what basis she had rejected the job seeker. If the reason is valid even for this instance, she might just look at the examiner's position for the job seeker.

But if she does not match the competency required for the analyst's position and only gets the examiner's position, she can definitely work her way up to that post. It might take some time, but the wait would be a justified one.

Regards,

Soumya Shankar