Anonymous wrote:There is an internal power play going on. All the people that would be directly involved with you like you and want you for the job. Someone who is powerful, but initially not involved with the previous rounds suddenly realized that his/her candidate did not make the cut.
(Or I've even had it where they can't get the funding they want for a position they want and are using their power to force this position to fulfill 2 different slots. I went round for round when the position was to be an instructor, but someone higher up wanted a software developer. I was qualified for one, but not the other.)
At this point, it's no longer about you. It's an internal power play that just has to work itself out. If you know someone in the company, contact them (or the recruiter) to see if you can get a feel for what is going on or what this new powerful person wants. If not, just be yourself and put your best foot forward. And keep your fingers crossed that the powerful person in your court wins.
Not always. I'm a C-level exec and often I will ask to have the chance to meet a candidate before HR makes the offer. I do that for a number of reasons but never for the reason stated above. My guess is they brought the offer up the chain and the C-level asked to meet the candidate and give the hire the final blessing.