A recruiter reached out about a role. Six interviews later he was sure he had it — every round went well, and everyone told him he was friendly and strong technically.
A week after the final round, the recruiter called with the news: everyone loved him, he had explained his thinking well, he was strong technically — he had passed all the interviews. Then the but. They had decided not to move forward, because they needed someone with strong knowledge of a particular area from day one.
He had a strong background in that exact area. He had discussed it with the hiring manager, whose reply at the time was, in full, “that’s impressive.” And they did not hire someone who was a closer fit.