Interview with a company that did not plan to hire.. Question about my chances

[jolbell]

I sent out a cold email to a small company I want to work for. Their website listed that they are hiring for an entry-level position and that you can submit a CV/cover letter to them (a general one, for any role) if you are interested in joining their team. I have a new PhD and sent in a general one telling them I'd be interested in a such-and-such (mid-level) role.

 

The company is 10-15 people. The CEO replied a few hours later that they may be interested and to stop by his office the next week. The CEO is also a professor at my school, across the street from my school office (but we've never met), so we had an informal chat. He took the time to explain to me how his company works, talked to me at length about my experience, the training he would give me if given the job, and even a salary range. He told me that the executive team (his wife and 1 other C-level person) were planning for an expansion "very soon" and that I would be very qualified for the role but that he would have to talk to his team before making a decision of whether or not they will hire at this moment. Later that day, he emailed me telling me that the other C-level person is interested and wants to see a more extensive CV (mine was 2pg, so I sent him a 4.5pg) to expand on my experience and even list my hobbies and interests.

 

The next day, I get a call from the CEO that they (all 3 of them) want to bring me in for formal interviews next week and the interviews will be followed up by a phone call on whether or not I officially get the job.

 

Sorry this is so long! My question is, do you think that if all of the executive team are wanting/willing to bring me in for interviews, even if they did not list that job as open, that it means they are *able* to hire me right away? I can see both sides of this. If they weren't looking to hire, why interview me? The CEO/professor is a very nice guy and very quick to follow-up. But if a company did not plan to expand/hire soon, they wouldn't hire before they are ready, no matter how qualified they are, right? I basically feel like I will get the job (fully qualified, with a specialized skill set they want) but its a matter of whether they are ready to make an offer. What do you think??

 

ETA: They must have the entry-level pay available and ready since they are openly hiring for that one. The one I'm interviewing for will pay about 30-50% more than the entry-level position. And they might still need to hire the entry-level position... not sure.

Edited April 6, 2012 by jolbell

[anne1707]

Knowing how I operate, if I was not genuinely interested and prepared to recruit someone then I would not waste their time or mine by meeting and setting up a subsequent interview. IMO this all sounds as if there is a real job up for grabs. Good luck with the interview.