Changing the requirements for a job advertisement

We live in Illinois. My husband applied for a position in the organization he already works for. The head of the division that has the opening has asked my husband to apply. The organization advertised for the position in the newspaper. My husband sent in his resume and all the required info, based on what the ad asked for. Now, it's been 4 weeks and the ad appeared again, but the requirements have changed slightly. Here's the clincher: the different requirements are THE EXACT SAME PHRASING my husband used in his cover letter applying for the job. The 'rumor' mill at this organization says that my husband is the shoo-in and has the job, but hasn't been notified for an interview and has heard nothing from the hiring commitee.

Is it legal for a company to advertise for a job then change the requirements? Is is legal for them to use my husband's cover letter (even the exact same wording) to specify the requirements of the job? Should my husband say anything? He's not sure WHAT to think of this situation.

Thanks for any advice!

The advertisement for a job is a request for an offer from prospective employees. The company can change the terms of the ad at any time, unless there is a definite company policy otherwise. So they were within their rights to do so. I also don’t think there is any law prohibiting them from using the same phrasing as your husband did in the letter. I don’t believe the copyright laws apply to letters, not meant as art.

Whether your husband says anything or not is a matter of company politics, rather than law. Probably, there would be no benefit in his bringing this up. However, he should consider enquiring of the head of the division if he/she knows anything about his chances. That would show he is still interested.