I am currently interviewing for Software Engineer positions in Sillicon Valley, and I was reached out to by a big company. I had interviewed them before earlier this year, but I did not pass it and wasn't extended an offer.

The recruiter that reached out to me this time was different than the one last time, and he ultimately asked me "Have you interviewed with us before?" Being a candid person, I answered yes, but I honestly did not remember the exact date of when I did. I had told him I believed it was a year ago, but I just checked now and it has only been 8 months.

This morning I received an e-mail telling me that the hiring manager/team doesn't see a fit for me at this time.

So finally question is:

What is the purpose of them asking "Have you interviewed with us before?" Should I just say "no" next time around? It seems that their internal HR does't have any real way to validate this. I believe that by saying "yes" has just impeded me from moving forward with the hiring process.