Am I in the wrong?

I was incredibly blunt, rude and unprofessional in my feedback

so what did you actually write that’s caused the manager to take her side?

I’m also confused here, if she read the emails when she shouldn’t, why is she not being investigated, is something missing?

if you simply said it felt scripted and she wouldn’t be successful why is she saying it was blunt and she is in tears, is something missing?

She's got a lot of front looking at the emails when she shouldn't be- and if your manager was in then she had absolutely no reason to be snooping but she's got even more front to go to the manager and tell them and be upset. What the fuck?!

There's a couple of things here. The first being very clear that she shouldn't have accessed the email at all and why isn't she being disciplined for this?

But also, it doesn't sound like you wrote anything unprofessional in your email. Is she upset that she didn't get the job or were you more candid with your feedback than you've shared on here? Written interview feedback can be requested (as a previous poster said) so always keep it professional and factual. It doesn't have to be bland but it should be as objective as possible.

If you wrote in the email what you've shared here, why are you upset and shaking? You did your job as an interviewer and her appalling behaviour is more evidence that you made the right decision. If you're upset because she's upset and you like it, you need to pull yourself together. This is business. She's been an idiot and completely unprofessional. Don't let your emotions get involved, you've done nothing wrong. She'd be on a warning where I work, and heading rapidly towards the exit.

Well at least you know your instincts were right.

Yeah, you had no way to know that she had access to the email.

Why does she have access to the manager's emails?

Anyway, whether or not she should, you didn't know she had access, and it's not your place (necessarily) to have an opinion why your manager allowed that access.

You can do this, OP, you can patch up the relationship I mean. When you meet, let her say her bit until she's got it out of her system, try to end the chat by asking f she'd like you to help her develop skills to interview better next time. Nobody needs to feel bad that she didn't get the job.

This is what I do for a living and I have constant access to inboxes. I scan emails for my bosses to see if there is anything that requires actioning and head off requests for time before they see it and constantly moving/removing email requests and flagging documents etc.

If she shouldn't be looking then she's shot herself in the foot. Very unprofessional. Curiosity killed the cat and all that.

This person saw my email and read it even though my manager was on duty.

Focus on this. Go on the front foot and focus on this. Get very cross about it to the manager and HR. You are not the person in the wrong here. She was staggeringly unprofessional to do what she did (and staggeringly stupid to admit she’d done it by crying about it!).

Definitely ask why she’s been accessing emails when the manager is in work. Very poor etiquette and clearly she wanted to see what you’d said. Highly unprofessional.

I have no idea why the manager raised this with you rather than directly telling the candidate that she should not have read the email in the first place. It's just made you feel bad and on top of that, the candidate is also aware that you know now too. Any awkwardness could have died down after a few weeks if the manager had engaged their brain and been professional.

On top of all of this, it's really stupid that the candidate told the manager that she read it. Why? Surely this is going to make her a less attractive candidate for future roles? I would be embarrassed to stay in my job if I was her.

Did you flag the email as confidential?

YANBU but you were a tad naive. Never write anything down like that! Even if it wasn't meant for them they could request it through a subject access request.

Only ever write the blandest of feedback on unsuccessful candidates.

You are not in the wrong here. Her behaviour has re-emphasised why she is not ready! Her manager needs to speak with her about professional behaviours. Being emotional at work is acceptable- being sneaky is not!

Why are you apologizing to her? You did nothing wrong. She was unprofessional and continues to be unprofessional.

I agree with a previous poster, make sure there is someone else in the meeting, your manager or someone from HR, to avoid any further accusations.

If she starts crying in the meeting, I suggest you tell her 'perhaps you would like to take a few minutes outside to collect yourself'. Don't apologize, use the meeting to go through why she wasn't the successful candidate. She did this to herself and is flailing around trying to deflect your criticism of her by accusing you of being blunt and unprofessional.

Disciplinary surely? She knowingly accessed and read the email when the manager was in the building.
Then went to the manager crying and complaining putting everyone in a very difficult position.
Very unprofessional and has clearly illustrated she cannot be trusted.

I can’t believe people still allow access to their inbox, and this is a great example why it’s a bad idea.

Have an out of office that gives alternative contacts if it is urgent. Ideally a group mailbox.

This!

Stop worrying how she feels and focus on how unprofessional she has been.

You should raise what she did with HR as well. Unacceptable and her lack of decorum by sobbing was another sign she lacks maturity and professionalism.

Makes sure there is a manager in on your meeting with her BTW or she'll be accusing you of bullying next.

I can understand her sneaking a look at the emails to see rhe outcome if her interview: she absolutely shouldn't have done, though. And shes being v silly to complain about what she read when it was not for her and confidential. Its not your fault!

Not your fault. I have access to other inboxes on as "as needed" basis. If I saw something about me when didn't need to be looking, well that's on me.

Even if I was in the inbox for good reasons, in those circumstances it would be bloody obvious what the email was about and I'd have left it well alone so avoid any possible conflict. Her judgment is terrible and you've dodged a bullet.

This!
Relaaax.
Lesdons learned on her part. If you go snooping you will often get the wrong end of the stick.

She shouldn't have access to managers emails. If manager isn't in there should be an out of office with details of who to contact instead. I wouldn't allow anyone into my work email

When were the interviews? When did you email?

Has your manager been absent since (or on) the date of the interviews/email and just returned today?

The only legitimate way the candidate could have read the email is if the manager was not around on the date of the email and/or she had been given express permission to access emails on the day she did, even although the manager was technically on duty.

Back in the day, when I was a PA, my boss would sometimes be involved in all-day events and could only communicate on breaks. He would give me permission to open his email in those instances and update him when he called on his breaks about anything that was ragingly urgent and what action, if any, I'd taken.

If this scenario doesn't apply, the candidate should be disciplined for her action.

I'd probably be letting HR in on this tbh, she shouldn't have accessed the emails and certainly shouldn't have then outed herself to the manager as having done so.

Like you I'd be pissed off and would look to follow procedure on her access emails when the manager was in with HRs input.

Madness that the manager didn't set her straight about reading the emails.

You've done nothing wrong! The feedback you gave was for your boss's eyes, not for her. If anything, she is the one who has been inappropriate by accessing emails when she wasn't meant to! Curiosity killed the cat and all that ...

Go back to your manager and point this out to them
It's a serious line that she's crossed and very unprofessional.
Looks like you were right in offering the job to the other candidate
I would be expecting an apology to you and explanation from her if I was your boss