Internal candidate for job

[Rottenluck]

I had a job interview recently and was unsuccessful. The interview was awful, they picked me to pieces. I have had some challenging interviews in the past but this was the only one that has ever left me feeling so drained. I cried afterwards and I never cry (unless pregnant!). I was left wondering why they had bothered to interview me given that they thought I was so utterly incapable of doing the job.
Now I see from their newsletter they have promoted an internal candidate. The organisation is tiny, 5 people, so it seems fairly certain they must have known they were giving her the job.
I has invested a great deal of my time and energy into this, applying, researching a presentation, there was a computer test, not to mention wrap around childcare, petrol money to attend etc.
AIBU to think it is unfair to put candidates through the whole process knowing full well you already have the person for the job?

YANBU, it's very unfair. But good luck proving it. It sucks, but unfortunately it's true with a lot of roles these days.

YANBU. I would be really pissed off about that too. Could you write them a letter saying what you've said here or is it a small industry and likely to get out?

Random 'has' snuck in there!

My first thought was that of course YANBU.
But is there a statutory requirement to advertise? If so, then they should have given you a fair chance. Perhaps the internal candidate was actually better - but you have no way of knowing and it does look from the outside as if you are right that it was a set-up.

I think they have to advertise, but still, pain in the arse for you!

They probably were the right person for the job, they would have had direct experience, know everyone and the processes etc. Should there be some circumstances where you can just promote someone internally without all the cost and time spent on interviewing?
I guess I am cross as they spent an hour rubbishing me, my skills and experience. They didn't need to do that, they could have just asked me the standard questions and then said sorry you weren't successful.

Companies are usually under an obligation to advertise and it's really disheartening when the internal candidate seems like a shoe-in for the job.

It can work the other way round, though: sometimes companies are obliged to interview an internal candidate for all kinds of internal political reasons, whilst praying that an excellent external candidate will outshine them at interview.

I my last place people were often seconded to a role - then when they decided to make the job permanent and advertised it internally it was mosy usually the seconded person that got it.

I was appointed to my job after doing it on an acting basis for a term. However, my interview was actually pretty gruelling too, plus there was the knowledge that I would have to work for the successful candidate if I hadn't got it myself. Which wasn't certain. One of the other candidates was very strong.

I don't think there is a law that they have to advertise externally - an NHS trust locally rarely accepts applications from external applicants [hangry]

They shouldn't have rubbished your qualifications. I hate it when companies do this and turn around and say you aren't qualified to do the job. If they didn't think you could do the job, they shouldn't ask you to interview.

Your interview sounds horrible. An interview like that in a small organisation would have made me think carefully about accepting a job offer from them anyway, it would have put me off them.

Did you think you were quite a good fit for the role?

Have you thought about asking for feedback from them?

The feedback was that I didn't have the transferable skills in a certain area. But this area wasn't talked about at the interview it was all about how I would be able to cope. At the time I felt one of the panel really didn't like me and was enjoying trying to trip me up so no this would not have been a place I would have liked to work and I would have been amazed if they'd offered it to me.

So all in all I am sure their decision is the right one. I just think they should have been able to reach it without getting me involved.

Yes companies do have advertise externally. Some can get away with it if certain skills are needed.
An internal candidate will always have a better chance as they are known and may have already proved they could do the job.
Some interviews are hard. The other candidates may have been equally so.

Sorry you had such a bad experience.

Do you think there is any element of them giving you a hard time simply to see how you respond to pressure ?

I think it's only local authorities, public bodies etc that are required to advertise. If it's any comfort, I was once the favoured candidate who was pipped to the post by an outsider, after I'd been trained up, introduced to everyone and shown confidential papers ......so it does happen

No excuse for them being so rude in your interview though

YANBU, I hate this, but yes they have to advertise externally by law, unless the position is ring-fenced for existing employees following redundancies (which accounts for those positions you see which say "No external candidates").

And it has the annoying knock-on effect that the "feedback" is probably totally meaningless, they could be saying any old shit to get rid of you.

I'm not sure I understand how SMEs can in practice be obliged to advertise posts.

Can't the employee simply have their job function changed ?
How would anyone tell ?

I'm sorry it was a grim experience, but thank your lucky stars you never have to see them again. Is there anything useful you can learn from the way they picked you to pieces, or was it all just pointlessly negative?

I did once pinch a job from under the nose of a very confident internal candidate (I scarcely thought it was worth staying for the interview), so it's always worth a shot. It turned out, once I'd got my feet under the table and was privy to the gossip, that he was considered to be all mouth and no trousers.

Hi,

There is no law that a vacancy has to be advertised, only that if it is advertised that it is done fairly. Organisations can elect whether to advertise externally, internally (or indeed at all) but must be mindful of being able to defend an equality claim if challenged if they do anything other than a wide advert.

It is best practise to advertise widely, where I work it is considered a badge of honour for the internal candidate to fight off external competition for a job- I always feel sorry for the externals who have a very hard job and like you put a lot of effort in...

what Sunshine said - no one has to advertise a job

I once applied for a job where the internal candidate was already in role. But I impressed, so they offered me a temporary position, which then got extended, and would have become permanent had I not then got another job elsewhere. Many charities have it in their rules that that have to advertise externally.

Agree. There is no legal obligation on all organisations to advertise. Many many jobs aren't advertised at all and are filled informally.

Frustrating for them to have put you through all that though! YANBU to feel that they wasted your time.