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?

My experience has either been with charities or public sector so maybe the external advertising rules have been specific to them.

It's ridiculous that they have to advertise if they want to give the job to someone already working there.

I work in the public sector - jobs are internally advertised or ring fenced many times - it's good practice to advertise but not law

YANBU to be upset how you were treated - there is no need to make somebody feel shit about themselves, even if they are not successful in securing the job.

As others have said, there might have been an obligation to advertise.

Many years ago, I flew to another country for a job interview, like yours, the whole experience was more than unpleasant and on the way out the secretary told me that an internal candidate was going to get the job anyway 'as everybody knew' - well, I did not know that, did I??
This is now almost 20 years ago, but I am still angry about it - why on earth did they invite me if they knew I was not going to get it and they knew I was coming from abroad??

As they say here 'Whats for you, won't go by you' - hopefully the perfect job with lovely colleagues/bosses and triple pay is just round the corner for you. Maybe this was a lucky escape !

Poor you! This is common enough, though, and the organisation has to advertise the job.

yes I was once told that a job was coming up and if I wanted it they would advertise it in sheep farmers weekly or something so they could appoint saying it had been advertised assuming of course that not many sheep farmer readers applied

I'm assuming the job title wasn't Shepherd.

notquite