Selection panel - is this unusual?

[wackamama]

I recently applied for a leadership programme at work. All candidates who submitted an application form were interviewed by the same two members of staff who recently completed the programme themselves (but who are currently still working at the same level as me). The applications were then considered by a selection panel consisting of just one of the interviewers and 3 senior managers. Is this a bit unusual? Surely it puts too much sway on the opinion of one person - the interviewer who is also on the panel? I would have thought it more appropriate for candidates to be interviewed by the whole selection panel. (If the senior managers couldn't spare the time to onterview all the candidates then the panel could have pre-sifted the applications to reduce the numbers).

I doesn't sound unusual or problematic to me. There is no right to be developed and as long as there is no discrimination related to a protected characteristic, the employer isn't acting unlawfully.

It sounds like a two stage process;

1. applications are sifted by two people who previously attended the course. This may actually be a development opportunity for them, rather than anything untoward.

2). Then, the applicants are interviews by 3 senior managers plus one of the other panel members. Normally, you have at least more than one person on the panel so they you have a range of views and opinions. Again, it could be that that interviewer from thr first stage is their for their own development. They may also be asked to feedback on the performance at interviews.

It's unlikely they 1 more junior member panel member will be able sway the opinion of 3 more senior panel members without having substantial evidence to back it up.

@purpledagger

I doesn't sound unusual or problematic to me. There is no right to be developed and as long as there is no discrimination related to a protected characteristic, the employer isn't acting unlawfully.

It sounds like a two stage process;

1. applications are sifted by two people who previously attended the course. This may actually be a development opportunity for them, rather than anything untoward.

2). Then, the applicants are interviews by 3 senior managers plus one of the other panel members. Normally, you have at least more than one person on the panel so they you have a range of views and opinions. Again, it could be that that interviewer from thr first stage is their for their own development. They may also be asked to feedback on the performance at interviews.

It's unlikely they 1 more junior member panel member will be able sway the opinion of 3 more senior panel members without having substantial evidence to back it up.

No, to be clear, the two stage process I described was:

1. Applicants are interviewed by 2 people who previously attended the course.

1. Then the panel (of 3 senior managers and one of the interviewers) selects the succesful candidates based on the recommendations of the one interviewer.

I don't see an issue with this. I've sat on similar panels where there are just 2 of us interviewing for a development programme that we've previously been on (interviewing to be helpful and support the scheme btw and not because it helps our own development at all - I do enough of my own interviewing anyway)! And our scores were then moderated centrally as there were lots of these 2-person panels so they had to ensure consistency!