WWYD job interview

[deflatedbirthday]

I work in a department which is subdivided into specialities.

A few months ago, a training opportunity which was a promotion whilst training and a further promotion on completion, came up. the training is predominately within another sub-speciality which we work closely with. This is always a very popular opportunity and there is always a lot of competition. We were told that due to funding this year there would be only one place (previous years there have been three). The post was advertised internal only.

Myself and two colleagues from my sub-speciality applied and got interviews. I’m not sure how many others were interviewed but I know people from other departments also applied.

One of my colleagues was given the role. At feedback myself and the other unsuccessful colleague were told it was a tough choice between the three of us, given that we work very closely with this other sub-specialty. There is a chance there will be further funding later in the year. All fine. We are thrilled for our colleague, who worked so hard for her interview.

Come to this weekend. I happen to be at a work social event with the successful colleague. We chatted about her role and how she was getting on. She then mentioned her training colleague. On questioning, this colleague is training with her and was offered the same position, for which there was supposedly only funding for one.

On further questioning from another of my colleagues, it turns out this other person is the partner of the daughter of someone in the sub-speciality. Non of us know him so I don’t believe he worked in our department previously, but he could have worked in another department.

AIBU to feel a bit miffed that we were explicitly told there was only one role but in fact they hired two people. I haven’t told my other colleague who was unsuccessful (she wasn’t at the event) but given our post interview feedback, it seems like that second role could have been either of ours. I can’t understand the underhanded way it’s been dealt with. They must have known we would find out.

To be clear, I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve the role or qualify for it. It’s mainly the lying about the number of positions that’s irked me.

WWYD?

Is it possible that he and your colleague were both really impressive at interview and they decided to increase to two places? Where I work we hire grads, and if we have particularly good interviewees, we will increase the intake.

Did you colleague who was hired know anymore about the situation - was she told why there was her and another person, does she know when the decision was made to hire the other guy?

As much as I’d like that to be the case from my understanding the funding was set to one. It comes from an external body. At feedback the wording was along the lines of ‘it was so close between the three of you and it’s a shame we only had one position’ - which makes me feel now uneasy that they were hiding this second position.

My colleague was as stumped as us. For the first few times she met this other person she thought he was from a previous years intake as she fully expected to be the only one this year.

Hmm but would doing this jeopardise the relationship with the external funder? I mean, what would happen if they found out that their funding went to one interviewed candidate, and one position was hidden and given to a boyfriend of someone’s daughter without proper process? Which I assume is what you are thinking has happened?

Is it possible that the funding for this post has come from elsewhere, perhaps with this candidate? We have posts funded by our apprenticeship scheme (highly specialised graduate apprentice roles) where the role attracts the funds, and funding for these comes from a separate stream from other funded posts, like the PhDs we support, where we get the funding according to the research the person wants to do for their doctorate - so the funding follows the person in that instance, rather than the role (I may not be explaining this very well!).

Without being too outing this is within the NHS. I’m not 100% sure how funding gets allocated. Does anyone know perhaps?

I am also public sector but not NHS. We get funding from loads of different places, tied to particular projects and pots of money from central government. We have several posts doing the same work funded from different sources. I can absolutely picture the same thing in the NHS. I am sure particular initiatives by government will form one stream of funding, particular research projects another, and so on. It’s like in my local hospital where the macmillan nurses work fully as part of their departments, urology and so on, but are paid for by Macmillan.

If they are under 25 I could definitely see this second place being funded as an apprenticeship. If they usually have 3 places and only have the regular funding for 1 this year, upping the headcount with an apprenticeship scheme would make a lot of sense.

Both roles are degree apprenticeships, even the one I applied for. Both are attending the same university course remotely.

In that case they might well be from different funds - we have three or four funding various degree apprenticeships around or org of about 1500 people.