WWYD - Explicit favouritism of colleague

[ErickBroch]

Would be interested in hearing what anyone else would do in this situation!

I work for a large company but in a small team. Last year, before I joined, my colleague went for a promotion (we have to interview for this). Our boss met with her numerous times to prep her, gave her lots of advice, and also emailed her the entire list of questions that he would be asking her at the interview. She did not have to interview/compete against anyone else.

I am in the same boat now. Except, I am having to compete against 7 external candidates, and have been told I am not allowed to receive any advice from my boss at all and cannot discuss it with him.

I like my colleague, none of this is an issue against her. I wanted to know that if I don't get the job - should I raise these issues with my manager and say I am disappointed with how differently I was treated?

WWYD? Advice very welcome!

Who told you about how the other person was treated more favourably? Also, was it the team or the organisation you’re new to? Who told you your boss can’t help you out?

I’m not sure you can say you are being treated less favourably as it implies a direct comparison, and you weren’t working there at the time. If you had both been up for promotion at the same time but your colleague was treated like you describe, that would feel different.

It might be that things have changed as a result of what your boss did - giving the candidate help is one thing, giving them the interview questions is going a bit far!

It depends if the post was one that only one person was reasonably going to go for then then it's neither here nor there having a bit of guidance. Though they really overstepped by sharing interview questions (are you sure they were actual questions and not typical questions? I've had suggested mock questions before as a here is the sort of thing that can be asked)

When a post is advertised externally and they have a full field then they can't be giving the internal candidate preferential treatment. Going for promotion as the internal candidate against externals has some pros and cons. You've just got to do your best.

My WWYD advice is not to hold store on facts given to you from before you were in the company. They may not be accurate or comparable to your exact circumstances here. Focus on your performance at interview.

There is nothing to stop you asking HR to tell you what format (eg STAR, CV based, Competency based) the interview will take as it's highly likely they'll have to give that information to external candidates anyway.

Thanks for responses. I can confirm it is all true as my colleague told me everything and showed me the emails she had received - including the exact list of interview questions he would be asking. She also thinks it's very unfair. My boss was also the one who said he would not give me any advice.

As it is a large company, every role regarding hiring is supposed to be treated the same. I just find it quite unfair, as do others I have spoken to, that in a literally exact same situation that two of us have been treated so differently.

Personally, I do think it is very unfair that the interviewee receives the full list of questions word for word and doesn't have to compete against anyone else.

Thanks for all your responses, might just have to bitterly sit onto this one!

The question giving is unfair, but being the only candidate depends on the post.

E g. Many school jobs go internally because there is a promoted post going but no need for an additional teacher. They do not get advertised externally.
Equally, I know of situations where a preschool wanted to expand its outdoor provision so advertised an internal position knowing who they wanted to get it because only one member of staff was experienced in forest school.

It's not ideal having to go up against externals, but places will make a decision about what they want/need.

Tell HR. Tell them colleague has emails as proof and get them to check. Stuff your manager. This is very similar to what happened to me. Really p*ssed me off too.

I understand it’s galling. But it may be that hiring practices have tightened since you joined. Or your boss had his knuckles rapped about it. Or for some personal/political reason he wanted your colleague in post.

Whatever the reason raising it is either going to (a) put your colleague in an awkward position and risk her reputation and relationship with the boss (b) get your boss in hot water, putting you and your colleague in the spot light (c) make you look sour faced and petty, getting you black-balled later on (d) all of the above.

Best option is to try for the promotion and if you don’t get it start looking for companies with more ethical hiring practices!

Tell HR. Tell them colleague has emails as proof and get them to check. Stuff your manager.

I disagree with this advice. You have everything to lose by doing this and nothing to gain. If you run to HR complaining about your manager and something that happened a year ago, do you really believe that promotion will happen? No.

If you get the promotion, you know you have got it on your own merits (unlike your spoonfed colleague). Although given she has shared everything with you, you've effectively been spoonfed by proxy.

Your colleague's situation as the only candidate for promotion was totally different to yours where you have to be treated the same as the external candidates.

But it may be that hiring practices have tightened since you joined. Or your boss had his knuckles rapped about it.

This. If it got out how that process went, and you have a strong HR dept, then he may well have been told not to do it again. Hiring processes change/are tightened up all the time, meaning there can be different experiences between different hiring rounds

Unfair is also a relative thing - if you were competing in the same promotion cycle against someone who has these advantages over you, then yes that's very unfair. If everyone who has applied for the current opening is being treated the same, then to me, that's fair. Yes the hiring process is tougher now, but as long as you're on an equal footing with other current candidates, I don't think you have cause for complaint.