Not sure I'm going to get a fair interview.. wwyd?

[FrameyMcFrame]

I'm got an interview for an internal vacancy in my organisation which is a step up and more responsibilities.

Today another candidate came up to me and told me she was shortlisted too and she knew I'd applied because one of the interview panel had been telling her who was shortlisted. She also knew who else had an interview.

This seems a bit unprofessional and unfair to me. I wasn't actually going to mention to anyone that I'd applied but now I'm sure most people will know as this other person is quite a gossip.

Also, it seems an unfair advantage for her to be told who else is shortlisted when the other candidates haven't been given any of this info.
I get the impression that she is the favourite for the promotion, I've sort of thought this for a while but felt I was being a bit irrational about it but after hearing this I think I should probably trust my instincts!

The interview is on Monday.

I feel like I might just drop out now as I don't think I'm going to get a fair hearing.

It sounds like she's trying to intimidate you. Definitely don't drop out!! It may be that she's the preferred candidate for some management but even if that's the case you'll get your face out there. Best of luck

Ok, true.

Is it normal practice to tell candidates who else has applied? Seems unfair to me.

Hmmm, well you never know. I suppose you could ask yourself:

• how much you want the job
• whether the interview practice would be useful
• how you might feel if you didn’t get it
• whether going for the job,even if you don’t get it, might signal your desire to progress, and therefore be a positive thing

In other words, is ‘suck it and see’ a feasible approach? Depends on your organisation of course...

Good questions to think about.

I feel quite negative about the whole thing now.

I'm stuck on the pint of thinking this isn't fair, I didn't want people to know I was applying.

Ask HR if your application and interview could be kept confidential. They may well be concerned that another candidate is gossiping about this.

I would contact HR and say that you have been made aware that one of the candidates has been given details of those shortlisted. For some reason but you have not received this communication, could they please resend the email as you wish to be in the same position as other applicants.

You could also say that you were hoping to keep your application private, you didn’t realise it was company policy to disclose candidates.

Very unprofessional on the part of the panel member. Poor judgement as well as the person they told obviously can’t keep their mouth shut!

I would definitely send Pina's email. The person who disclosed the information is very unprofessional.

Really not sure.

Will I be thought of as a troublemaker?

I am wondering if they've breached my right to privacy as far as Data is concerned?

Cmon. She's just trying to get you to feel intimidated. Don't go complaining to hr right now, that's one way to fuck off your interviewers.

Just plaster a grin on it. Go in their and dazzle them. Play her at her own game.

I don’t think it was professional of the panel member but tbh you sound like it is bothering you far too much. In actual fact you sound like you are talking yourself into a position where you are going to underperform at interview then blame it on everyone else if you don’t get the job.

I don’t think I’ve ever been up for an internal job where I haven’t known any of the other candidates.

It was absolutely no advantage to this woman that she knows you’re applying. You have made it an advantage to her because of the mindset it has put you in but for all you know she is equally worried about you. She was either just making chit chat with you or trying to undermine you by making it sound like she closer to the panel than you.

Do the interview prep, think positively. Go in there and do a great interview with a good attitude.

I would report what the other candidate said to you, in factual terms, to the recruiting manager copied to HR, because the manager / panel member may well be removed from the panel before any interviews as a result of the privacy breach.

And prep very well for the interview.

Knowing who other candidates are is no advantage, however.

I am sorry that you are having to deal with it on top of the stress of the interview process. It does make a very interesting conundrum,

you have been made aware that one of the candidates has been given details of those shortlisted.

Sending this email is a risk if it turns out that the other candidate is just trying to intimidate you. Of course, it is fair enough if the other candidate has officially been given this information. Since this is such a blatant discrimination I would be very surprised if the information had been given out officially.

You could instead ask HR to confirm whether other candidates have been given details of the names of the candidates who had been shortlisted.

Letting the other candidate 'get' to you is very human but of course not professional.

Assuming that the names have been made public or at least not kept confidential is quite a serious accusation. I would avoid calling their reputation into question by accusing them of this on what is quite flimsy evidence. The other candidate could easily say she was just joking and never thought you would take her seriously

I hope it goes well for you.

She was definitely told, otherwise how would she have known that I was shortlisted, I hadn't told anyone.

I agree, I've developed a bad attitude towards the whole process now. I'd like to somehow turn it around and feel positive about the interview again.

To be fair, I'd felt positive and was preparing well and looking forward to the challenge before I spoke to this other candidate.

It is a problem that my application hasn't been kept confidential as I'll be leaving my current team if I get this job and I hadn't told my line manager that I'd applied. Now I suspect she also knows too... so I do feel compromised.

But I don't want to be a twat about it.

Focus on interview prep OP.

She’s psyching you out
Go and give it your best shot and nail it.

I sit beside HR. Sometimes I pick up things I shouldn't (though I would never repeat it). Maybe she overheard something, guessed you applied or someone left something at the printer. Maybe an HR person told a mutual friend of the other candidate (booking a room for example).

Even if it was a member of interview panel there are usually 3 so it is not only one opinion that counts.

If the other candidate has been so inappropriate with you then likely this kind of behaviour has been noticed by others and they may not be well thought of at all.

Go for it. If you dont get it then you might be disappointed, worry it has been unfair then you can accept that or look elsewhere. If you don't try you will never know. How will you feel if a completely different person gets the job and you didnt try.

Good luck

Don’t approach HR as it could filter through you were complaining and it could been seen as already trouble making. ( bitter experience)

Honestly I’d let this one go.

She is just messing with you to try and undermine you.

She’s psyching you out

Totally this. She is making you believe that she is a shoo in for the job by dropping in that she 'talked to a member of the interview panel.'

Remember she might not even know who was shortlisted but took a chance that you applied and was fact finding. She wants you to feel negative and off balance as it gives her a better chance. Don't let her play you. You have no proof she knows anything!

Prepare well for the interview, ask trusted colleagues to help you with interview prep and give you honest feedback. Use the STAR technique to prepare lots of strong examples showing how you fit what they are looking for. Don't forget to study the area you are moving to as well. So if they asked What is X departments main focus at the moment and how can you help achieve that / those goals? Could you answer that.

Good luck

Yes. Thanks everyone.
I will concentrate on prepping and reading my notes. I tend to get stuck in negative cycles of thinking so this is not a good thing for me.

She was definitely told though, as she told me who the other candidate is too...
when I said there might be others who are shortlisted she said 'no, it's just us 3'

I then asked, but how do you know? And she said that this panel member told her... I was quite 🤔 about it and said when did she tell you that?

Then she was a bit cagey and said that she'd 'seen her' assuming this meant out of work and that she had told her then...,

I know it's not an advantage

But I still feel there's something behind it.

Perhaps try to look at the interview as gaining more experience for the future - despite whether the outcome is successful or not?

Even if you and she both know you're both short listed, I don't see why you think the interview process will not be fair.

You'll probably never know the real circumstances of how she found out, but it is irrelevant in real terms.

If you are the right person for the job, you will have given your interview panel the confidence and justification they need to select you. This other candidate won't be there to witness your performance and nor will you be there when they have their turn. So focus 100% on being calm, well prepared and engaging to the questions you're asked.

Do your best and you won't regret it. And please don't get HR involved, it will reflect on you.

Having participated in multiple internal promotion / job change processes .... who's being interviewed always gets around, it's water-cooler fodder and I wouldn't read anything into it about your chances