Unfairly treated in job application

[Piggywaspushed]

I would change my username for this but don't know how to : and anyway , last time I did this, two posters recognised me!

Precise information is very outing . To edit the narrative a little, I applied for a post (not a promotion and not a job open to only one person). I more than met the requirements for the job and sought support and a reference from the correct people. There were a fair number of applicants (double figures) and I was one of only three people not appointed to this role. Many of the people appointed were plainly less qualified and experienced than me.

It turns out one of my two references wasn't very supportive (I'd like to point out that the other one was glowing!), and that opinions on me had been sought more widely than from my referees. I also don't trust the interviewing to be a transparent process. This bit is vvvvv outing but kind of relevant. One of the shortlisters was a referee for at least two other applicants and another one is married to an (successful!) applicant.

I have received feedback which largely focused on the negative perceptions people have of me (which was of course very upsetting and a view held amongst a coterie rather than everyone I work with < I'd add) rather than my ability to do the job and criticised some aspects of my interview which I cannot really refute but don't believe.

Anyway, I think the whole process was biased and unfair. I am aware of safer recruitment etc.

Do I have any recourse to challenge all this or is it a waste of time?

The shortlisters having obvious conflicts of interests is unprofessional and unfair, but they weren’t actually involved in the final decision?

Who are you thinking of complaining to?

Sounds horrible, but unfortunately if they feel you wouldn't fit the team then that's really all they need to go on.

Good riddance.

Wow, that was quick!

To say they weren't involved in the final decision is, on the face of it , true, but they had such an opportunity to air their views before my interview that I was told I went into the interview already at a disadvantage.

I don't really know who to complain to. My union, maybe?

Good riddance indeed! Unfortunately, because of my current role, I still have to work with these people.

No one is going to hire based on less than fabulous references. Most employers would have made the same decision. Change the reference to someone who will be really positive!

You could raise a grievance, but you’re not going to be given the job as it’s already been filled, and might make you sound sore.

Does your company have an anonymous line for whistle blowers? I might report there

I had to use one of the referees unfortunately ...

I think this is why personal references are not used any more in so many places...

I don't want to raise a grievance ... I find that sort of thing very stressful.

No whistle blowing thing. It's a school fwiw.

They could actually still give me the job :it was never a finite number.

Could it be you were too expensive?

In this particular case, no. I was cheap!

To be brutally honest, they did the right thing. You got an unfavourable reference so they made wider enquires (in case the referee held a grudge against you). It sounds like there was more than one person who criticised either your personality or your work. Either way, it would be too risky to offer you a post. I’m sorry that this isn’t what you want to hear, but if I was interviewing, I’d have done the same.

They didn't need to make the wider enquiries. This is all in the same place so they know me and I know them. They were not making wider enquiries outside their own circle.
Had they actually bothered to make genuine wider enquiries they know full well they would have found many people who had good things to say!

It is too complicated to explain but they will have known in advance that one of the references might damn with faint praise.

Water under the bridge now, I guess.

I may not have made it clear in hindsight that the 'wider enquiries' were actually their (the shortlisters) own opinions.

....aaand didn't mention the person who wrote my reference was also an applicant for the post, bizarrely.

You probably have grounds on conflict of interest but knowing school cultures I would be inclined to polish off all your achievements and look for a post where you will be valued.

Yes, you are right, as ever. I come up against ageism and MATs with their ingroup recruiting and a few other issues externally so rarely make shortlists. Hey ho.

They may have done wider enquires in order to possibly keep you in the pool of people they'd appoint. The issue is more the poor reference. If not for that they wouldn't have sought others' opinions.

Was this an externally advertised post or internal applicants only, OP? It sounds more like an internal one with all the intermingled referees and shortlisters!

Both chic. The successful people were external, internal and departing colleagues.

I have now seen the reference. The key is a ticked box. the actual written reference is luke warm rather than awful. I suppose y bone of contention is that the other one was amazing. But didn't balance out any negatives.

If it’s all internal and the people making the decision know you, they clearly for whatever reason don’t think you are right for the post. Complaining about that won’t help you, as unless you’ve actually been unlawfully discriminated against, recruiting managers are ‘allowed’ to make those decisions, and when recruiters already know the applicants, they are naturally going to take into account their pre-existing opinions of the individuals concerned.

You need to look outside your own school/MAT for advancement, by the sounds of things.

Yes ; easier said than done flowery. It really is not for want of trying.

I am aware that all this makes me sound like a liability and shit at my job. I'm really not

I think you also might want to consider why people were negative and work on that.

I am confident that it's because they aren't nice people. Honest. and that they wanted to appoint spouses and friends