Why do companies allow their internal candidates for the position you are applying for sit in on the interviews?

Korinne

July 15,2022 at 1:21PM UTC

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Why do companies allow their internal candidates for the position you are applying for sit in on the interviews? I have now had two interviews with a hiring team in which I did not get the position, only to find out later one of the members of the team that interviewed me got the position. These were both in higher education. One was a little known college in the Midwest, but the other is a VERY prestigious Ivy League University. In both interviews, I can remember there was one person who was standoffish and realized in both, it was the person that eventually got the job. Is it this wrong or am I misunderstanding how search work now?

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Christine JacquesJuly 15,2022 at 3:08PM UTC
That seems like a conflict of interest I've never heard of internal candidates for a job being on the hiring team.
Kathy SternerJuly 15,2022 at 3:23PM UTC
This one is easy; an internal candidate for the same job you are interviewing for should NEVER be included on panels. If they are, then it is a sign of poor leadership within the company.
Tomilyn RichardsJuly 15,2022 at 3:46PM UTC
That is just weird and shouldn't happen...
Sue Gordon- retired Career CoachJuly 15,2022 at 4:09PM UTC
That shouldn't happen. Bad on the search committee. Other candidates should not be on the committee, and they should not attend any public presentations- basically their sole role should be to be the applicant and not have any voice on the other candidates. Very odd and poor form.
Cyndi RosenblattJuly 15,2022 at 5:21PM UTC
I can't imagine allowing such a thing. Absolutely not permitted for us.
Crystal HowellJuly 16,2022 at 12:29PM UTC
Don't know or ever heard of, just ask HR?
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 16,2022 at 5:28PM UTC
I've never heard of such a thing and I've been a recruiter for over 20 years.
This seems like such a conflict of interest. If they're a candidate and they're part of the hiring team, what are the chances they're EVER going to say another candidate should get the job.
I don't know if this is a thing in higher education but it seems like an unethical and unfair practice to me.
And this happened to you TWICE?! I don't even know what to say.
AnonymousJuly 19,2022 at 12:18PM UTC
Joan , I need help finding a job. How do I get connected to you?
AnonymousJuly 16,2022 at 11:45PM UTC
That is not the norm nor is it acceptable. It is possible they already made their decision and decide to still hold interviews as a formality, but my my very sloppy way to go about that. If that’s how they run things maybe it’s not where you want to be
Audrey KirschJuly 18,2022 at 6:05PM UTC
That's just a waste of time for everyone involved. It can be especially hard for the internal person if you have a terrific interview. They may get the job but it's in their face in front of everyone that there was a better candidate for the position. Curious to know how you know who got the position. If you're following the school's announcements, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. Schools often hire from within. Still I think it's inappropriate to have that person sitting in on an interview.
KorinneJuly 19,2022 at 8:47PM UTC
I found out through LinkedIn when the people announced their new positions. I said "Congrats" and left it at that.