Scenario.

After conducting a rigorous interview process open to all internal and external candidates, your hiring committee has already made up their mind to select an extremely qualified external candidate for a managerial position. You are a supervisor at the firm and Emily, an internal employee who was runner-up for the position, has come to express her frustration. She says she doesnt want to be seen as a sore loser but cant help but feel upset about the situation and feels comfortable talking about this in confidence with you. She makes her case that she has been loyal to the company for over eight years and knows their operations inside and out, on top of having all the required qualifications for the job. Emily has even volunteered her time on countless occasions at charity events as representation for the company. Furthermore, she knows that the department has been trying to better reflect the diversity of their target client group, the majority of which are around her age. On top of that, she would have become the first woman in management, thereby increasing the firms diversity even further. You can see that she is very discouraged. Since you are the immediate supervisor, you were responsible for making the final hiring decision. Just before she leaves, Emily asks for a reasonable explanation as to why the external candidate was chosen over her. Essentially, your hiring committee voted for the external male candidate because of his higher level of education and professional performance in the interview. Also, being fresh out of graduate studies, he will be expected to bring expert advice and innovative ideas to the companys culture. QUESTIONS.

• How do you proceed in this situation (i.e., how much feedback should you provide to Emily and how will you help to support her in the following weeks)?
• How would you have assessed this hiring decision, and how can a hiring committee ensure they have strategically arrived at a final judgment?