So I think this is odd, and I'm in need of some help.
I've been with my current company for 10 years, and my coworker for 22. We're quite loyal, and it's been rewarded. But now, our supervisor (who's been with the company for 30 years) is finally retiring.
Coworker and I both apply for the newly open Director – level job.
I totally expect my coworker to get the job. They've been the # 2 person in the department for a long time, they're perfectly qualified, and even ran the department themselves for a short while. The retiring director has pretty successfully delegated their responsibilities to both us (again, pretty great working conditions overall). So they'd be the perfectly natural fit for the director job. They'd be a good boss, too. I respect them a lot.
BUT.
This week, I get invitations to interview FOUR (4!) other candidates from outside the company. While it's totally understandable that they'd interview other people, it's beyond depressing and demoralizing that they wouldn't just promote the VERY obvious candidate who's been loyal for decades. Why go above and beyond if they're not promoting from within?
Long story short (too late!) do I tank the four (I'm sure perfectly fine) interview candidates out of disgust that they're not hiring from within? Talk to other coworkers who are interviewing them about doing our best to give them the thumbs down? Contact HR / the CEO directly about my concerns?