My experience as a candidate with this organization’s vetting process for a new Executive Director was poor. After multiple interviews spaced over a period of 7+ weeks, followed by weeks with no communication from the organization, I withdrew from consideration.
The vetting process was unlike any other ED or executive level role vetting process I have experienced or participated in from the employer side. It lacked consideration, respect for me, my time, and credentials.
The process was steeped in unfair hiring practices: uni-directional interviews, too many steps in the process in the guise of being “thorough” to find the “right” candidate, ghosting, and reliance on biases, outdated assumptions, and generalizations to assess soft skills, temperament and values.
Based on comments made by some search committee members, in response to my lived experience and work history, it’s apparent that there is a lack of insight and understanding of the impact of inequitable systems and institutions on candidates who are not white, cis men.
Following my withdrawal, I had a conversation with the hiring manager to share my reasons. What is shared here, has been shared with the organization in greater detail. In response, I was informed that I was not off base in my perceptions and that the organization had essentially mismanaged the process.