In our July "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:
Suppose one is pre-tenure and has been asked to participate on a hiring committee for a job specifically created for a person already at the institution who is in a temporary position. This fact–that the job is "for X" is widely known and openly discussed at faculty meetings. Yet, per institutional requirements, there is an ad and a search. There is virtually no chance anyone outside will get the job but making a stir about this without tenure seems foolhardy. So does voting for one of the (potentially better) outside candidates who applies.
What should one do?
I don't know. My sense is that there are inside candidates or favorites in many industries, but also, that these candidates don't always get the job, including in academia. I've heard anecdotally that search committees may begin a search strongly favoring an inside candidate, but then end up selecting another candidate that they take to be better in the end. In any case, I've never been in this kind of situation, and the ethical issues seem like ones that reasonable people may disagree over. As for legal issues, I'm not entirely sure what the law holds here, including what protections there may or may not be for whistleblowers on an issue like this.
What do you all think? Do any readers have any helpful tips, experiences, or other insights to share?
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