A hiring panel keeps choosing the same kind of candidate

The situation

A DSD unit has filled three positions in a year. Each time, the panel chose the candidate who interviewed most fluently and had a graduate degree. Two strong internal candidates with years of direct-support and community experience did not advance past screening.

What to notice first

• The screening criteria may be proxies for the work rather than the work itself.
• Fluency and confidence in an interview are being rewarded without a rubric that ties them to the job.
• Internal candidates with lived experience are being screened out at the same stage each time.

Questions to ask before acting

1. What does each requirement predict about the work?
2. Is there a written rubric, and was it applied the same way to everyone?
3. At which stage do people drop out, and does that differ by community or path into the work?
4. How was accommodation offered?

Practical next moves

• Inclusive hiring and selection (Practice path) — program page /paths/gp-6
• Is this requirement job related? — program page /resources/ja-job-relatedness-check

Who to involve

Bring the pattern, not the names, to your HR partner and Equity Director. Selection procedures are governed by HR, labor agreements, and civil-rights law. DSD staff can also request a consultation to think through the next posting.