I interviewed with Peel Region as an external applicant. In hindsight it felt like a mock interview they conducted to satisfy their equal opportunity policy. I was invited to interview without a phone screening which is rather unusual these days.
The interview felt more like an interrogation: the moment I arrived in the room and took a seat, the panel immediately began asking questions and taking detailed notes. There was no active two-way conversation, no discussion on what the job entails or about the organization. A very disengaging interview. A legit interview would cover all of that!
It appears that many public sector organizations including Peel Region give preference and priority to hiring internal candidates. However, to satisfy their equity criteria, they need to interview external applicants to make the process seem fair - knowing full well that the job will go to an internal candidate. They claim to be committed to hiring the best people for the job (based on qualification) but I believe that is BS!
Getting applicant’s hopes up by having them spend time and incur travel expenses to attend fake interviews to satisfy your internal corrupt policies is extremely unprofessional and completely contrary to the fair employment practices you claim to promote.