The Internal Candidate

And... The Other Candidate

The Internal Candidate

SUMMER HIRING

She’s been your AP for four years. She’s good. Your staff respects her. She applies for the department head opening and she’s qualified for it, clearly. But when you sit across from her in the interview, something shifts. She’s not interviewing. She’s expecting. And you have another candidate who, on paper and in the room, is stronger.

Internal candidates are one of the harder judgment calls in school leadership. The person already knows your culture, your systems, and your kids. That has value. But loyalty and competence are not the same thing, and treating them as if they are doesn’t serve anyone.

The first mistake school leaders make is avoiding the honest evaluation because they’re afraid of the conversation. If the internal candidate is not the strongest applicant, hiring them because it feels safer is a disservice to your students, your staff, and ultimately to the candidate herself.

The second mistake is the opposite. Passing over a qualified int…