Great story, Chris, and so true to life!

A few years ago, I was hired as a one-year “interim” at a college. They needed someone right away and didn’t have time for the usual ritual incantations.

Before the year was up, they got it together to advertise “my” job, so I had to apply for it if I wanted it. The college had no intention of hiring anyone but me, so the people who got the short end of that stick were the ones who put tremendous effort into applying, thinking they had a shot. I felt very badly about it, but I needed the job.

This sort of thing happens so often, there’s an acronym for it: PSP for “previously selected person.”