Oh absolutely, and I think that maybe, just maybe, there should be a legally mandated annotation on such a posting that an internal candidate has been identified and you are competing with them.<p>In my experience, even worse than a rejection was being offered a salary <i>not</i> commensurate with my experience, and in the neighborhood of $5,000 less than what I was already making in a nearly identical role. I&#x27;ve had that happen on at least three occasions, where the employer was either being dishonest about the salary range or withheld that information until very late in the process; even if for innocuous reasons, it functionally seemed like attempting to put me in a difficult position (stay where you are or leave for us for less and no written&#x2F;promised path for advancement of position or salary).