Isn't it almost always the case when there's a job that there is more than one applicant who is qualified under a loose definition of the qualifications, and th

Isn't it almost always the case when there's a job that there is more than one applicant who is qualified under a loose definition of the qualifications, and thus the decision makers have to come up with tighter and tighter definitions until there's one winner? I suspect it's the case 99% of the time. You have some widget factory, some team leader leaves, and of his team of 10 you need a new leader. 4 of them are veterans and could do the work if you asked people who understand the business but are not involved in the decision. So then what? Well lets say you have to have published papers in the Journal of Widgets. Great, that leaves three. Now let's see how they do on random questions at interview. Fantastic, 4 of the 6 committee members think it's candidate B. Congrats. It's an effect of the pyramid structure. People who can do the work have to be whittled away somehow, even if it's some silly criterion.