[benjamincburns]

I agree that those who participate in a process like this shouldn't circumvent its rules -- that just makes the whole problem much more difficult to manage. However, I think you could just as easily argue that the process itself is scummy for requiring the job posting when a well-qualified candidate has already been identified.

Why is a candidate's country of citizenship the test for whether a role must be posted publicly before it can be filled? Wouldn't it be best for both the economy and the company if this rule were followed (without circumvention) for 100% of job openings? If your answer to that is "no," then why require it in any circumstance?