Opinion ID: 786178
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to Promote to Account Manager

Text: 11 Having established that she is a member of a protected class, Williams must establish that she was qualified for the Account Manager position. As Williams correctly notes, the plaintiff's burden of establishing a prima facie case of disparate treatment is neither onerous, nor intended to be rigid, mechanized or ritualistic. Abdu-Brisson, 239 F.3d at 467 (internal citations and quotation marks omitted). Nevertheless, this burden is not inconsequential. We have held that being `qualified' refers to the criteria the employer has specified for the position. Thornley v. Penton Publ'g, Inc., 104 F.3d 26, 29 (2d Cir.1997). Therefore, in order to establish a prima facie case of discrimination, Williams must show that she met the defendant's criteria for the position. 12 By her own admission, Williams may not have been qualified for the Account Manager position, because she did not possess the two to three years of proven performance working with medium to large accounts required for that position. Williams, however, argues that Donnelly previously interpreted the requirements for the Account Manager position loosely, and consequently, interviewed candidates without the required experience. In support of her claims, Williams asserts that Scott Allan, a white male applicant for the Account Manager position, had qualifications similar to hers, but was granted an opportunity to interview for the position. It is undisputed, however, that Allan, unlike Williams, had two to three years experience in sales, and ranked in the top third of his peer group in sales. Thus, Donnelley's decision to interview Allan, rather than Williams, for the position does not suggest that Donnelley relaxed the qualifications necessary for the Account Manager position. Williams simply failed to show that she was qualified for the Account Manager position, therefore this claim fails.