PrintNovember 4, 2008
Would You Hire This Man?
Before the interview, I contacted several of his references. Each gave a glowing appraisal of the man and his abilities but when asked about specific accomplishments, none came to mind. Nonetheless, they all spoke as if they were certain I would hire him and I was very interested in meeting this applicant.
I was impressed by his appearance as he entered the room. I shook his hand but before I could start the interview he began by telling me how I was going to try to make him look bad. He said, "You are going to argue that I am too risky and that I don't look like the other applicants". I informed him that I intended to treat him like every other applicant and inquired as to why he wanted this job. He said that the man who had occupied the position for the last eight years was the worst that we had ever had and because of this the company was "not what it once was". He said he could bring change.
"You intend to change the way the job is performed?" I asked. "No," he said. "I intend to change the whole company, the entire industry even." I informed him that this was a commendable goal, but judging from his resume he did not have the kind of experience that would warrant such grand ambition. "I don't have a lot of experience it is true, but I have good judgment". I asked him to give me an example and he referred me to a speech he had written years ago. He saw that I was unimpressed and quickly added that his performance in this interview should be proof enough that he has the necessary qualifications for the job, and that, in fact, he was the most qualified candidate who has applied for this position in a very long time. He compared himself to several legends in the industry, even implying that his performance would transcend the very job itself.
I informed him that for security reasons I had had a background check made on him and although his record was clean I did need to get some information about a number of questionable people with whom he had associated with over the years. One was a controversial member of the community who had said many inflammatory things about our industry, another was a recently convicted felon, and another was a man who had bombed one of our company buildings years ago. I asked him about each of these individuals and to each he gave the same response, "They're not the people I once knew" and "they won't be advising me". He added, "If it's necessary for me to denounce them to get the job, I will."
Sensing that the interview was winding down he asked, "When would you like me to begin?" I informed him I had not yet made my decision and he became suddenly belligerent. He accused me of being biased, just as he had predicted. He said that he had already spoken to all of my associates at the company, asserting that they had immense respect for him and threatened that they would be very upset if he were not hired. He then flashed a big, broad smile, shook my hand and ended the meeting with, "This was great. Let me know when you've made your decision."
