For those of me that know me and know me well you are perfectly aware that I have that kind of face where people tell me stuff. And not pertinent information either, really nitty gritty down and dirty personal stuff. I don't mind it, I enjoy people and I love my friends who tell me things about themselves and ask for my advice it makes me feel loved and appreciated. The times I wish I had an ogre scowl permanently etched on my face is when I'm interviewing a candidate for a telemarketing position and I hear family drama, drug problems and infidelity within a marriage. Ummmm when did I sign up for this??
Today's interview was a potential re-hire who was here back in 2004. My boss had spoken to him prior and done the phone interview due to my conflicting schedule with an in-house interviewee at the same time. So keep in mind this is the very first conversation I had with him. We sat down and I discussed the compensation to see if it was at a level he would be content with, then chatted a bit more because something felt "off" to me. I just knew if I kept him in there and let him talk for a minute he'd tell me. As this is a common occurrence for Amanda since middle school; my face hasn't let me down yet.
Applicant: "So here's the thing, my wife passed away October 7th and she was the main breadwinner for our home so the thing is I'm still unsure what I need to earn to make ends meet for myself. I never paid the bills, she did everything."
I honestly felt bad for him and apologized for his loss. I explained a bit further on compensation and what the limitations were and what he could expect reasonably as far as earnings to really help him paint a picture. We discussed that he needed to figure out finances first before he could really commit to a full time position and my stance in that I have to ensure we are spending our training dollars wisely. He agreed, and went on further.
Applicant: "You see they don't know if it was an accidental drug overdose or if it was suicide. (Whoa...my heart was kind of breaking for him at this point) and her whole family hates me and thinks it's my fault so they all won't speak to me (now I wasn't following...why would they hate him?) so I know Christmas is gonna be hard and I'm not sure if I'm ready for the next training class"
Okay, fair enough at this point I just needed to get him on his way because he obviously isn't certain if this job is what he needs at this moment. I attempt to gently yet sensitively interject to explain a future training class may be best for his situation. But he kept talking.
Applicant (While lowering his voice in a conspiratorial whisper) "You see, I'm under investigation since they always look at the spouse first I wasn't even home that night! (Um..I wasn't questioning you..you haven't even let me say a word..) And, okay, what happened was, I was having an affair, okay? I f*&ked up. (Nice language in an interview, sunshine..sheesh) And the day after she died the water was cut off, the rent check bounced; she knew, and was planning on leaving me and serving me divorce papers the following week! (by this time my head is in my hands and he has me completely absorbed in his Telenova) On the flip side, because it may be ruled as suicide when the toxicology report comes back I may not get the life insurance. (at this he lowered his voice so low I had to lean forward. I think he honestly thought the room was bugged) Not only that, the woman drank like a fish and was a functioning alcoholic (Oh gawd! Really dude??) and had a gastric bypass which you aren't supposed to drink at all with! (Well technically you're also not supposed to cheat on your spouse and sneak around and lie to her, but that's neither here nor there) So right now I have the numbers of three lawyers (shows me his file folder with three names and phone numbers as if I asked for immediate proof of this statement) that I'm talking to because I just don't know what to do. In the meantime I have two roommates and am letting them stay in the bedrooms while I sleep on the couch, my credit is shot to s*&t (another quarter in the swear jar mister) I may have to file for bankruptcy and my wife may have killed herself because of a mistake I made." At this point I am torn because I'm feeling very badly for him and his current situation, yet I also am unsure what to do with all the dirty laundry piled up around me, as my washing machine is tiny. I gave him my card and genuinely told him I was sorry for what he was going through and to give me a call once his life settled down a bit and he knew what he needed salary wise.
Now, while his story is unfortunate and heartbreaking, what I am attempting to shine light on is the fact that his main objective was to sell himself for an open position within my company. Somehow the conversation was so derailed and tragic he left with only my card, but with a slight bounce in his step as if he felt cleansed; and from what I could tell, I probably should have charged him 100 dollars for that hour. I am also entertaining the idea of looking into another career field, possibly in military intelligence, specifically at Abu Ghraib, as there would be no need for torture anymore.
All I would have to do is sit down, cock my head to the side and say "Tell me a little about yourself"
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