Dan and Mia were meeting with Naira, HR Manager.
They were compiling questions for recruitment interviews and Dan was flagging. ‘Tell us about a time when…’, he started, and then stopped.Mia looked at him, puzzled.
He started again. ‘Tell us about a time when your office chair wore out, but you didn’t request a replacement in a reasonable and mature manner.’ Dan smiled at his self-deprecating reference, ‘Do you ever feel as though, as an interviewer, you’re too flawed a human to assess the abilities of someone else?’
Naira, still on task, smiled at Dan. ‘That’s why we prepare, and we’re consistent. Not to remove the human factor completely but to level the playing field.’
Mia, feeling a little frivolous herself returned with, ‘I’ve always thought we should just ask candidates one question – why do you think you can do the job? Then we can email the unsuccessful ones with three words, “Sorry, you’re wrong!”’
Dan and Mia laughed.
Naira smiled and rolled her eyes, then pressed on. ‘Okay, we’re almost done. You have your short list. The best I can do is reinforce the importance of the interviewees feeling relaxed.
I know you know this but, remember, we want to know what they’re passionate about. We want to understand the tasks they engage with so much they lose track of time.
Then convince Calvin that your choice is the right one.’
‘Does that really work?’ asked Dan.
‘Getting approval from someone who wasn’t there?’ queried Naira.
Naira turned to Mia, who’d also picked up the irony. ‘Didn’t you just say you’re too flawed a human to assess the abilities of another person?’
‘I think he thinks Calvin is more flawed than he is,’ Mia grinned, knowing she was being very cheeky.
Dan protested, ‘No.’
‘It’s the best I’ve got,’ repeated Naira. ‘It worries me more that we won’t manage people well if, and when, we employ them.’
The other two nodded. Then she added, ‘Not that I have to worry about that in your team Dan.’
Dan wasn’t sure if she was being complimentary or sarcastic, but she was generally a sincere person.
It was enough to refocus the three of them on their agenda, and a short time later they were done. Signalling the end of their preparation Naira closed with, ‘Good job team. You know where to find me if you need me.’
‘Oh, and Dan’, she added as she rose to leave. ‘I’m going to order you a new chair.’
And she smiled a very satisfied smile.
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