Thinking about it more, it’s kinda wild how dishonest the whole job interview process is.
My old boss used to be on a hiring panel. When you first get hired, you start [by sweeping the floors], which sucks. Everyone knows it sucks. But you are expected to lie in the interview and say you would be really excited to [sweep the floors]. One time, my boss encountered a candidate who spoke his mind honestly. He said, “I wouldn’t really want to [sweep the floors], but I’d be willing to do it to make my way up the ranks.” Just for that, she did not hire him. For speaking the truth that everyone else is thinking too. wtf?? Do we not care about integrity in employees? In human beings? I get that candidates will sometimes be dishonest, but why would you explicitly filter for dishonest ones??
I get mad every time I think of this story. But maybe I’m not much better, because when she related this story (intended as a fun, lighthearted jab at the candidate who made such an egregious faux pas) I just smiled and nodded and did not say anything negative. She was my boss, after all.
Yeah, people can be hired or not based on a whim. The interviewers could just be having a bad day or be in a foul mood, and they may just decline anyone they interview that day. On another day, in a good mood, maybe she would have accepted that same exact person making the same exact comment, but on this particular day, she wasn't having it.
@JustMegawatt Yeah, it's weird how much in life can be determined by a vague feeling... "He didn't seem like a good fit for our organization." Just like that, the trajectory of a life is changed.
@Achaius Every decision we make alters the trajectory of our life. Even delaying a decision or making a decision earlier, the same decision and action just with a slightly different time, can completely alter the trajectory of our life. Of course it's much more apparent when it comes to bigger things like a job, but it applies to every single decision and action we take too.
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