A Hiring Fable: A String of Unfortunate Events

For many of us, hiring is just one of many, many responsibilities that we have on our to-do lists, and sometimes it just doesn’t get the attention that it deserves. But it’s important to remember this isn’t just about the one person that we hire. There are also lots of other people involved that we talk to but do not hire. And everyone involved in the process deserves to be treated with courtesy and respect.

Some of us haven’t interviewed for a job in years. Maybe some of us grew up in a family business and really haven’t ever had to interview for a job other than that high school job we took stocking shelves at the local grocery store. We forget what it’s like to be on the candidate side of the hiring equation. So for the sake of keeping this an easy read – lets tell the story of Joe and Sandra.

Meet Joe

Joe runs a small construction business. He’s short-staffed out in the field and he’s been putting in long hours to try to take some of the stress off his project managers. To add to his own stress, his office manager had a family situation that fast tracked her retirement, and now he has that hole to fill on top of everything else. He manages to post some job ads for an office manager, but he’s stretched so thin that interviewing is not top of his priority list. He’s really a kind and compassionate boss, but he’s exhausted.

Meet Sandra

Sandra works for a small business. She loves being an office manager, but ever since COVID hit, her employer has experienced a cash crunch. As a result, when the part-time bookkeeper quit, her boss asked her to take on bookkeeping, and now she’s been averaging 50-60 hours a week in addition to being a mom to two school age kids. The future of the company is uncertain, and her workload is causing burnout. She sees Joe’s ad for an Office Manager and clicks “apply.”

Moving Forward

Joe is so busy that he lets all of the resumes sit for ten days before he reviews them. He picks out a few to call in for interviews. Three of the five don’t call him back—maybe they found other jobs because of the delay. Who knows? But Sandra and Caroline do call him back to schedule an interview.

Sandra was excited to hear from Joe since the job is just ten minutes from her house. She grew up helping in the office of her dad’s construction business, so she knows the industry well. Joe sounded nice on the phone. Because of his tight schedule, she had to ask off work early on Wednesday to get to the interview; 2 o’clock was the only time he offered her. She hopes this won’t make her current boss suspicious.

The Interview

Sandra shows up ten minutes early both nervous and excited to learn more about Joe and his business. When she walks in, the project manager informs her that Joe is running late. They had a situation on a job site. She knows how it was for her dad, so she waits patiently… for 45 minutes. Finally, Joe comes flying through the door, genuinely apologetic, and escorts her into the conference room that still has papers from an earlier meeting scattered across the table.

They start talking. Joe clearly hasn’t looked at her resume since he called her last week to set up the interview. He also hasn’t thought through interview questions. Regardless, his kind heart and desire to offer his employees work/life balance comes through during the interview. And Sandra does a great job highlighting her relevant experience.

At the end of the interview, Joe tells Sandra she will hear back in a week or less with a decision. He tells her there is just one other candidate that he is interviewing. She leaves feeling hopeful. Being in the top two is great odds!

The Waiting

One. Two. Five. Six days pass. It’s the following Wednesday—day seven. Sandra is certain she’ll hear something one way or the other about this job. The day passes. No word. Disappointed, she goes to bed and hopes for news the next day.

Joe liked Sandra, but Caroline said she could start immediately. Joe offered her the job at the interview. Caroline started on Monday. With that task off his to-do list, Joe focused on getting one of their remodeling projects back on track. He forgets all about Sandra.

Friday comes and at the end of the day Sandra decides to shoot Joe an email to see if there is any update. The weekend is a time of waiting, but she’s losing hope and starting to feel a little disrespected. Doesn’t Joe care about the promise he made to let her know within a week?

The Disappointment

On Monday, Joe sees the email. His heart sinks. Sandra was actually his favorite candidate, but Caroline’s fast start time appealed to him. Sandra wanted to give a three-week notice to her current employer because of the key role she played there. He knows he really blew it by forgetting to get back with her about the decision. He sends her an email to tell her the position was filled.

Sandra is disappointed by the news. She really wanted the job and felt like it could have been a good fit for her skills and interests. In the meantime, she’d actually turned down an offer from another employer because she was holding out for Joe.

The Costs

Turns out there is a reason Caroline could start so quickly. She may interview well, but her skill-set, work ethic, and attitude leave much to be desired. Joe skipped references, but now he does some digging and discovers she was fired from her last position. He can see why. Four weeks in, and he already has to let her go. Does he dare call Sandra back? He didn’t exactly give her the best impression of the company. He takes a chance.

Sandra has mixed feelings about the circle back offer from Joe. She certainly doesn’t jump at the opportunity when he explains what happened and offers her the job. Her boss recently gave her a $2 per hour raise and opted to let her work remotely two days per week. Her time-off requests made him wonder if she was looking for a new job, and he can’t afford to lose her. A month ago, she would have jumped at Joe’s offer, but she lets him know that she’ll think it over and get back to him. Sandra decides to stay with her current employer, and Joe has to start over with his hunt for an office manager.

The Wrap Up

While all the characters in this story are fictional, it is some very realistic fiction! We’ve seen this scenario play out again and again in all types of roles and industries. Well meaning, kindhearted, caring hiring managers and small business owners unintentionally sabotage their relationships with top candidates through poor communication and preparation.

When working with candidates ask yourself, How would I treat them if they were a customer? They are real people. They’ve got hopes, dreams, families, and bills to pay. They are asking for a seat at your table, a place on your team, and taking time to meet with you to explain their skills and explore your opportunity. Remember the golden rule, and treat them with respect, kindness, and professional courtesy.