Doers & Achievers

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Hiring Manager: So tell me, are you a “doer” or an “achiever”? Your resume; although quite impressive; suggests that you’ve mostly been a “doer” all along.

Candidate: Well sir, I suppose that I am the kind of “doer” that makes an “achiever”; like yourself for example; feel utterly inadequate and afraid of losing one’s employment if & when I; the “doer”; doesn’t “achieve” your objective.

A brief pause & a visible frown from the Hiring Manager. He shifted slightly in his seat.

Then he took a sip of water in an attempt to mitigate the obvious redness on his face.

Hiring Manager: OK! So…what is your biggest strength?

Candidate: Being able to keep my cool when I hear an honest and original response to a canned and grossly overused interview question.

Hiring Manager: Oh is it? Err…umm…ahem…give me an example of when you failed to accomplish an assignment?

Candidate: I shall certainly notify you if that does happen.

The pencil in the Hiring Manager’s hand was close to snapping at this point.

Hiring Manager: Indeed! Why should we hire you of all these other splendid applicants for this job position?

Candidate: Mostly because my previous employer gave me a 30% raise already suspecting that I am looking for another job position elsewhere. How many current employees would you do that for?

Hiring Manager: So…exactly how many years of experience do you have in Upper Management?

Candidate: Precisely as many years as you had being an adult when you weren’t one yet.

Hiring Manager: Well! I avidly learnt from adults through observation & emulation even when I wasn’t one!

Candidate: Surely not “everything” adults did was observed and/or emulated by you at that tender age…or was it?

The silence that followed was deafening and seemingly endless.

The interview ended abruptly.

The offer letter was sent out to the Candidate the following week.

She refused the offer.