The headline is provocative — I wouldn’t have phrased it that way, but this anecdote was certainly interesting.
[W]hen I asked him about his BA in English, which he had earned about five years earlier, he got nervous. “What was your favorite century of English literature,” I asked. But he hadn’t really focused on any particular era. Nor did he have an opinion.
“Did you have a particular affinity for poetry, drama, old novels?” He punted on that one too.
“Well, what was your favorite book? Or your favorite author?” He stared at me somewhat blankly.
“Oh, well, there were a bunch. None that really jump out at me right now. It was kind of a long time ago, you know? My memory is a bit hazy,” he said with a chuckle, before talking about how fun college was. I laughed politely, wrapped up the interview in 15 minutes, and informed the team that we would not be hiring this candidate.
Many fine professors and senior executives have written books about team-building and how to be a great manager. At some point, I will write about this meaty topic for PandoDaily. But here’s an amuse bouche until then:
Don’t hire losers.
