I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason; cause and effect, ying and yang, you get the point.
A few months ago we interviewed several candidates for a position and narrowed it down to two candidates. One was well qualified, knowledgeable, within our salary range; he was a perfect fit. The other had some experience but not the amount we ideally wanted. There names were as similar as Tom and Todd.
The hiring manager approves the hire of Todd. I asked the manager twice, are you sure this is the candidate you want and each time I got a yes. We all jumped through the background hoops and everything was a go. Todd was set to start the following Monday.
New hire orientation starts and the manager comes running into my office like her hair is on fire. “That’s not, how did…why is Todd here?” Me: “Um, because that’s the dude we hired.” Manager: “But that’s not the candidate I wanted, I wanted the one with all the qualifications and experience.”
The manager got the names mixed up and we hired the wrong candidate.
Two weeks later another position comes up and without hesitation we hire Tom. The manager is elated to have Tom on the team.
All the while, Todd is in training and learning like any good employee should.
Half way through his training, Tom quits via voicemail with no notice saying he got a better offer somewhere else. I’m sure you can imagine the managers many stages of grief. We started the requisition process and to our surprise the requisition was denied and the open position was closed.
We’re stuck with one less person and Todd. The manager was not a happy camper. Todd on the other hand was working diligently to learn the processes of his position and making friends around the office.
Todd turned out to be an excellent employee. Here’s my point. Good employees come in all shapes and sizes. Tom wasn’t meant to be an employee of this company, Todd was. Todd has excelled despite the managers original assumptions. With Tom on the team, Todd would have received less attention (sad but true) and thus his achievements and growth would have been less.
Work with what you’ve got; make the best out of circumstances. We don’t always get what we want in HR, or as job seekers, but it’s up to us to make margaritas out of limes and tequila.
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Amen! This is a good example. HR has to make the best out of bad situations and look beyond the gloom and doom to the possible outcomes both good and bad and develop scenarios.
Jessica Miller-Merrell
@blogging4jobs
Really interesting story, April. Perhaps showing that a positive attitude and solid work ethic might need to count for more in the ‘normal’ interview process than the hiring manager had previously considered. I am glad it has worked out for Todd and the organization.
@Jessica I dont do gloom and doom, eternal optimist that’s me
@Steve Positive attitude is key, especially in a new job.
Just goes to show you that most managers don’t know crap.
Oh wait, that’s not the point of the story?
@Laurie Well, that’s kind of the point. You cant trust managers.
Great story April! It just goes to show you, you really shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, the person, or the resume.
Bravo!
Shennee
Funny story! I would have loved to see the manager’s face when the ‘wrong’ person showed up! I’m glad there was a happy ending and a margarita at the end.
Great article!