So we needed a tech support guy.
Our regular guy, the one who did the nitty-gritty stuff like desktop support, had quit. I was doing phone interviews to find a replacement. This was in the 1990s, when IT people could pretty much write their own ticket in terms of jobs.
I conducted phone interviews with each candidate, to get some basic information for the hiring manager (and to make sure they weren’t freaks). I’d ask the questions, type the responses into my little form, and then forward the results to the hiring manager with a recommendation.
This guy was the last of eight consecutive phone interviews I had that day. He had a strong resume, but he had been unemployed for a few months, which was unusual for an IT person at the time. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the phone interview had gone well. He wasn’t terribly polished, but aside from that, he actually seemed to be a decent candidate.
At the end of the phone interview I told him I had the information I needed, and asked if he had any questions for me.
Him: “Just one question. Is this a Christian-based company?”
Me: “Umm, I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
Him: “You guys have, you know, like, Christian values?”
Me: “I’m not sure. What do you mean by ‘Christian values’?”
Him: “Well, you know, like having a Christmas tree, you know, and not having a lot of Jews. Because I can’t work for people who don’t accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.”
Me: “Okay, well, the owner is Jewish. Is that a problem?”
Him: “Yeah, because I can’t work for Jews. I guess I can’t do this then. This still counts for unemployment, right? Because they say I gotta apply for two jobs a week to get my unemployment check.”
Ummm, yeah. Good luck with that.
Tales of the Cluefree appear pretty much every Friday. Past stories are here.
Photo by Striatic
{ 4 comments }
Wow. Just wow.
abdpbt’s last blog post..Curmudgeon
I once had a candidate make a mildly anti-semitic remark in an interview — presumably not realizing I was Jewish, although who knows. This was years ago, and I sat there in stunned silence. I spent the rest of the interview boiling in rage, and I’ve kicked myself ever since for not saying something. It caught me completely off-guard. Fortunately, I’ve become way more of a bitch since then, so I have no worries about being left speechless if it ever happens again.
Ask a Manager’s last blog post..job candidates who plagiarize
I keep thinking I’ve seen it all, and then I come over here and hear about boobs and anti-semites. If I ever feel the need to drop my jaw all the way to the floor, can I do your job for a day?
Sadistic Manager’s last blog post..How Not to Handle Sexual Harassment
Wow. I guess he forgot the part about his boss is a Jewish carpenter?
class factotum’s last blog post..Marriage 101, Lecture 734: Opposites attract but could cause murder
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