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148 SNAKES IN SUITS
space, the stacks of paper and files, and the low-cost metal furniture.
Al hadn’t seen anything like this for years; as VP of finance for Acme
Tech, he had grown accustomed to oak, mahogany, and teak. “Nice
office,” he said, faking a smile.
Ginny reviewed the information Al had provided on the forms.
As she worked her way through his employment history, she asked
pointed questions about the responsibilities he had in various jobs,
the types of things he could do, and his interactions with others. She
also asked about his family and upbringing. “We were dirt poor,” Al
said proudly, “and I worked my way through college and supported
my mom and younger sisters, as well. I had to become the man of
the house very early because my father was a drunkard and left us
high and dry.” Ginny took careful notes as Al spoke, occasionally referring
to her prepared set of questions.
“What kind of work are you doing now?” she inquired.
“I’m doing a bit of consulting, not much, actually, I’m looking
for the right fit.”
“What kind of job would be the best fit for you, then?” she
asked, checking a few boxes on her worksheet and writing in some
comments.
“Vice President–Finance,” Al started to say, but paused when he
saw Ginny stop writing in midword. “What? That’s the job I had at
Acme Tech—why should I settle for less? I have a lot of financial experience;
I have a long record of accomplishment, as you can see on
my résumé. A company would be very smart to hire someone with
my experience. I just had a turn of bad luck; not really my fault, as
you know reading my cover letter. There were some bad actors on the
executive team at Acme; they put the blame on me because I had
been tough on them. I was clearly the strongest leader the company
had had in a long while, so they framed me.”
Ginny continued making notes and asked a few more questions.
“So you can be a tough boss?”
Al was ready for this question. It was his time to make his pitch:
“You bet I can be tough—like getting my staff to work long hours