Managing Sticky Situations at Work

Sticky Interview Situations 145where we could talk, but she’d gotten hysterical by then. Can youimagine?’’The candidate shakes his head and crosses his hands in his lap.‘‘Tell me about your work in the antique store. What exactlydid you do?’’‘‘This and that.’’‘‘Did you work full time?’’‘‘Only the weekends.’’Paul frowns. ‘‘Ah, you worked weekends for a year, right?’’‘‘Yeah.’’‘‘I also see,’’ Paul continues, deciding to change the subject,‘‘that you are not from this area. What brought you to our city?’’‘‘School.’’‘‘So, you attended the university?’’‘‘No, the Tech School.’’‘‘What was that like for you?’’‘‘Good.’’By now Paul is sweating. He can’t seem to get this candidate totalk. No matter what he asks, the candidate responds in threewords or less. Paul cannot imagine him working well with hiscustomers.APPLYING THE SAY IT JUST RIGHT MODELDECISION POINTSPaul weighs the costs. The candidate’s background looked promisingbecause he had some retail experience. But, Paul’s initial impressionis not good. He cannot see this candidate working well withpeopleandwonderswhyheevenappliedforajobatPaul’sstore.Rather than give up completely, Paul decides to probe a little further.Paul may have trouble finding a candidate with experience who wouldwant to work as an assistant clerk. Yet, he would rather have someonehe can train than an employee who is so impersonal. At the same time,Paul wants to conduct a courteous, professional interview. He doesnot wish the conversation to end abruptly.Paul sets his limits. Paul decides to ask questions to try and get thecandidate to open up. If the candidate still remains closed, he will endthe interview on as polite a note as he can.Paul determines the power sources. Being in the position to hire,Paul is in the seat of power. He can decide to hire this person or not.