This story is from Forbes.com – Seven Deadly Interview Sins:

David Hoffman (CEO) recalls taking a candidate out for dinner for the final interview. The candidate impressed the hiring committee throughout several rounds of interviews and he was their choice to become a senior consultant…This informal meeting was the final hurdle.

The candidate drank so much scotch that Hoffman had to call an ambulance and the candidate was taken by stretcher to the hospital where he was treated for alcohol poisoning. “You think I’m embellishing but I’m not,” says Hoffman.

I shouldn’t laugh but I keep thinking of the CEO having to call an ambulance at the restaurant.

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Corporate culture is an intriguing topic and one that is difficult to define. Lee and I both used to work for a company that attempted to measure, ascertain, define corporate culture through a homemade tool. It didn’t work, but the topic was still interesting.

I personally believe that culture is experienced directly from your manager. I worked in a company where my dictatorial manager created a department that was far different than other departments within sales.

In light of that theory, I give you this quick post from Inc.com Stan O’Neal Failed the First Rule of Leadership. The pull quote:

Beth and the other interns were given a strict set of rules governing how they should behave in the presence of the new CEO. If they saw him walking down the hall, they were to stay out of the way and not speak to him. If they were waiting for an elevator and the door opened and they saw him inside, they were not to get on. If they were already in the elevator and he got on, they were to step to the rear and keep their mouths shut.

Now that is a culture I would not want to experience firsthand.

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The recent murder of a young woman responding to a Craig’s List ad here in Minnesota has saddened all of us. Although the details are still sketchy, it appears to be a heinous, planned murder.

Unfortunately, it has hit close to home with all of us at The Hire Sense. The murder occurred just 20 miles away from us in the same metropolitan county.

Furthermore, we know the victim’s uncle. He is the top candidate for one of the position’s we are selecting for one of our customers. I called the candidate yesterday to follow up on the next step in our process and was utterly stunned when he told me about his relationship to the victim. Obviously, everything is on hold with him as it should be. I was speechless especially after hearing the grief in his voice.

Their family is strong in their faith and, by all accounts, is dealing with this senseless tragedy in an admirable way. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them especially as they move forward with their lives.

And it is a good lesson to all in regards to responding to an ad of any sort. The most prudent path is to meet in a public location. We use coffee shops extensively to meet with candidates. They are public, high-traffic areas. Please keep this idea in mind and share it with anyone you know who is responding to a meeting request with someone they have never met before.

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