WorkWise BlogTip: Failed Communication

David Morgan (adsbringcustomers.com) was interviewing a man for a position at a mapping software developer in Cambridge, England. He needed one more person for the team of technical editors he was heading. The candidate across the desk seemed just right, for 15 minutes. Then things unraveled. Because the applicant had asked for the typical travel expenses, Morgan had felt that his feet were on the ground. However, the man began to seem work-shy, according to Morgan.

“When we asked to see some samples of his work,” he recalls, “things turned very strange. He started to talk about his friendship with an Arab Oil Sheik. Then he said that he was the Heir to the Throne of France.”

Morgan invited a team member, a psychologist, to render an opinion on whether this person might fit as the new technical author. He awaited his colleague’s reaction.

“After half an hour,” Morgan says, “he emerged in deep shock. I don't think his training had prepared him to interview the Heir to the Throne of France.”

Dr. Mildred L. Culp welcomes your questions at culp@workwise.net. Copyright 2010 Passage Media.