Mis(s)Fit

Whenever I interview someone for my team, I try to see if they would fit in. I love my team. I love being a part of it. We're one of the most cohesive teams in my company *touchwood*. We work together and play the fool together with amazing co-ordination. And somehow, the five of us are very much like one another. So if I feel that a certain candidate will not fit in, even if they have the credentials and experience, I am reluctant to hire them.

So last week I was interviewing this girl. She had excellent credentials, and six years of relevant experience.

"So what made you apply for this job?" I asked.

"Well, one of my very good friends used to work here, and she told me about the work here..."

"Really? What's her name? And what did she tell you about the work?" I asked.

Blank look from interviewee.

Blank look back from interviewer.

"Her name...?" I asked.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I forgot her name. I forgot my own friend's name!" She laughed nervously.

That took me back ten years in time. I had not taken my bicycle that day and so Dad was there to pick me up after school. I was introducing my friends to him, who were standing in a semi-circle around us.

"Dad, this is Raj, and this is Anu, this is Shreya, this is Amit, this is Rajesh, this is Sunny, this is Ritu, and this is..." As I neared completion of the semi-circle, I realised that the name of the last girl had completely escaped my memory. It was unbelievable because she was a very good friend of mine.

So I did the best thing I could think of.

"COUGH-COUGH-COUGH-GASP-CHOKE-COUGH-COUGH!!!"

Someone opened my water bottle and handed it to me, as Dad stood there shocked at my sudden and explosive coughing bout. By the time my coughing had "subsided", my friends had exchanged goodbyes with Dad.

The moment I sat in the car, I exclaimed. "Dad, Pallavi! Pallavi!"

"Huh?" said Dad.

"The last girl! She was Pallavi. Pallavi!!"

"Err... okay..." Dad looked at me with a mixture of confusion and concern.

Flashback over.

So the girl in the interview room continued to look at me blankly for a few more seconds. Then she said, "Uhh... Do you mind if I check my phone?"

"No, problem. Please go ahead."

She looked at her phone, and then proceeded to give me the name of her friend and what her friend had told her about the nature of the work in my company.

Then she looked at me and nervously smiled.

I assessed her in my head.

To forget the name of one of her closest friends' name in the middle of a serious interview where every move of hers was being judged and recorded? To have to look at her phone before she could answer interview questions?

Gosh, this girl was crazy. CRAZY!

"Yup, she'd fit right in." I thought, as I wrote my recommendation.