Many months back Team James advertised for a Choreographer (of love dances). The ad generated hundreds of applicants, a few who were qualified for the position. Several candidates were interviewed and one ultimately was hired.
By design, and for obvious reasons, I was only peripherally involved in this hire. I did read the resumes but beyond that had no further contact until a candidate was chosen. And the contact at that point was only at the insistence of the chosen candidate -- in essence, I was interviewed. This process was agreeable to me and, ultimately, proved successful. The Choreographer was, and remains, a wonderful addition to Team James.
But another candidate from that pool, who's resume didn't even generate an interview, has remained in my consciousness. I was struck by its sheer honesty which included a precise cataloging of both successes and failures. For example: "Fiscal year 2012 was marked by an actual increase in sales revenues of 1.44 M (3.21%), well below the expected revenue increase of 2.47 M (5.5%). My year's-end assessment revealed my performance as the largest contributing factor; therefore, I tendered a resignation, which was accepted."
It occurred to me this resume might be a fully meticulous listing of huey designed to throw off the reader via proliferation of "candid" detail. A few "smears" added to affect the whole, creating a ripe thing, a breathing thing, thus, a desirable thing. Yes, I had those thoughts because that was the affect I felt. Had that been the intent, it worked. But while my brain was on high alert my gut told me I was holding in my possession the one truly honest accounting of a person's work life I might ever encounter.
Rather than delegating to the team, I personally set out to verify each and every claim on the resume with the understanding should any claim prove false, the candidate would no longer hold allure and the game would be up. I spent many hours on the telephone working around "gatekeepers" to get at the executives that could either verify or refute. Many were insistent at tossing me off to HR, but I am a skilled salesman and mostly found their efforts feeble and unimaginative and, ultimately, ineffective.
But try as I might, some I couldn't raise on the telephone. More than one executive was subsequently displeased to find me unannounced and settled into an outer-office chair with my newly arrived treasure, Manual of Painting and Calligraphy, and a very tall cup of coffee. Take your time, pally.
Now I didn't get to all of them and, shameful as it is to admit, a few beat me at my game. But I got to enough to affirm my gut. The results of her background check were stunning -- her previous employers found her exceptional and were truly saddened she was no longer in their employ.
Once satisfied she was the perfect candidate, I had her in for an interview. Confession: hearing her voice the first time on the telephone produced an awkward sort of deja vu -- her voice matched exactly how I had been anticipating (relentlessly) she would look: thin trim tin. And subsequently, her physical appearance one hundred per cent matched her voice and resume. She fit exactly in all ways, which makes her a perfect find: it's like a thing lost or stolen has now been returned. The bible says Rejoice! and I did. What was never is now.
So it's official: a bean counter has been added. The expectation is for Team James to "tighten the belt" in several areas, reinvigorating dormant revenue streams while seeking/developing other at-present unidentified opportunities. Because this exceptional lady prefers no notoriety (making her quite the novelty around these parts) and was borderline insistent about her privacy, we will limit future disclosures. In fact, she might never receive mention again. But know she is here, behind the scenes, counting and cataloging, encouraging and reprimanding, exhorting, while steering Team James towards ... continued existence.
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