Top Echelon’s crazy recruiting stories are rolling on!
We’ve already compiled quite a collection of tales, including:
- A candidate taken hostage by Mexican drug cartel wannabes
- A candidate who brought a boa constrictor to their interview
- A candidate who got into a fistfight with the hiring manager during their interview (for a good reason)
How much more crazy can it get? Well, we’re going to find out. Once again, this story was submitted a few years ago by a Top Echelon Network recruiter. This time, though, the candidate involved was actually successfully placed . . . more than once!
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“I received a resume from a Case graduate—Master’s Degree, BSEE, Putnam Fellow honors, etc. This was about 1986 or so, when I worked for another agency in Beachwood. The interview rooms faced south with a window about 8’ x 8’. The secretary said that there was somebody to see me, but that I should hold my nose. I went into the room and shook the guy’s hand.
“He was about 6-4 and as skinny as you can get, with a button-down shirt that was buttoned all the way to the top with no tie and flood pants. There were salt stains from his armpits to within about four inches of his pants. I thought I was going to die from the smell. By policy, we closed the door for an interview, but I did not do that because I wanted to live.
“It turns out that the candidate was a very brilliant engineer, so I decided to market the guy, knowing that I would get job orders and interviews. Anyway, I got some interviews. I asked my boss what I should do with this guy. He said to send him out and tell him to take a shower, which I did over the phone. He goes on the interview and gets the job.?
“But wait, it gets better. This guy becomes a bit of a cash machine. I have the guy on six interviews, get him four offers, and place him three times. It turns out he had a gland problem, and there wasn’t much he could do about his sweating. He works at Cisco in California now, I believe. The lesson here, at least in Engineering, is don’t let appearances stop you from setting up an interview!”
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Remember, there are two ways you can submit your craziest recruiting story:
- You can email your story to marketing@topechelon.com.
- You can add the story in the comments section at the end of this blog post.
Keep in mind that you can remain anonymous if you would like, and by submitting your story, you give us permission to include the story in a future blog or social media post. And be sure to check back with the Top Echelon Blog.
Because more crazy recruiting stories are on the way!