I was reading a story this morning on the BBC website that bought back a recruitment memory that still makes me cringe to this day!
Yesterday South African Caster Semenya became the new 800m World Champion at the World Athletics Championships. This would be cause for her celebration, but unfortunately not! Two of her competitors complained about her sexuality and she has now been required to take a gender test.
This is the story of my WORST assumption I ever made in twenty plus years of recruiting. Let me first paint the picture....
At the time I was recruiting for a Senior Technical Project Manager for a client. I received one CV from an online advert that just looked superb. It ticked all the boxes that my client needed. The name on the CV was Susan............. which was great (or so I thought!) because good female Project Managers are rare in the IT industry. So I picked up the phone...
Ok I admit it, I did think that Susan may well have been a Russian shot putter in an earlier career, because of her slightly husky (but still feminine) voice, but the telephone interview was good and yes she met the spec. So I booked her in so I could interview her in more detail.
[Now, hold your horses for a second, I know you know what is coming next, but it was worse than that!!]
One of my colleagues booked her into the interview room and I went down to meet her.
Now, I can handle 'interesting or difficult' interview situations (and I have had a few over the years), but I was not ready for what sat before me...
The only way I can describe 'her' (yes I have changed to 'her' now!) would be to say she looked like Chewbacca wearing a pink dress!! She stood up (all six feet of 'her') to shake my hand - hands like shovels, hair (and lots of it) everywhere and the dress 'she' was wearing was verging on a mini skirt!!
I was completely lost for words (I know a rarity for me), and all I could think about was my conservative middle class client that I had already mentioned this 'fantastic CV ' to earlier that morning! Obviously I quickly checked the room for any 'strange 'looking items hiding a camera that my colleagues may have placed, but alas there were none present! I got my voice back, and sat down....
Susan actually uttered the first words......"You may notice Andy, that I look a little different from your average Project Manager.........I am undergoing a gender change. Will that effect my chances of getting the job with your client?" My immediate thought? .....Oh Sh*t!! My client was not Han Solo with a liking for Wookies, he was Mr Traditional with zero tolerance of anyone that deviated from 'normal' - there wasn't a chance that he would even consider the 'she-devil' sitting in front of me!!
So in the best traditions of politics, I blatantly lied! "It should be fine Susan, I am sure my client will judge you on your merits....."
That interview seemed like the longest I had ever done. Twenty minutes later I finally escorted Susan from the building.
Obviously when I walked back into the office, the second stage of the bad day began.... the piss-taking from my colleagues, who were doubled up in fits of laughter everywhere!!
That day taught me a valuable lesson......never ever ever assume that the person you see on the CV will be the person your client will want UNTIL you have interviewed them!!
[And just for the record, no, Susan didn't get the job!)
