Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.
Gary admired the view; the 5'11" secretary who looked and dressed like a fashion model leading him into the sales vice president's office. Now that's class, he thought.
The corner office wasn't too shabby either - very large, lots of windows, original oil paintings, antique furniture, plush carpet. But what the hell? The VP's desk and chair sat on a platform in the middle of the room, 12 inches above everything and everybody else. "Gary, come in," the VP boomed from on high, phone at his ear. "I'm on hold. Should be off in a few minutes. Have a seat."
"Thanks, but is there a Men's Room I could use?"
"Through that door. I have one in the office here because I make a lot of people so nervous they need it." The trace of a grin appeared. Still on the phone when Gary came out, the VP totally ignored him for 30 minutes while the phone conversation continued. Gary noted a small conference table in the corner and decided to change the power structure when the VP finally got off the phone.
"Can we sit over there? It'll make conversation more informal."
The VP seemed surprised but agreed. When he came down off the platform, Gary saw, he was actually a chubby little man, no more than 5' 6" but all puffed up.
They sat and he stared at Gary. Then, "Why the hell did you use a recruiter? If we do hire you, it'll cost us a fortune."
A tactic, Gary thought. He wants to see how I react. So he replied calmly, "Actually, that was the company's decision. The job wasn't advertised, only recruiters knew about it."
The VP ignored that and charged on. "Why did you get fired from your old company? They must have considered you 'dead wood' or they wouldn't have canned you."
Again, Gary kept his cool and patiently explained about his old company's financial problems and the massive layoffs.
The grilling continued for a half-hour - every question an accusation, no answer good enough. Often, the VP didn't even give him time to answer one before hitting him with the next.
Suddenly, the VP's attitude changed completely. He leaned back in his chair and pronounced in a friendly voice with a big smile, "If you have time, Gary, I'd like you to meet our president."
"Certainly, I'd like that," replied a surprised Gary.
"Good. I'll have Elaine bring you some coffee while I see if he's available." The VP took Gary's resume and left, and the gorgeous secretary served him coffee and biscuits on real bone china.
He'd just about finished when the VP was back. "The president can see you now, Gary. Elaine will take you up. Nice to have met you."
The president of the company turned out to be exactly the opposite - tall, thin and athletic, easy going and laid back. His furniture was utilitarian, tables and walls covered with production schedules and engineering drawings.
"Pleased to meet you, Gary," he said with a warm handshake, "you come highly recommended."
They talked easily for ten minutes before the president excused himself to go to a production meeting. "I'm sure you'll be hearing from us real soon."
The recruiter called Gary the next day to say he'd been offered the job. Gary turned it down. The recruiter, of course, was furious. "They loved you. Why would you possibly want to turn them down?"
"Look, I'm not into power games," replied Gary. "The job reports directly to that peacock of a vice president. All day, every day, I'd have to put up with his nonsense. Not me. When I go into a place, I want to do the best job I can, no games."
In a rapid-fire, stress-type interview with frequent interruptions, the interviewer is assessing your ability to handle heated situations and keep your cool.
