By Paula A. Giraldo Sabogal A recent graduate from a university in
Puerto Rico receives a call for an interview with a well-known company. This first interview lasted 30 minutes and consisted of questions about her skills and the special projects she lists on her resume.
She also has a chance to ask the interviewer a few questions about the company. All in all, she felt the interview went well.
The interviewer concluded by saying, "I am very interested in you
because you can be a potential asset to this company, but first I have to talk with my boss. If he gives me the green light, maybe we can call you in tomorrow for a second interview."
The
next day he called and arranged a follow-up interview with his boss. This interview is quite different. The boss, an older person, does not ask about the projects the graduate has undertaken, her experience,
or her skills. Instead he reminisces about his days at the university—it seems she and he have graduated from the same university. He asks her if students still hang out at the Garrabato, a small bar across
the street from the university. He talks about his sons, what they are studying and their ambitions; he says a few things about his wife. Then he tells her that the people who work in his company are hard
workers and responsible; "the strongest person," he says, "is the person that survives in this kind of work and environment." Then, while looking at her hands, he asks her if she is single, and if she lives with
her parents.
The course this interview has taken has confused her. She did not expect the personal questions, and she did not know how to respond to the conversational tone of the
interview. She knew that this man was an important executive of this company and would have the last word on whether she would be hired. She wants to work with this company and yet….
Questions: What would you do in her position? How should she have responded to the older boss? Are there any ethical issues that arise in this interviewing situation? What are they?
