I wasn’t sure C was the right person for the job the first time I reviewed his history and resume, nor was I fully convinced after the introductory period ended and he was made a full-timer. But that’s not to say I wasn’t intrigued, and in this job, from everything I’ve been told, it’s enough. I have a certain level of autonomy with these kinds of things, an understanding if you will, with my boss, that allows me to push the limits of the kinds of people we hire into different roles. I think it’s that feeling of respect and appreciation that makes the job fulfilling. Otherwise, using the quantifiable metrics in the packet of stuff our interviewers put together alone would make me a glorified peeping-tom for a staff of ten rather than the coach and mentor I feel I am or rather can be. I like to be as useful to the company as possible.
We sometimes have a hard time filling different jobs because the automatons in the hiring team can’t fathom the notion that their precious selection tools aren’t 100% accurate. There is no arguing with them on the finer points of why they are wrong in different scenarios, not that I even understand the technology they use anyway, but suffice to say it’s best to appease them overtly and still make discreet executive decisions when necessary, just to keep the wheels in motion. The only person that hates delays and inefficiency in the workplace more than me is my boss. Unlike me, he doesn’t internalize his displeasure. He wears it on his sleeve, so to speak. I don’t know why I use that particular phrase because I don’t know if he wears sleeves, or if he prefers tank tops, or doesn’t wear shirts at all. The truth is I’ve never seen him. I’ve only heard his low, hoarse voice over the phone and through my computer speakers. He keeps his camera off during video chats. It would be most accurate to say I sense his moods in his voice, which modulates based on different situations. I’ve learned his quirks. I know his moods.
For that particular job I felt the heat for a couple of weeks. Desperate times called for desperate measures. I went through the slush pile of rejections myself. I reviewed the reasoning for system-generated rejections – “too much independent thinking,” “not enough independent thinking,” “finances suggest dire need to please,” “too desperate,” “not desperate enough” “unstable work history,” “complicated web of familial ties,” and on and on, everyone a little too much or too little of something or other – inferred behaviors and attitudes, the usual reasons for the typical candidates who respond to bland solicitations.
I like people who, for whatever reason, don’t fit the desired mold, but there is something there in the packet of materials that kind of punches me in the gut and begs me to to take notice. C wasn’t that person, but I like to take chances, see where things go with unexpected hires. I like to chart out new behavioral paths my boss didn’t ask for and the automatons didn’t want. I can feel my instincts paying off when I get the slightest bit of praise that confirms my sometimes maverick attitude is appreciated in this place.
The first few weeks everything ran on auto-pilot for C. If the candidate is right we expect them to sit and be attentive, work hard, be somewhat cognizant of their immediate surroundings, without being too inquisitive or introspective about the process or the job specifics or any deeper questions about the function of the job within a more global context. In that regard C confirmed the hunch I had when I rescued his resume from the slush pile; he was a worthwhile subject or employee, you get the idea.
In the ensuing weeks and months C moved along well into the second, more content and secure phase, of the job. He slowly let his guard down, became less cautious, though still had a clear notion of duty in the back of his mind that was clear in the way he would check in and seek validation. He moved into and through that phase probably on the faster end of the spectrum of people we hire, and my boss was pleased by his progress, which of course made me happy too.
My boss and presumably the rest of management has a pretty clearly defined set of parameters in which they judge the performance of people I manage. It’s all broken into phases and people need to progress through them within set timeframes. The milestones of progression from sub-phase to sub-phase are all also important and well studied through video, audio, and biometric surveillance, both in the office and outside. That’s all the standard operating stuff that bores me to be honest. What I became proud of in C is how committed he was to internalizing the material we asked him to review.
In the first weeks we make it clear to employees that the job requires assessments of clarity and accuracy. Most find that clarity is easiest to judge and they fixate on that part of the job for the rest of their term, even through the various progressions. C was one of the few, maybe the first that I can remember (there have been so many), that never forgot about the accuracy part. He worked to understand the texts, even as they changed, or the narratives we meant to instill became a bit more nuanced or complex. I could see it in the way he communicated with people and kept gaining in confidence. The idea for every employee is to test how the information in each text works to shape and morph their relationship to co-workers, friends, strangers, bosses, anyone. In most cases it seems to happen subliminally, like the information is repeated so often it’s hard to ignore, and the nuance in the changes or the underlying discrepancies get lost. For C it was different. He picked up on all of those discrepancies and the high frequency, but instead of rebelling against or questioning it, the areas of discord and ambiguity made him a more fervent apostle for the status quo we designed for him.
Yeah, C was fast becoming my most prized employee, an anomaly that I was keeping to myself for the time being. I wanted to learn more about him, understand the way his brain worked. I started spending almost my entire day watching him, lightly coaching where needed, making him my perfect case subject that nobody asked me to create. I’m sure my other employees felt neglected. It was inevitable. I was their mother figure. I watch and judge and help and praise and correct and critique. Of course I felt bad. My work has an impact on their performance, on the performance of this company, the studies we need to carry out as efficiently as possible. Sometimes I need to crack a few less important eggs while I put a perfect one in the incubator for extra nourishment and attention.
[To Be Continued…]
GLAZ 