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Holy smokes. My boss interviewed a prospective employee today. It was lunchtime, he took the applicant to lunch and invited me along as well.
The applicant wasn't the #1 guy of the three that made the final cut, but at lunch he fell completely off the list.
Holy bad manners, Batman.
I don't think I've ever heard anyone chew louder. He smacked his lips, talked with his mouth full, ate with his fingers (I'm not talking about the french fries, but rather the cherry tomatoes on his salad!) just deplorable table manners. It was all I could do to keep from asking if he had been raised in a barn by a herd of goats.
Yes, we're a relaxed company, but there's a difference between relaxed and bad manners. It's unfortunate that either he just doesn't know better or let down his guard, but the bad table manners cost him a job.
After he left, my boss just looked at me and I said, "No, you weren't imagining it."
Somewhat similar story. We narrowed down a selection to two candidates. A coupld of us took both of them to lunch. First guy was fine. Second guy was a bit of a disaster. This guy never looked at the menu. When the waitress came over he just started making up his own meal. The waitress was trying to figure out what he wanted that was actually on the menu. This guy started getting rude with her and couldn't figure out why she was having such a problem. He literally refused to look at the menu. After she eventually figured out something for him and left he proceeded to say how stupid she was.
The decisoin on which guy was made before we left the restaurant that day.
it actually amazes me how many so-called professional people don't have simple table manners..esp if these people hope to get in upper management...Having lunch/dinner with your clients can be a huge part of your job and can make or break a deal
that's why I'm always grateful my college held a mini-course on table etiquette for us among other things
I think this is common in higher positions. they basically want an all-round fit, so somebody who has more refined behaviour is a better fit in that sense.
They may also ask a person about their views on political and social issues, even things like sports. It's just a way to gauge how a person is best suited to a particular job, and for top management positions it's a more appropriate selection method.
There is never an excuse for bad manners ever at least in my book. If a prospective employee will or may be required to share a meal with the hiring managers or clients and they don't have a clue about manners there are plenty of etiquette (I think I may have spelled this wrong) books and even people that teach this sort of thing it would behoove these people to take a class or read a book.
I actually like this kind of interview/interaction.
Not only does manners and etiquette come into play, but even simple things like what you order, the kind of beer you drink, etc can all tell a lot about you as a person. Even being able to order off a menu or graciously ask for help is important.
Somewhat similar story. We narrowed down a selection to two candidates. A coupld of us took both of them to lunch. First guy was fine. Second guy was a bit of a disaster. This guy never looked at the menu. When the waitress came over he just started making up his own meal. The waitress was trying to figure out what he wanted that was actually on the menu. This guy started getting rude with her and couldn't figure out why she was having such a problem. He literally refused to look at the menu. After she eventually figured out something for him and left he proceeded to say how stupid she was.
The decisoin on which guy was made before we left the restaurant that day.
Up to the point where he began to get rude with the server I would have wondered if he was illiterate and trying to hide that fact.
I read an article recently that said that there are people who are functionally illiterate who have actually been able to work their way up to fairly high level positions based on their uncanny ability to hide their illiteracy using a variety of techniques. In almost every case the person has someone who covers their back--either a spouse or close friend--who reads paperwork, emails, etc to them and basically takes transcription to enable them to write various reports and correspondence.
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it's been like my bible
