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I guess it's just a strange concept to me that I have to share interests or passions with fellow co-workers in order to be productive.
I think that there is a misunderstanding here. You don't have to share interests or passions with co-workers to be productive. You have to share interests and passions with co-workers if you want to work in the OP's company (or the company of the poster who brought that up).
Different companies have different cultures, which makes sense since there are all kinds of different people. In this one particular company they want people who share. It's not a productivity thing, it's their culture and they like it that way. If they were to hire someone who doesn't fit into that culture then that would lead to unnecessary tension.
This is the kind of reasoning that a candidate would never guess about why they were turned down, and it isn't even illegal or immoral.
I hope it's the kind of position where there are lots of good candidates to choose from. This doesn't strike me as a very good reason to ding a perfectly good candidate.
I don't know. I work with a guy that was just hired out of college two years ago. He is actually really smart and for the most part a good worker, but he has the personality of a corpse. My guess is he has Asperger's or some other personality disorder. If it would have been my choice I wouldn't have hired him. He is difficult to work with and not a pleasant person to be around. Harsh, but that is reality. I would work with someone slightly less skilled but was able to carry on a conversation or didn't seem like he was about to go postal or something.
I don't know. I work with a guy that was just hired out of college two years ago. He is actually really smart and for the most part a good worker, but he has the personality of a corpse. My guess is he has Asperger's or some other personality disorder. If it would have been my choice I wouldn't have hired him. He is difficult to work with and not a pleasant person to be around. Harsh, but that is reality. I would work with someone slightly less skilled but was able to carry on a conversation or didn't seem like he was about to go postal or something.
Don't paint all Aspies with the same brush. Some of us, like myself, have been able to adapt and "fake it." Chatting with my coworkers doesn't come naturally to me; I force myself to do it, and it's not easy. But I manage. So do many others.
Posts like this are why I don't go public with my ASD at work.
Don't paint all Aspies with the same brush. Some of us, like myself, have been able to adapt and "fake it." Chatting with my coworkers doesn't come naturally to me; I force myself to do it, and it's not easy. But I manage. So do many others.
Posts like this are why I don't go public with my ASD at work.
Don't take it personally, it was not meant as a put down of everyone with that disorder. That is just a guess on my part based on his personality. I've known others that I know for sure that were diagnosed aspies who learned through actual effort to be more personable. Who knows, maybe this guy is just an a-hole.
Every company does have a culture & beyond education, work experience they look for personality traits that would be a good fit. In short, they want employees who are a lot like the ones working there & want everyone to get along. If they are hiring for professionals who will interact with customers, its natural to look for people's skills. One of my friends interviewed over the phone for a company where they apprehensively asked her weight. They were hiring field techs who would have to climb on cranes. Just like physical attributes, you want the personality traits to be a good fit as well.
Don't take it personally, it was not meant as a put down of everyone with that disorder. That is just a guess on my part based on his personality. I've known others that I know for sure that were diagnosed aspies who learned through actual effort to be more personable. Who knows, maybe this guy is just an a-hole.
That's a possibility too. Aspies can be a-holes just like anyone else. Though we're usually not. It doesn't occur to most of us to be a-holes, and if one of us IS acting like an a-hole, there's a good possibility that we don't realize we're doing it.
I've heard of this before, only not in those words. I've often thought that in smaller offices (not so much in large organizations) that people are hired mainly on whether they will "fit in" with the office personality or the other workers. I suppose that is as legit a reason as any, but I think it's trying to use a crystal ball. Sometimes people with different personalities mesh together very well...one being a talker, the other being a listener, for example.
I've had the opposite experience, personally. I work in the legal field. Very stressful, professional, and often stern formal environment. I've been turned down a couple of times and I believe it was for the reason that I was just too much. I'm an extrovert. I smile a lot. I'm not a motormouth and am usually silent for hours on end while focused on work, but otherwise, I'll respond to any question (and not just with a yes or no), laugh easily (and loudly - can't help it), and will generally feel at ease with most people. I think this leads people to think I'm scatter brained or not serious enough, or too chatty for their environment. That couldn't be more wrong. I'm highly skilled and very good at what I do, if I say so myself. Never missed a deadline, can do just about anything, can wing it, reliable, dedicated, etc.
Sometimes having a personality is a minus. And there's not much I can do about that. It's part of my nature. As much as I try, I can't not smile, not answer fully, not find any subject interesting.
And sometimes interviewers are just inexperienced human resource people who don't really know how to hire the right people.
I would think being melancholy would be worse than "boring." I wouldn't care if someone is boring. I also don't think you can tell in one interview if someone is boring. But you can tell if someone isn't a happy person. That person who interviewed at your company would probably be a big hit in the legal field. Lots of boring people there.
Most people do 'task work' their entire life, they tend to view all jobs as tasks and thus the only thing that matters is ones ability to do the task.
In jobs that aren't routine/menial task oriented, where bright people are thinking creatively in real time, often in a highly competitive and performance based environment, cultural fit is huge-huge. Wrong cultural fit becomes a turd in the punchbowl that effects everyone.
I'm wondering if the interviewee gave off some serious non-verbal cues that were interpreted as boring.
Flat affect, not smiling. Or even verbal cues, mumbling, talking too soft and not projecting, ect.
A little test for some here from their past jobs or for the coming Christmas season as a starter.
When working with a compatible (non boring) group where you each have each others home phone number or home address and send a Christmas Card generally everybody sends and thus will also receive one.
Generally since a person will interact five days a week you feel compelled since the person will be there in the morning....am I right in that respect?...was with me.
Now you are no longer working there and all those friends? are still there but your a nice person so at Christmas you still have the addresses so out goes a card to everyone you shared your coffee with or breakfast with etc.
How many cards did you get back?
With me 3-4 the first yr and NONE the 2nd yr.....so much for all the coffee I paid for and the ???? friendships during those working days.
My thoughts may ring a bell with some here and for sure will also ring a huge bell in December for a few.
Happy early Seasons Greetings to all of you Non Boring people in working land and may your dreams come true.
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Though we're usually not. 
