“I used to do hiring for a healthcare staffing company, think of it as a place that sends out substitute teachers to hospitals, but instead of teachers, we send nurses, physical therapists, behavioral health techs (psych techs) and other medical positions. I was 22-24 during the time I worked there, and regularly interviewed people 2-3 times my age. If hired, I was their immediate supervisor as well, so some people took it poorly when someone their kid or grandkid’s age was their boss.
I had one man who really stood out in my experiences. I interviewed him over the phone beforehand, we had his resume, and his work history looked solid. He had worked in the behavioral health field for about 25 years on and off, so it sounded like he knew what he was doing, and he was very friendly and nice over the phone. In the phone interview, I gave him all the details about how the job works, how they are basically on call certain days to sub in at behavioral health facilities as behavioral health techs, usually in group homes or psych facilities. I sent a follow-up email confirming the date and time for the in-person interview, that there would be paperwork afterward so we can get him on our roster, and that I would need all his certifications in order to hire him and get him ready to go. This includes first aid/CPR certifications, proof of bachelor’s degree (or higher), and some other records.
He shows up to the interview (late), and according to our secretary, he walked in, looked around the lobby, then asked where the bags of money was because he wanted to get paid. She sat him down in one of the interview rooms, came and got me, and said the guy seemed a little off. I sat down with him and started asking the usual questions to try to get to know an interviewee, and got some surprising answers:
Me – ‘How long have you been working in this field?’
Him – ‘Why do you care? I’ve probably been doing this longer than you’ve been alive.’
Me – ‘What about this line of work are you passionate about?’
Him – ‘What the heck does that matter?’
Me – ‘Well IF I decide to hire you on, I would be your boss, so I’d like to know why you might enjoy this job.’
Him – ‘Because it gets me paid.’
Me – ‘Did you bring any of the certifications I asked for in the email?’
Him – ‘You never asked for anything, why would I bring it? I read that email and you didn’t tell me to bring anything.’
It was already obvious that I would never hire this piece of trash, and after a few insults, I decided to put him in his place for wasting my time. I have the secretary give him the first few hiring papers, just to keep him busy while I printed out the email I had sent him that specifically listed the first aid and CPR certifications, his degree, and other certifications that were necessary. After highlighting the exact lines he claimed was never in the email, I walked back into the room, placed it down on top of his hiring paperwork, and walked out for a few minutes so he could have plenty of time to read them.
I came back in, sat down, and told him that since he insulted me, refused to provide even the most basic certifications, and was just rude in general, there was no way he could represent our company. His response was something along the line of ‘Oh that’s fine, that’s just fine,’ followed by him standing up, tearing all the papers in half, then trying to stab me in the eye with the pencil he was using to fill out the forms. Luckily there was a table between us so his reach sucked, so I was able to knock his arm out of the way, he hit my forehead with the pencil, then I slammed his back against the wall and told him to leave before we called the cops. He started screaming, then stormed off after knocking some stuff around in our lobby.
No serious injury or anything to worry about for me, but that was one hostile interview that I’ll never forget.”