When the head of talent for a London venture capital firm encountered a stranger on a train, Matt Buckland didn’t realize they would be on course to an employment derailment.
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The train was very crowded and was quite late to the station, making everyone grumpy, according to BuzzFeed. The HR staffer had moved to let another passenger off the train first when a stranger pushed him aside so he could get off next himself, turning to give the courteous commuter a dirty look and to hurl a verbal epithet as he exited.
Nonplussed, Buckland made his way to the office, got his coffee, and didn’t think about the incident again—that is, until the last applicant of the day came in for an interview. You probably have guessed, he recognized the applicant as none other than the very rude stranger.
As Buckland told BuzzFeed, the stranger did not recognize him. Buckland said he decided not to hold the incident against the applicant, but rather just to do his best to see if the applicant’s skills and personality fit the job and the company.
In the end, it’s no surprise that the applicant did not get the job. Moral of the story, according to BuzzFeed’s Rossalyn Warren—be nice on your way to a job interview.
Classic. I always interviewees to treat everyone they encounter as if they’ll have some input on the hiring decision.