What do you think...on just about as unimportant a matter as can be...

Here's something I think about almost every time I eat soup in a restaurant. I once read an article about tactics for interviewing prospective employees. It mentioned a human resources manager who would always take his interviewees to a restaurant and observe whether or or not they tasted their soup before adding salt or pepper. The article did not say what conclusions the HR manager was drawing from this, but at the time, I assumed that he was checking to see that the prospective employee DID taste the soup before adding salt or pepper, so s/he would know if the soup needed extra seasoning and how much.

Ever aiming to please--even invisible HR managers conducting non-existent job interviews--I began to taste my soup always before adding salt or pepper. I would taste my soup. Evaluate. Then add about 3 shakes of pepper.

What I discovered is that every soup in every restaurant, always and without exception, needs 3 shakes of pepper for my taste.

Then I began to get angry at this invisible HR person who was waiting for me to taste my soup to see if I would be a good employee or a bad employee.

Why should I taste my damn soup when I KNOW that I am going to want 3 shakes of pepper no matter what? Why should I pretend not to have the benefit of experience? Why should I pretend not to know myself?

So I stopped tasting my soup, and I always just add 3 shakes of pepper no matter what.

Then I began to wonder...maybe THAT is what the HR manager was looking for, NOT someone who tests their soup before adding salt or pepper, but someone who knows what they like, is versed in soup, and doesn't waste their time.

What do you think?

EDIT: missing a word/clarity

Just kidding. I'm sure they do. Thanks for taking my ridiculous, but painfully honest poll.

:hi:

Not sous-chef, but soup chef.

It's a perfect fit.

bye now

Al

I actually LOVE soup. There's a place called the Soup Man near my office. The soup there is about $9 a bowl, but for a real soup nut, it's so worth it. Plus it comes with a piece of fruit and a piece of chocolate.

:hi:

:wow:

it's been awhile since I've been to NYC, can you tell?

:D

It's the end of a very long day.

honest to god, i have no idea how i'm gonna vote, but K&R big time.

Thank you so much. I swear, it's all true.

The HR manager is a fucking assclown who has chosen a totally meaningless way of evaluating prospective employees. He should be doused with hot soup, sans pepper. :hi:

He was probably so proud of himself for making it into this article. I wish I could remember where I read it. I swear I've read so many more important articles than this, but this stupid thing has been with me for years. It lodged itself right into the OCD part of my helpless little brain.

I would like to douse him with hot soup.

;-)

:wtf:

Part of the purpose of the interview is to let the prospective employee get a look at the office and get a sense of whether or not he/she would like to work in that environment. Part of the interview process is often a brief walk-through to point out what the office does, how big it is, etc.

And if I WAS in a restaurant, I probably wouldn't order the soup. Too much chance of slurppage, spillage or some other disaster (like adding seasoning before tasting it :wow: ).

:rofl:

I've never been invited to a restaurant for a job interview.

there was a follow-up meeting to clarify some issues, and the offer was made over lunch.

Sales people might spend a lot of time eating out with customers. So, meeting you in a restaurant after the first formal interview might make sense.

Lawyers always get treated differently. Sometimes better, sometimes worse. :P

answer stolen from GD playbook

Or carp, as the case may be.

:loveya:

I'm going to go home now, since I haven't been productive for over half an hour. So much for coming in early.

See you later.

:hi:

no soup for you

that is the big thing.

that always impresses future employers! Cheers!

:shrug:

I guess I'm fucked!

How can you resist, yummy, yummy soup?

:hi:

So I picked "other".

This is a little known variation on the old gag, "No SOAP, radio..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_soap_radio

...was funny.

:)

:hi:

My grandkids keep asking me to tell them the same old shaggy dog stories. I don't know where I first heard them, but they've been retold to my children... then retold and embellished and retold and embellished again for successive grandchildren.

The Secret of Marseilles

The High Llama of Peru

The Original Shaggy Dog Story

Do you settle for nine flakes -- or do you go into shake OT?? :shrug:

What the hell does that say about me?

:shrug: