The spot of ink!

"We dress for the jobs we want, forgetting that most salaries are tailored to afford dressing for the jobs we have."

From the start of Friends' Society (FS, more than 16 years ago), I've been interviewing (~observing) people, at times to decide if I wanted them with me in FS, to at times, did I want to collaborate with them or be associated in any ways. As I became a professional, these observations started in the form of formal interviews.

I am sure, the reverse is true as well, I've been observed, interviewed, interrogated, so on and so forth.. But this is to share the story from this side of the table!

Recently, for a partner organization, I agreed to conduct some interviews. It was a position lying vacant for more than six months. The hiring manager was very particular of what he wanted - the role being a mix of being a leader, but being able to perform the most routine tasks with efficiency. To find this, a tough one. I had already interviewed and rejected at least a two dozen candidates for the role.

So here I was, waiting for the candidate, completely unsure of what to expect. The application was pretty interesting, two separate letters, one Resume, and a brief profile by the coordinator who had recommended her. I was told that she was hand picked by her Fellowship Team (the Gandhi Fellowship) and there-after nominated to us for this specific role.

I'm amazed, an interview that was meant to be just another interaction, has left me with lingering thoughts for more than a week. For the first time, I've broken the professional norm to reach out to the candidate post the interview, and I wonder, what was it that got me so engaged?

I am a person who would not remember the colour of my clothes, let alone what I wore yesterday or day before. But, I have a clear memory of what this candidate wore for her interview: a white Kurta, with a deep black ink spot on it. It defied every norm of the formal world. You are supposed to dress up for an interview in your finest, at least that's what a career advisor advised me once. First impression is the last impression, ensure that you put forth your best foot forward. Remember, the words are to be calculated, speak if you know, be polite, respond affirmatively, so on and so forth. And contrary to all of this, here was a candidate, who was absolutely reckless, rather careless. She walked in the interview without a hint of being bothered about the ink, or her (over?) confidence.

To my own surprise, for someone with an OCD for perfection, none of the "out of norm" things bothered me. Rather, I noticed most of it, but all of it went unnoticed. Unnoticed, until I read a buzzfeed article on the millennials and the poor choices of pretense!   

And bang, I realized why this specific interview had left it's lasting impression. Since having joined the corporate world, I have been surrounded by people who consciously dress, make studied choices of what to speak, what to think, what to eat, what to drink.. At times, a lot of it is superficial, done for the sake of it: smiles for being professional, hand shakes for being courteous, eating for sake of networking, etc. It's always about making an impression and ensuring it fits the norm, more so during interviews, because, first impression is the last impression!

In all this artificial-ness, this interview was a breath of fresh air. Here was someone without any pretense, without a showcase, without putting up fronts. She was candid in her responses, brutal in her assessment, and raw in her approach. It stood out more in contrast of the corporate office where the interview was being conducted. The raw-ness was completely out of context, and it stuck through!

While today's millennials pursue jobs to get their millennium dreams come true, a few programs try to enable the human instincts and utilize this young talent for nation building. This candidate was recommended to the organization by one such fellowship, the Gandhi Fellowship! And, It seems the candidate I met was not an exception, but part of an exceptional cohort. In literal sense, I could feel the rough cut diamonds were being crafted through the experience of their fellowship (evident from the alumni profiles on their website).

I've hired Teach for India Fellows based on just a call or even based on just reviewing their Resume, and have never had to regret a bit. It seems, Gandhi Fellowship is going to be in the same league!