I’m in the middle of hiring someone to replace my irreplaceable executive assistant, a title that barely does justice (as any executive assistant will tell you) to the extraordinary intensity and intellect of such a job.
The job search has yielded several excellent candidates, meaning that I’ve once again had the opportunity to ask my favorite interview question:
“What did you do to prepare for this interview?”
Oh, the answers I've heard – the good, the bad and the ugly, and so powerfully revealing in each regard.
“I’ve been stalking you for three days,” was one. I loved it! Especially after she described what that stalking involved: Reading virtually everything she could find ever written about me, plus reading or scanning everything I’ve ever written online and in print, including two books. As a result, she came to the interview ready to talk not just about her fit for the requirements of the job – but my interests, values, and, perhaps most impressive, the intellectual content of my life’s work.