Bless you, OES. For all the people you will have to turn down, a humane and responsible interview will mean a lot.

I am glad that someone with as much integrity as you is in charge of hiring, even if it is only one person.

Times have changed. It's got to be very hard. You want the perfect person, after all, not one who'll jump ship if something they're 'more qualified' for comes up next month. Yet you've got to extend a compassionate hand. Best of luck. Thanks for thinking of others.

A voice of kindness and compassion, OE. I have too many highly competent friends looking for work; may they meet potential employers like you along the way.

Ask them if they have pets.

Good luck, I'd be glad to submit a resume, if you need a laugh. By the way, I heard on the tube that the amount pais Ken Lewis of BoA over the last two years could have instead paid all the tellers a $150,000 bonus. Sorta puts in perspective doesn't it.

We've long heard about the high price of success; now we learning about the high price of failure.

Only the good people have deep concerns like this. I have complete faith that you will do the right thing. You should feel comfortable in the knowledge that you are a good and decent person.

"May I treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve."

That is a lesson for the times. Your kind heart shines through.

VG -- This hit me hard on the ride home from work today.

Delia -- Thanks, I was going to hire 7 people this year until the budget cuts at work. It wouldn't much to be on the outside looking in.

ConnieMack -- You are speaking my truth. I run the risk and expense of a bad hire, if someone jumps ship for a better gig. Who can blame people for looking out for themselves, though.

Rebecca -- Thanks for your kind words.

It's a Catch-22. We placed an ad for sales position within our organization and our Operations Manager told me Thursday that he got 60 resumes. Now this was for an advertising sales job. He got resumes from Engineers, a former V.P. of a company, and so on, etc...
Sadly as we discussed, he's not going to hire one of these brilliant people, and why? Because when/if the economy picks back up, do you think these people are going to continue making half what they were? Probably not. I really feel for people and just keep praying I won't become one of them.
Rated

I love you OES. You are a great boss.

M -- I laughed out loud. Better than asking their age, religious belief, sexual orientation, marital status or other discrimintory question.

Tom -- I was hoping to get you and Geoff to be on the hiring panel. It might not be efficient, but we'd have fun.

Bill -- When other people say stuff like this, I usually brush it off. When you say it, it means a lot. Thanks.

Melissa -- Yeah, absolutely.

I wasn't kidding. I know someone--in the non-profit hospital bidness--who uses pet ownership as a criterion.

Greg -- This is a dilemma that I face too. These folks are just trying to feed themselves and their families. Sorry you have to live through this too.

Dorinda -- Thanks.

M -- You have such a wit, I thought you were joking. As a pet owner, I completely get the logic.

Well, that's really tough. I remember when I was made the head of the English Dept. I was given a slough of resumes. Of course, it was different times than we live in today. If one, just one, had a misspelling, I rejected it. The person I finally wanted was great--as a teacher and someone devoted to teaching Language Arts. But not someone to be hired from an administrative the point-of-view . She was outspoken. Independent. I was never ever given the opportunity to sift through resumes for the English Dept. The wanted "coaches." Idiots.

These are such scary times in the job market.
Glad the tide turned for you and you are doing well, with only a tiny problem to solve.
Sounds like you have the task well at hand.
Good luck with your selection.
Cheers!

Gary -- I hope you're doing ok, right now. I think I'll have this in the back of my mind for the rest of my career.

Cathy -- Thanks for the kind words.

Hear hear. You certainly are one of the good ones OE. I've had plenty of dismissive/condescending/humiliating interviews too. So glad you are out there. I wish you had a bigger budget.

Just remember, even in a tough job market, you can still only growl, not bite!!! :)

Juli -- The golden rule applies right now. I wish I had a bigger budget too.

Tink -- Only you could put a humanitarian spin on this post. I've got to finish your nomination for the boys in Stockholm.

"May I treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve. May all the people who don't get this job, get one soon."

This says it all about you. A total mensch.

Sally -- Thanks.

OES: If the employers hiring have a heart and soul as you as broad and deep as you, this world gets a little better. Life becomes meaningful. Good luck to whomever you hire. And keep passing it forward!

Kudos for these words. The employment rate in NE is still very high, but many folks in the surrounding area have been let go and are looking for those few open positions. I hope they are fortunate enough to have someone like you reviewing their applications. Wish you could hire them all.

Come and sleep on my bed, OE. You are a very good dog.

Damn, OE - you get to sleep on Cartouche's bed!

I wish you much luck, OE - I've been on both sides of it too, and you're right - the dignity thing is all we can hope for.

Amen about the retention bonuses OE. And I know you will find a way of humanely communicating with the people who don't get the job. Bless you on this - I know the hiring process is going to be a source of anxiety for you, but that is the mark of a good soul.

Yeah. Empathy is a rarer commodity in the work place as you age. Some friends of mine were talkng about this the other day. If you are under 40, you really have not experienced a downturn of consequence. Hence a little hubris with restpect to company loyalty that can really burn your butt now that the times are tough.

I work on an annual contract. I am already tensing up about 2010. No rest for the small business owner, BAY-BEE!

There are so many people out of work these days. It's just too easy to dismiss them, but at least you will treat them with dignity. That's pretty, cool, dude!!

I hope you keep us informed on what happens next.

At least these people will have someone compassionate to deal with. But then the other thing, you can't save the world. Well done, as always.

Thank you for letting me know there are people out there who can hire,who do have a heart. I agree with you wholeheartedly. By the way, I was cut out of a supervisor position for the Census, not because I scored in the top 10% on the test, not because of me relevant good experiences and education, no I was sorted out, because I had fallen behind on my student loan. The Federal employee, a woman kept saying, but you owe Federal Debt, and I kept saying, well, I can pay it back when I have a job. But she didn't listen.

too bad more people don't put as much thought and feeling into their actions. you'll make the right decision.

I applaud you for caring about treating the job candidates with respect. You're a good guy, Sheepy.

Jane -- Sorrry I missed your comment earlier. I hear what you're saying, this postion has a lot to do with fit, so I really need to find the right person.

Mr. M -- thanks for the support and kind words.

Bluesurly -- too many people chasing too few jobs. It's a sad and desparate time for many. They deserve better.

Cartouche -- you've left me speechless with this comment and I will be the envy of others.

Owl -- what a wise owl you are.

Annette -- The only thing I can try and compare this competitive environment is to an olympic event, where a the different between first and second place can be thousandths of a second. It's a razor slim margin that gives no solace to the loser.

Geoff -- Maturity and life experience is not overrated. I don't know how you do it. I'm sure there's many a sleepless night where you wonder about meeting payroll. Kudos to you man, cause you're the backbone of the economy.

Luis -- thanks for the kind words. I will come back with an update and blog about the process.

Kathy -- I can only impact a small part of the world. Thanks for your comments.

Sarena -- That's a tough situation for you. I hope you find something soon and bring you loan up to date. That's a real killer.

Cindy -- I'll be thinking about you at noontime my friend. good luck. thanks for your kind words while you deal with a difficult situation at work.

Lisa -- Reading your comments is better than having a facebook page, ya think? Thanks

You seem like a sensitive soul. I'm glad there are people out there who care.

Thumbed while scratching you behind your ears...

Ditto to everything already said here, I can't say it any better. I have two daughters graduating from college this Spring. I am so proud of them because I didn't make it to college and at the same time a little scared for them. Glad to know there are people like you out there!

I always knew you were one of the good guys. Glad you're back, I've missed ya!

Denise -- Thanks very much for the ear scratch. I never met an OES who didn't like it.

Teresa -- Be proud that they are graduating. I wish them well in their job search.

Ann -- You're never irritating with me. Nice to be missed.

As one of the newly unemployed I have the standard experience of being either over- or under-qualified.

I imagine Jesus Christ trying to get a job in the current market. He gets an interview, and it goes something like this:

Interviewer: Mr. Christ, we're interviewing for the position of Assistant Savior. I see that you have three years of experience as a Senior Savior.

JC: Yes, that's correct, three years in that position on earth, though obviously with timeless experience in the heavens.

Interviewer: Well, all of our savior candidates have timeless experience in the heavens; that's one of the requirements. So I see you've done some water-walking . . .

JC: Yes, that was on the Sea of Galilee, during a storm, actually. I got a lot of compliments on that.

Interviewer: Hmmmm..... This position only involves walking on several feet of water. After having walked on the sea, do you think you'd really be happy doing that? I mean, wouldn't that be kind of a lower position that what you're used to?

JC: I see humility as being part of being a savior. So yeah, just walking on a few feet of water would be fine with me. And then, you know, if the water gets deeper I can do that too.

Interviewer: Under the "miracles" section of the application I see that you heal the sick, raise the dead, multiply food, and turn water into wine. Do you have any experience with some of the harder miracles -- you know, balancing the federal budget, creating a domestic automobile that consumers actually want to buy, fixing bad mortgages, and so on? Because this is really what's in demand right now.

JC: Well, no, not really. That's not what I've --

Interviewer: Ok, just asking. So what happened with your former position?

JC: Well . . . I was terminated. . . . . literally. There was this inter-agency dispute over exchange rates in the temple, and I kind of got into . . . an altercation with some of the money changers. And one thing led to another, they informed the Romans, and then --

Interviewer: Terminated?

JC: But I've learned from that experience and moved on. I have a whole new message now, completely revamped, kinder and gentler, I think it's going to be very popular. I have a Powerpoint presentation with the main points highlighted, and I can get you a copy --

Interviewer: Mr. Christ, I just don't think that we have anything for you right now. But we'll keep your resume on file in case another position opens up.

JC: Thank you for your time.

That has to be very hard, painful even. I hope no one is offended by this comparison, but it's a little like going to the pound for a pet and knowing you can save the life of only one...

Mishima666 - Excellent!

Whatever you decide to do, could you please remember to notify those interviewees who have been rejected? My wife had been job hunting for a few months before she luckily landed her present job last month, and it seems like this basic courtesy of a rejection letter has been rather forgotten by most companies.

Mishima -- Great satire and so true. May you find something soon.

Suzn -- I didn't think of it that way but really good point.

icemilkcoffee -- Understood and will do.

I dont' envy the process you are about to go through but I have no doubt you will do it with humility and empathy. Having been in the over /under qualified positions, I can sure relate. Bet there is a real gem in those 50 resumes, though.

I'm so glad to know that at least one potential employer empathizes with the people who are seeking his employment.
Maybe one day I'll get to interview with someone like you and appreciate having been treated with respect in the interview process even if I don't get the job.

Fabflamingo -- More than one gem I'm sure.

spoons -- There are a lot of jerks out there. Based on my experience, if the interviewer is bad, the rest of the company isn't likely to be better.

Hire a woman with great shoes and a super laugh.

Rance -- I didn't take offense to your comment. Are you really suited to being an "employee"? Maybe you should find a "client" with a problem she has that only you can solve.

Lisa -- Kinda a long commute from VA to NYC, isn't it? I'm sure about your laugh but can only assume about your shoes.

now that's what I call empathy. Good for you OES!

(PS - reading your bio quickly, I thought it said not "unnamed non-profit" but "unarmed non-profit" --good grief, I wonder if that reflects my fear that providing health care is getting not only more difficult but more dangerous!)

Congratulation on getting the EP and Cover!!

A very timely piece no doubt...

Thank you for your compassion. And for appreciating what you have.

Nice touch and nice sentiment towards those of us who are unemployed, looking and going through each day in "quiet desparation.
ranked.

made me sick to read- how utterly soul draining to have to reject so many
you're a good man OE