I LOST MY JOB OFFER -- AND IT'S BUSH'S FAULT

WROTE BELOW COLUMN ON SEPT. 15, 2008
I LOST MY JOB OFFER – AND IT’S BUSH’S FAULT
Last week, I had my third interview for a job I really wanted. It was clear from the second the interview started that the manager had already decided to hire me, but wanted to give me a chance to ask questions about the company.
The interview went something like this:
Manager: "What questions do you have for us?"
Me: "Yeah, I’m curious, what college did your CEO, Mr. Johnson, go to?"
Manager: "He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard with a B.A. in Engineering and earned a master’s degree in Business from the University of Chicago."
Me: "Oh, that’s terrible. How can someone that smart understand someone like me? What are his hobbies?"
Manager: "I don’t know. He’s a workaholic. He spends lots of time reading books about business and innovation because he’s always looking for ideas that will improve this company."
Me: "Boy, what a drag. I haven’t read a book in years. I do read the sports pages. Does he at least like to talk about the Bears? I hope we have something in common because that’s important to me."
Manager: "He regularly walks around the office soliciting ideas for the company. In fact, he will call every employee into his office at least once a month for a one-on-one talk. He likes to make everyone feel part of this great company and regularly accepts great ideas. Those who provide him great ideas receive huge performance bonuses."
Me: "I can’t deny money is important to me, but I have trouble fitting in a workplace if my colleagues don’t share my values. Which church does Mr. Johnson belong to?"
Manager: "Mr. Johnson is very private about his religion. I do know that we have a very diverse workforce with people from all different backgrounds. You’ll find that this is a very tolerant company, and employee morale and retention is extremely high."
Me: "I hate working with people who have strong opinions that are different than mine. In the company I work for now, almost everyone agrees with the CEO’s politics. Those stupid whiners who claim they think for themselves don’t last long. What’s the biggest mistake Mr. Johnson has ever made in hiring."
Manager: "Our company is set up in such a way that Mr. Johnson and his assistants give our employees feedback regularly and are able to give them the knowledge and skills they need to become very productive and happy. Now, Mr. Johnson has made some policy mistakes in terms of introducing products and services that our customers didn’t want. However, he is very, very flexible, admits his mistakes, and has always been able to cut our losses."
Me: "Are you telling me he’s not decisive? I hate that. People with conviction should stick to their plan even if it’s wrong. Doing otherwise shows weakness."
Manager: "I understand what you’re saying, but the bottom line is that this company is amazingly profitable. Since Mr. Johnson arrived here eight years ago, our profits have doubled every year."
Me: "Profits, shmofits. Mr. Johnson just doesn’t sound like my kind of guy. I think I’d rather work with someone I can hunt and drink with than someone who does a good job."