We Could All Use A Little “Circular Helping”

We no longer purchase the Chicago Tribune. This is due in part to its cost and our cost-cutting, but it’s also a result of the downsizing of the paper—both in dimensions and in content. Periodically I pick up the Tribune’s free outreach rag geared toward Millennials. My husband enjoys scanning it and then adding it to our growing stack of papers intended for use in our pending move.

One of these free papers was lying about the other day and I leafed through it. In the blog column roundup was a recruiter’s comment to “Get a Job in Chicago: 10 Tips from Local Recruiters,” an article and slide show posted by Katie Rogers on her BrokeAss blog. Here’s the tip:

Stay positive.
“We all want the job market to improve. We are all a bit beaten down by the economy. But the people who only look forward and bring a positive attitude will outshine those who have grown frustrated and jaded.”

Okay. I can agree with that. But here’s how the recruiter responds:

“As a recruiter I could not agree more with the statement of ‘Staying positive.’ All too often I interview people or read resumes about people’s poor luck recently. Yes, we all experience hard times, but if you cannot stay positive during a tough time then how would you handle a difficult situation/customer if I were to place you in the job itself?”

Excuse me? Since when did handling a tough customer or situation in the workplace become equivalent to worrying about whether you’re going to be able to keep a roof over your head and looking a bit glum about it? Are interviews going to start including questions about our survival skills during the First Great Recession of the 21st Century? Do you ever hear a “poor luck” tale and feel a twinge of compassion?

I believe this recruiter meant well. She provides three more tips for the job-hunter in her comments and closes with this paragraph:

“I hope this helps, and I interview people all day long, so if anyone every needs tips please let me know :)”

(Note: I didn’t retype that. Nor did I add the emoticon, which is what leads me to believe she meant well.)

In a wonderfully synchronous moment, I opened management expert Dale Dauten’s Laughing Warriors: How to Enjoy Killing the Status Quo to this wisdom:

“Hiring is circular helping—the goal is to find the person who will contribute the most AND benefit the most.”

The caps are Dauten’s. The idea is golden. Of course it’s unwise to hire people only because you feel sorry for them. But if they really could be of value to your organization and they will benefit from your job offer, isn’t that a best-case scenario? The cliché Win-Win?