Would you hire this candidate?

Original Publication Date: Thursday, December 9, 2010

What if I told you that I know of a candidate that is looking for work at your company? I go on explaining that this candidate is a well educated Canadian of Chinese background, who has 15 years of experience and is technically strong. She moved up the corporate ladder quickly and lived through major reorganizations over the years. Furthermore, she is passionate about the products, supportive of the corporate vision and mission statement, and represents her department well.

My question is: Would you hire this candidate?

However, there is a dark side to this story! What if I told you that she, along with few others in this promising company with a very bright future, publicly criticized and demanded the resignation of the CEO, who gave in and decided to step down? CEO’s departure resulted in a major drop of share prices to near collapse, and the competition began to gain grounds. Engagement began to slip and upset shareholders began to sell fast and walk away. So now the company is stuck without a leader (and no prospects), low morale, and lack of funds. Pretty soon, it will lose its top internal talent to other organizations, leaving it with no choice but to hire new employees, who may or may not work out.

Again, my question is: Would you hire this candidate?

Sadly, this story is as real as it gets albeit the candidate is not yet looking for a job. If you have been following the British Columbia politics over the past couple of months you would know who the candidate is. It is Ms. Jenny Kwan! Through her miscalculations, lack of consultation (or proper consultation from her circle), and by allowing her emotions to run “wild,” she left behind a mess that will take years to clean up, leaving British Columbians without any real competition to challenge the ruling party.

Now my question is: Would Jenny Kwan’s actions be viewed as acceptable in a private / publicly traded company? Would they have been tolerated?

Thank you for reading,

Armin

PS. I am supporting Kevin Falcon in the Liberal leadership race and the subsequent provincial elections. Exciting times!!!

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