One of my favorite stories about hiring people from the old days of Western Union.
A thread.
A thread.
It’s the Great Depression and MANY people are looking for work.
Western Union puts an ad in the paper announcing that they are looking for telegraph operators.
The ad specified a time and place for anyone interested to go and apply,
The ad specified a time and place for anyone interested to go and apply,
On the date and time, a door opens up into a room full of chairs.
By the entrance is a sign that signs:
“Please take a seat and wait for further instructions”
By the entrance is a sign that signs:
“Please take a seat and wait for further instructions”
The room gradually fills up with people and they sit in the chairs.
Through a door in the wall, the constant dit dah dit dah of lore code can be heard as telegraph operators currently employed go about their business of sending telegrams
Through a door in the wall, the constant dit dah dit dah of lore code can be heard as telegraph operators currently employed go about their business of sending telegrams
Suddenly, a young man gets up, walks over to the door.
He opens it, walks through and closes the door after himself.
He opens it, walks through and closes the door after himself.
Immediately after, someone from Western Union comes out and says:
“Thank you everyone for coming but the position has been filled”
“Thank you everyone for coming but the position has been filled”
It being the Great Depression, people are somewhat shocked given that they waited for hours etc.
Someone shouts “What? How? We’ve been all here waiting for hours!”
Someone shouts “What? How? We’ve been all here waiting for hours!”
The Western Union man says:
“So did you all hear the Morse code? Yes?
The whole time it was transmitting: ‘if you want the telegraph operator position, go through the door’.
The gentleman who just walked through was the only one who actually listened to those instructions”
“So did you all hear the Morse code? Yes?
The whole time it was transmitting: ‘if you want the telegraph operator position, go through the door’.
The gentleman who just walked through was the only one who actually listened to those instructions”
“So, of course, we gave the position to him.
Thank you all for your time and best of luck in the job search.
Good day.”
Thank you all for your time and best of luck in the job search.
Good day.”
I think about this story every time a company wants a take home assignment as part of an interview process, btw
If you liked this thread, you might like some of my other threads too:
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