Do You Want a Hard Worker or a Clown?

Summary

Teisha Leshea discusses the challenges of job interviews post-pandemic, emphasizing the shift towards personality assessments over skills and experience.

Abstract

In a personal essay titled "Do You Want a Hard Worker or a Clown?" Teisha Leshea reflects on her recent job-hunting experiences, particularly the interviews that seem to prioritize personality over professional qualifications. Despite having over seven years of experience, she finds herself facing questions that feel more suited to a social gathering than a professional setting. Teisha expresses frustration with the interview process that seems to undervalue her hard work and achievements, instead favoring candidates who can entertain or conform to certain personality expectations. She points out the irony in the hiring process that now seems to overshadow the importance of skills and accomplishments, especially in a job market where income is crucial for basic living expenses. The article also touches on the historical context of "shuckin and jivin," a term that refers to a form of entertainment and evasion in the presence of authority, particularly among African Americans, and how it relates to the expectations placed on job seekers today.

Opinions

Teisha believes that the current trend in job interviews, which focuses on personality, undermines the value of her professional experience and achievements.
She is critical of the interview process that involves asking seemingly trivial questions, such as favorite color, rather than focusing on her qualifications.
The expectation to perform or entertain during interviews is seen as devaluing the hard work and dedication candidates have put into their professional development.
Teisha feels that the true measure of a potential employee's value is their work ethic and proven track record, not their ability to engage in small talk or humor.
She is skeptical of the effectiveness of personality questions in predicting an employee's long-term success or satisfaction in a role.
The article suggests that the hiring process should strike a balance between assessing personality and evaluating skills and experience.
Teisha is reluctant to engage in "shuckin and jivin," viewing it as compromising her integrity and authenticity for the sake of employment.
The author points out the racial and gender dynamics at play, particularly for black women in the workplace, and how these dynamics can influence hiring practices and salary negotiations.

Companies pay low to get a good laugh.

In another episode of “Teisha Finds a Job,” I want to discuss interviews and how they’ve changed since the pandemic. Have I gotten a job yet? No. It’s been two weeks since I got the call from my recruiter saying my contract ended.

I’m still waiting on my unemployment, which is a pain in my side thanks to those who fraudulently received an unemployment check on lockdown. The process takes three times as long as usual to go through hoops to receive a check that will still leave you poor, which is mind-boggling. That’s another topic for another day.

This week, I felt some momentum speaking with recruiters and having an interview for another temp job (which I need clarification on). I’ve never had to interview for a temp job that was new to me. During this Microsoft Teams meeting, I was the only one on camera. I talked to bubbles and name initials because they didn’t have the decency to be on camera.

Although one of the supervisors mentioned that they pulled up my resume, the question gave, “What’s your favorite color?” vibes. I have over seven years of experience. Do you want me to entertain you with my knock-knock jokes? No. I made sure to revisit my accomplishments and achievements. It’s hard to read energy and catch vibes from people who refused to be on camera during the interview.

I can’t give you personality out of the gate as someone introverted. I have to warm up to you first; then, we can laugh and tell jokes. The job calls for disputing medical claims with insurance companies and Medicaid, and you ask me, “How would you handle a dispute with your supervisor?” I answered the question, but again, questions like those don’t excite me wanting to be a part of your company.

I need an income to pay rent, and you ask me questions like we’re at happy hour.

The interview lasted thirty minutes. Once the interview ended, I had to Google to see if this was a thing among companies and the hiring process.

According to CMOE (Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness), “Herb Kelleher, one of the co-founders of US-based Southwest Airlines, famously said, “hire for attitude, train for skill.”

Personalities have to blend well with one another, but as someone who’s always been a “watch what I do and not what I say” kind of person, your entry-level psych questions won’t get the results you’re looking for; it's probably something you won’t completely know unless you give an employee the probation period needed to prove oneself.

“Hiring is about more than just raw ability or previous accomplishments. You consider whether someone is likely to stick around for the long term and how engaged they’ll be while they’re at your company. These outcomes are determined mainly by one simple factor: how much people enjoy their jobs. And being satisfied in your career is also influenced by personality.”- Forbes

Again, there should be a balancing act when figuring all of that out. I think about the long nights studying to get that A or taking two exams on one hour of sleep. That hard work is now being shaded based on my personality.

I’ve been doing this completely wrong. I hate to bring in sports, but the NFL can determine an athlete’s worth based on “what they’ve done for the organization.” Jerry Rice would hold fewer receiving records based on making people laugh and feel comfortable.

As a black woman who’s dealt with microaggressions and being skipped over promotions in the workplace, I can’t seem to wrap my mind around using my personality to get a job. When I see people do that, my mind automatically goes to the term “shuckin and jivin.”

According to my BFF’s Wikipedia, shuckin and jivin are slang for joking and acting evasively in the presence of an authoritative figure. In the 1994 book by Clarence Major, Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African-American Slang, “shuck and jive” dates back to the 1870s and was an “originally southern ‘Negro’ expression for clowning, lying, pretense.”

All that translates to me kissing ass and boot-licking, and I’ve never done that for any dollar amount. I take pride in my integrity and authenticity. I can be cordial; I can even give a good morning or ask about your weekend, but if you expect me to laugh at your dad’s jokes and be your sidekick, you, sir or madame, can kick rocks.

I can’t imagine myself doing all of that. I’ve always been a take me as a person, and that has landed me plenty of jobs. I could’ve been more inviting and open. I can admit that I can accept my flaws, but I will gracefully pass to do all of this 67 cents to the dollar.

Those in the whirlpool of finding employment, I wish you nothing but the best and good luck.