We were sitting in the lunchroom when the waiting room door tweeter sounded. I looked at my watch. 12:40. “Are we expecting someone?” I asked, glancing around the table at my work colleagues. They all shook their heads, one of them adding that her next interview was scheduled for 13:30. We try to discourage applicants between noon and 1:00. The workday is hectic enough, and it has been unanimously agreed that the lunch hour is a constructive break.

Because I was seated at the end of the table, therefore closest to the lunchroom exit, I went to check it out. I opened the solid door between the waiting area and our offices. The intruder was standing there, peering through the side windows. I looked him over as he turned to me. A young man with dark hair, glasses, slightly stout, attired in a royal blue shirt with long sleeves, in spite of the summer heat, and black dress pants and shiny black shoes. The ‘60’s business era..

“Can I help you?” I asked in French. He replied in the same language.

“I have an appointment.” He gave me his full name. It was the candidate my colleague was expecting for 1:30.

“You’re early,” I switched to English. It is a pre-interview tactic we use to gauge the bilingualism of potential employees.

“I’m sorry.” Apologetic, but not sheepish, and in English. “I’ll come back later. I just wanted to be sure to find the right address.” There was a slight Spanish accent. Trilingual, huh? I caught him before he could spin around to leave.

“No, it’s okay. Come on in. I’ll have you fill out the application form while we finish lunch. It should take you at least that long.” His smile and his ‘Thank you!’ were both sincere as he walked towards me and entered the room. I gave him the forms. He had his own pen at the ready, and smiled at me again as he took the paper from me. “I think we have a winner,” I told myself as I returned to my meal. I was right. He passed all the tests, except one, with flying colours. When I told him he needed some revision on the one he had missed, he immediately asked if we could provide the service. We could, and we do – and it won him more points.

A regular client called about 3 hours after his departure; the owner of a small, yet growing company, who wanted another full-time employee. The competence required was exactly what my royal-blue-shirt could offer. When I called the first number on his application, a lady answered. It was Mama, no doubt. I asked her to have him call me back, and she laughed with pleasure when I gave her the telephone number in Spanish. Her son (it really was his Mama!) returned the call within fifteen minutes He also laughed with pleasure when I told him “You have a job.”

It’s hard to believe that we are getting paid to feel so good inside.