Several years ago, I was interviewing potential assistants. Bob Pavey (an AR participant) shared an office with me. He came running into my office, completely out of breath and exclaimed, “Wait until you see what’s waiting at the front for you!” I went up to meet my interviewee. She was wearing a Poccahontes outfit with a top cut down to the equator and a mini skirt to match the plunging top!
I brought her into my office, which was separated by a glass wall to the office behind mine. If I looked over the interviewee’s head, I could see the reflection of the office behind me. The occupant of this office had a sign in his door that read “If you have nothing to do, don’t do it here!” He was a very focused person and didn’t welcome intrusions. All of a sudden, he became the most popular person in the office. Every guy suddenly had questions to ask him so that they could stare at my interviewee.
My interview went something like this: “So, you watch Melrose Place? Great! How about 90210? Really great? Well, you seem qualified, you’re hired!” She asked, how much? I replied, “How about $8 per hour?” Which she promptly accepted.
She then left the office and climbed into her $80,000 Mercedes convertible, just as my mother walked in. My mom asked who that was. I told her she was our new hire. My mother said “The prostitute won’t show up again!” Just then, every guy in the office was high fiving each other. Our manager heard the commotion and came down from upstairs. She asked our quiet, shy office assistant what was going on. She said “you should see who David just hired!” Our manager asked “Was she hot?” This proper and very professional assistant then replied “I would be lesbian to be with her!” The women associates then demanded that I call her and revoke my invitation to hire her. At a minimum, they insisted I not allow her to dress that way!
Just then I broke out into a panic. What would I tell my wife? She would walk in and demand that I fire her! I figured maybe my mother was right and she just wouldn’t show up for work.
As it turns out, she did show up to work the next day, professionally dressed, without me asking. She worked for me for 9 months. She never dressed unprofessional, she never showed up late, she never left early, she was one of the best assistants I ever had, she was the “cheerleader” for the office, always taking lunch orders and organizing parties! As it turns out, her boyfriend, now her husband (who was wealthy), felt she should work rather than shop all day. My wife walked in and they hit it off! “Where did you get that purse? And those shoes! I just love them!.....
You just never know!
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