Pick me! Pick me!

We are staffing up at work, which means that I have been conducting a lot of interviews lately. My business tends to have very high turnover, so interviewing people is nothing new. There hasn't been much turnover here (although at this point I wish there was because some people are really not in the right seat on the bus).

Anyway, interviewing people here in the Pore is a lot different than in the US. Sometimes when I am reading resumes I feel like I am reading someone's personal ad or online dating profile. Everyone includes their picture. I always feel weird when I go to the reception area to meet someone and say, "Victor?" because although I know exactly which person in the waiting room I am going to interview, I never want to walk up to them and say, "Hi Victor. Nice passport photo."

It's also normal for people to put very personal details on their resume such as their age, religion (by the way, what exactly does 'free thinker' mean?), ethnicity, health, parents' professions - I'm not kidding, for each person I interview, I know what their parents do for a living and whether or not the interviewee suffers from high cholesterol.

My favorite part though is when I read about their interests - reading, meditation, shopping, traveling, brisk walks - yup, thats right, brisk walks. It is so hot and humid here - who can stand to take brisk walks? Maybe that will be my lead off question the next time I run across this as a hobby.