Changing The Guard

It's that time of year again when we'e taking on new staff in anticipation of a busy summer season.  It looks like we will be changing the entire part time brigade this summer. Fred will be leaving for a full time job, while Laura, Ellie, Maddie and Rachel will all be heading off to university.

As I have done for a few years now I advertised on Facebook, which got a dozen responses plus one person reported me to the Facebook cops for friend requesting them.  I whittled out four of the initial twelve before interview, including nearly all the boys who really need to learn that as informal as Facebook is, when you are talking to a prospective employer calling him "mate" and "pal" is not the way to go.

This week then I have conducted eight interviews and now I'm in a real quandary. Sometimes the interviews throw up a one or two outstanding candidates who obviously stand head and shoulders above the rest of the group.  Last year I thought Maddy fitted this description and she has proved to be a charming addition to the team.  This year I would happily employ 7 from the 8 interviewees, it is going to be really tough to winnow the field down to the two we want to take on at this time.

Also this year at interview I asked some slightly oddball questions in order to make the candidates chat a bit, getting them to explain the LBW rule in cricket was fun, Having them sell their favourite band to me was even more so and provided some eloquent and spirited defences of an assortment of acts from Coldplay to N-Dubz.

I also asked that if a deity could grant you a personal superpower and then change one thing about the world what would they choose.  This brought some lovely responses along the lines of eradicating poverty and halting all wars, and then some unintentional hilarity when one person said they'd like to have all the countries closer together.  That's nice, I thought, bringing down boundaries and making us all better neighbours.  Not for that reason though said the candidate, it's just that Australia is such an awfully long way away and if it was closer it would be cheaper to travel to.

One candidate giggled, perhaps through nerves, all the way though the interview, but her laugh was so infectious she had me laughing with her by the end. Another almost reduced me to tears with a heartfelt deity request that was so unexpected honest that it stopped me in my tracks for a moment.

I have high hopes ten for this year's intake.  Two young people will be offered a job today, and most of the rest will be given first choice if they are still available later in the summer.  I know it won't be any consolation for those that don't get a place, but if I had enough employment to offer, I'd take them all on.