On Tue, 27 Sep 2005 20:56:39 -0700, "Roger Shoaf"
wrote:

"Whenever Thomas Edison was about to hire a new employee, he would invite
the applicant over for a bowl of soup. If the person salted his soup before
tasting it, Edison would not offer him the job. He did not hire people who
had too many assumptions built into their everyday life. Edison wanted
people who consistently challenged assumptions."

-- From Thinkertoys, by Michael Michalko, Ten Speed Press, 1991

That's scary! I'd not heard that story before, but I used a similar
test. I took applicants to lunch, let them order whatever they might
like -- and noted what assumptions they made at table before tasting.

I also noted table manners, in the sense of regard for others
regardless of which hand one might grab a spoon or fork or a chicken
wing. I don't mind if a guy jams his face with grub while farting,
but I had customers of more refined sensibilities.

I also condidered the instincts of my VietNamese "secretary", a
teammate who was far more than a "secretary" but that's how I found a
fit in my org that HR couldn't reject though they sure tried. I
wasn't supposed to hire her, only supposed to give her an interview to
check a box. I offered her the job after 15 minutes of interview.
English was and still is a third language for her, but she was and is
an unusually capable person when it came to getting done whatever
needed doing.

She'd organized logistics of feeding Saigon during the fall with a
price of many piasters on her head, made the last plane outta Saigon.
She's an incredibly capable woman with good instincts. I've
been retired for 6 years now, still see her now and then when I
occasionally visit the ol' puzzlepalace to consult.
Politically-incorrect-in-the-workplace hugs happen, oh well.