Friday, February 22, 2019

What Do You Want to Do When You Grow Up?


My last missive in this space dealt with the often, painstaking process of interviewing job candidates. Yes, sometimes I have felt root canal would be a preferable option to sitting across the table from a total stranger preparing for the eventual weeding out process.

But just last week one of my daughter’s friends dropped by the house for a brief visit. She had been an accounting major in college and had worked briefly as a bookkeeper for a small financial firm but was now interviewing for a job at one of the major audit firms in the tri-state area.

She had done well enough during the first series of sit-downs to earn an audience with one of the senior partners – specifically the one who would be her ultimate boss should she be hired.

She recounted how the partner glanced at her resume’ and notes from her other interviews, kicked back in his chair and asked her point blank:

“So, what do you want to do when you grow up?”

Stunned, she had to think for a moment, perhaps longer. Nothing in her experience or hearing the job interview experience of others had prepared her for that question.


She stammered something about reaching a position with a high level of responsibility, good compensation and benefits and doing something she enjoyed as well.

Apparently even though that was perhaps not the answer he wanted he took a liking to her and explained that when posed with that question, the fool-proof answer is “a position that helps you grow both personally and professionally.”

“Everybody says they want money and perks,” he explained. “But if you enjoy what you’re doing and feel that you’re growing personally as well, the money will eventually come.”

He went on to say that despite accounting being a numbers-oriented profession, it is above all a people business – from the staff to the clients and that people can usually tell when someone is going through the motions and when someone is truly dedicated.

Long story short she was offered the position and the early returns are she’s very happy despite a staggering workload.

As I’m on the back nine of my career so to speak, I can’t envision I will ever be put into the interviewing position again but thought back to how I would have answered had I been asked that same question.

Looking back, I think I’m glad I never was. 

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