RE: Employment question

["Lauren" <lt34 -at- csus -dot- edu>]

Wait.  You're making assumptions that the OP started the conversation?  I
assumed that the candidate started the conversation.

The OP said:
"The contrast in views couldn't have been any greater. And the person was
not the least bit reluctant to express them either. Like it was a given that
no one could ever disagree with those opinions. (Did I tell you our team all
fall into the same side of the political spectrum?) The visible strain the
team was under to keep the situation from sliding to an Al Franken date with
Ann Coulter would have made me smile if I was not under the same strain."

"The person was not the least bit reluctant" to express his views. "The
visible strain the team was under to keep the situation from sliding ...
would have made me smile ..."  This situation could have been a set-up.  I
think that it would be very unethical to raise a heated political subject at
lunch.  I would not even think that somebody would do that intentionally.
My take was that the candidate raised the issue and the team had to deal
with it.  

If the team raised the issue, then the team lead, presumably the OP, should
have felt compelled to end the discussion because it is an inappropriate
subject for a job interview.  If the team lead raised the subject, then I
think that candidate should look for work elsewhere because that it is a
hostile work environment (or lawsuit) in the making.  Also, if the team or
team lead raised the subject, then the candidate may have felt compelled to
make a good impression by having strong views about the subject.

Lauren
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com 
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On 
> Behalf Of Bonnie Granat
> Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 2:29 PM
> To: 'TECHWR-L'
> Subject: RE: Employment question
> 
> 
>  I used to be a < > and now I'm a < >, so I understand the 
> other side and
> have no problems granting others their free choice. 
> 
>  
> > It's time to move on to more important things...
> > 
> 
> It's a not unhelpful point, I think, on balance, that might 
> help someone --
> good group dynamics is important, but when politics gets into 
> the mix, the
> company can suffer from it. The best candidate won't be hired, as is
> probably the case in this case, because the applicant, who 
> probably didn't
> bring up politics himself walked into a trap. I do hope for 
> him that he's
> not hired. I concluded that he didn't bring up the subject 
> because of what
> the OP wrote; it would be very odd if a candidate such as the 
> one described
> would do so unless he thought it was an acceptable topic. 
> 
> 
> Bonnie Granat
> http://www.GranatEdit.com
> 
>

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