Episode 04

Daniel: Hi there!

Marcia: Good morning, Daniel!

Daniel: Oh, Dan, please.

Marcia: I'm Marcia Boardman – we spoke on the phone – and this is Philip Hart, our CEO.

Philip: Hello!

Daniel: Nice to meet you both.

Philip: So, it says here on your CV that you’re interested in rock climbing.

Daniel: Yeah, I love it!

Philip: Great, so do I! When did you last go climbing?

Daniel: Er, well, it was a while ago, now.

Philip: Anywhere interesting?

Daniel: Yeah, I walked up the hill behind my house. Took me about 30 minutes!

Philip: Oh.

Marcia: OK, erm, Daniel, can you tell us a little bit about your current position?

Daniel: Certainly. As it says in the CV, I'm part of the European sales team at Networld. We're the world's leading supplier of IT hardware.

Philip: Why do you want to move on?

Daniel: Well, they're too small for me!

Marcia: Networld are too small for you?

Daniel: Yeah, I'm looking for something much bigger.

Philip: Well, we're not a big company by any means, but we are looking to grow! Er, what first attracted you to WebWare in particular?

Daniel: Well, I see WebWare as kind of like a stepping stone ...

Marcia: Sorry?

Daniel: Yeah, start here, gain the necessary experience, then move on to something bigger.

Philip: OK ... well, I do admire your ambition!

Daniel: Thanks. I've got lots of it!

Marcia: Let's move on to managing people. Can you give an example of a time when you had to deal with a particularly difficult managee?

Daniel: Sure, well, I think that's one of my strong points, actually. Er, a couple of years ago, I was working with a guy, he wasn't pulling his weight, basically being lazy – so I told him to get out.

Marcia: Oh, you didn't give him a performance review or a warning or perhaps try to develop his motivation?

Daniel: No, no, no, no. None of that rubbish. If someone's not working hard enough, then they're out! That's the way I work. I'm a hard man.

Marcia: I see.

Philip: Erm, how would you handle a rapidly changing market?

Daniel: Basically not change anything at all! Just continue on as normal, regardless.

Marcia: Erm, according to your CV you are fluent in Mandarin ...

Daniel: Well, I wouldn't say 'fluent', exactly, but I like Chinese food a lot so I can read the menu.

Philip: So you can't actually speak the language?

Daniel: Er, no.

Marcia: Can you tell us about a time you had to close a particularly challenging deal?

Daniel: I haven't had one. They're all easy for me. I close deals all the time.

Marcia: OK, well, do you have any questions for us?

Daniel: No.

Philip: Oh. OK. Erm, thanks.

Marcia: Let's move on to the presentation ...