Firing someone is the worst. Hiring them is a close second.

You meet with them, glance at their resume, try to engage them in some informal chit chat. Maybe, if you’re in an impish, dickish mood, you ask them, “If you could invite any 12 people in history to a dinner party, in what order would you seat them at the table and why?” Of course you have no interest in an answer to the question, you just want to see whether they get the joke and laugh at you, freeze up, or begin to fire off kiss-ass staples like Lincoln, Jesus and Gandhi in an attempt to say what they think you want to hear. (for the record: if you’re ever put on the spot like this, ask your interviewer who they would choose, or just be honest: if it’s Kyle from South Park, or Jenna from 30 Rock, or the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons, then that’s who it is. Doesn’t have to be Immanuel Kant passing the peas to Rosa Parks.
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