By Nick Young
The last job I applied for was a server position at Berkeley Golf & Country Club in Berkeley, CA. I had just moved back for the summer and was looking for something that would keep me busy and pay well. I submitted my resume online, and not long after, I got a call from Kimberley Chen, the Food & Beverage Manager. She asked me to come in for an interview later that week.
The interview itself was pretty relaxed, but professional. Kimberley asked about my past experience in restaurants, how I work under pressure, and what kind of hours I was looking for. She also told me about the expectations of the job and how important teamwork was at the club. I left feeling pretty good about it—it seemed like a well-run place with a strong team and a high standard of service. I was hired shortly after.
At first, everything seemed to line up with what was said in the interview. The members were friendly, the setting was great, and most of the staff were helpful. But after a few weeks, I started to notice some things behind the scenes—communication between staff and managers could get messy, and some employees didn’t really uphold the same standards we were told about in training. It didn’t ruin the experience, but it definitely shifted how I viewed the job.
After reading the intro to Who: The A Method for Hiring, I could see how even a place like a country club deals with the same challenges described in the book. The authors argue that hiring the right people is one of the biggest problems organizations face, and I’d agree. Even if someone looks good on paper, or even in an interview, it doesn’t always translate to long-term success. That’s something I’ll definitely keep in mind when I’m the one doing the hiring one day.
