showing a lack of common sense or judgment

He had been coached as to what to say. He walked into the interview, shoulders back and executing a confident stride, sporting a new haircut and smelling of the cologne that the girl at the counter at the mall said would be best for such an occasion.

He had been coached as to what the questions would be and the answers he should give.

He was ready.

Ready because despite the coaching, he knew the type of firm he wished to join and he would accept nothing less.

He had been coached to say words like Adaptable, Resourceful and Enthusiastic, when asked to give the best words to describe himself. When the time came in the interview where he was asked just that question, he had only one word; “Silly.”

“Silly?” asked the woman behind the desk.

The man sitting next to her did not say the word aloud, but his face definitely said “Silly?”

The applicant tried to read their expressions, to see if they ‘got it.’ It appeared they did not.

‘Moving on’ was the expression he read on the man seated next to the woman. For someone who hadn’t said anything, he was contributing quite nicely. It was not his first rodeo after all; he finished fifth in the Breakaway Roping event at the Colorado National Finals back in 1997.

They moved on but it wasn’t long before the word ‘silly,’ despite all the coaching, was again uttered by the candidate. It was in response to what he thought he could contribute to the company.

“Silly skills.”

“Silly skills?” asked the woman.

“Silly skills?” asked the face of the man to her left.

“Mad silly” came the reply.

“This is getting… silly” thought the man across from the interviewee. He rubbed his chin and felt the scar that ran across it. Courtesy of a feisty calf in the summer of ’95, back when he participated in Tie-Down Roping as well. Once they sewed him up he made a promise to his mother to stay on the horse and away from the flailing hooves.

The woman was afraid that the man sitting in front of her might start rapping. Nothing in his resume had prepared her for this. What would she do?

Instead the candidate was looking down into his lap. When he finally looked up he asked “Do you want to hear about my goals for professional growth?”

The two parties across the table immediately perked up.

“Yes please” they both said simultaneously.

“Firstly I am interested in identifying the cultural and personal fit between myself and the leadership of the organization.”

“Now we’re talking” thought the man with the scarred chin.

His compatriot, eager to keep things rolling along, piped up with “What do you know about our company? From your first impression, knee-jerk reaction, we won’t hold you to it, could you see yourself working here?” She seemed downright giddy that things were back on track.

“Me?” the interviewee asked. “Work here? Don’t be silly.”

Then he got up and left.

The man at the table once again ran his hand across his chin and thought to himself “The calf that fucked up my face was named was Sally. For a second I thought it was Silly. Weird.” He chuckled a low chuckle.

The woman scooped up the resume of the departed candidate, tore it in half and deposited it in the trash can at her feet. “Well” she said, “that was… awkward.”