The iPod family with, from the left to the rig...

Image via Wikipedia

About seven years ago, as a Christmas present, Patti gave me an iPod.  Back then, there was only one kind. During the holiday period, whenever I could squirrel away some time, I would take our CD collection and move it to the iPod. I believe I put just about all our CDs on the little device that holiday.

Since then, as a music junkie, whenever we would buy CDs, or I would buy tunes from iTunes, I would organize the content through the Music Library and keep the tunes on the iPod. After some years of owning this, Patti gave us (really me) a Bose deck to use to play the iPod throughout the house. Love the Bose deck.

A few months ago, when I was working in Chicago, I came to really rely on the iPod. I would wear it when I took the dog for its walks, commuting by foot or bus to work and back, or just wandering through downtown or in the various parks we would visit on weekends. In working in a number of cities over my career, never have I seen such people addicted to the iPod than when we were in Chicago. I understand, really; it’s a city of commuters who walk, ride the bus, or take the trains or El to and from work.

As a result, and trying to keep track of our evolution as a culture, I think the iPod could serve another very important use — a recruitment tool. Maybe it already is and no one sent me the memo.

In the periodic role of a hiring manager that I have had the pleasure to enjoy, I thoroughly enjoy meeting candidates and discussing their resumes and qualifications for a particular job. Listening to others and their work experiences, and of perhaps shared acquaintances, etc., has been very rewarding. Occasionally, at times, hiring decisions have been hard because more than one candidate was ably suitable for the job. While I have never resorted to the “eenie, meenie, minie, moe” of some decision-making, it has been tempting at times.

So much of hiring today is going beyond just qualifications and experience. It is one of fit. Will the individual work well and thrive in our particular working culture? Will others who will work with this individual believe he/she is suited for the culture? Will the individual be able to hit the ground running in our culture, or is he/she  more comfortable in a culture that is different from ours? These are typical questions I have heard, not recently though.

Well, I think if I were hiring today and looking at more than one suitable candidate, I would ask each of the candidates for their iPods.  You see, I think the music that a person listens to says a lot about who they are, what their interests are and what they use for inspiration.

And, of course, I would need to take my copy of Abbott & Costello‘s “Who’s on First” routine or Howard Stern ramblings off my iPod if I even hoped to be taken seriously. I’m just sayin’.