Hired a guy because he knew all about Silver Age comics, but he couldn't tell a live wire from a neutral one.
I run a small electrical shop and needed help with paperwork. In the interview, we covered old Superman stories, and he was a total expert. I was so impressed, I hired him on the spot. Now, he files invoices under names like 'Justice League' and 'X-Men', which is funny but makes finding things a nightmare!
Hey now, I gotta disagree here. Sometimes you hire for a spark, not just a checklist. A person with real passion learns fast, and they actually care about sticking around. Skills you can teach, but that kind of energy? That's rare. I'd take a guy who files under 'X-Men' and wants to learn over someone who knows the wires but hates the job any day.
It's wild how often we hire for Passion instead of the actual Job. You see it everywhere now, a guy who knows everything about anything except what he's paid to do.
Caught a podcast episode on hiring messes like this. They interviewed a manager who hired a guy for his passion projects, but he couldn't handle routine reports. The host said passion doesn't replace skill. Real work needs more than just excitement.