February 9, 2010 in Articles by Joshua Matthews

Can I Take Your Coat Sir?

A friend of mine just joined the State Troopers. He skated through without his jacket. We met several years ago when he moved to town after finishing his service with the US Army. Our wives are friends and he had met with me at my office to go over his resume and talk about his next step. After greeting each other I invited him to sit down, which he did. But he didn’t do what so many people should do when they go to an interview. He didn’t take off his jacket.

Our wives work together and at their office Christmas party he told me a funny story. My friend shared with me how after we met the first time he had come home to his fiance and told her what an a**hole I was. I had told him right away that when he interviews with someone he should always take off his coat. It looks like you’re uncomfortable in your surroundings or have something to hide if you don’t. This had really got under his skin. He got over it of course, but it was forever burned into his memory. Eventually he was able to get some job offers but really had his sights set on the Troopers. Getting to be one is not easy. Part of the process is to pass a psychological exam. It’s really a battery of questions intended to weed out liars, the unstable and in general those not yet fit or ready for service. Results are delivered within minutes and you get to be cross examined about some of your responses in an oral test of wits and honesty. At some point everyone stands together and is called out. They must give their purpose or reason for wanting to be a Trooper. They can then be grilled by the panel members on anything the panel wants to. Of the tens of candidates standing in that line, only one person flew through the process unchallenged. He was the guy who knew enough to take off the stupid jacket.

” There’s over twenty guys up there and they all had their jackets on. I kept seeing your face telling me to take my jacket off. It was the weirdest thing to be the only guy without one, but I’m telling you, they believed me. I was the only one physically showing them I had nothing to hide.”

I love this story not only for the practical advice about interview presentation. I love this story because 30 months after being thought of as a jerk for overstepping my bounds, I got a really great thank you and best of all, my friend got his dream job.