Threatened by new hire
July 19, 2017 1:56 PM Subscribe
My boss unexpectedly asked me to help him interview a candidate for a vacancy I never knew existed. For all intents and purposes this person has the same exact profile as I do and, if hired, would have the same job as me. Can I safely assume I'm toast? More after the jump.
CONTEXT: I've been working at a NY law firm for the past 6 years. I work both in the U.S. and China, and I'm a dual citizen. My language skills and background have always made me unique on my team, and therefore I've always felt really secure and stable in my position. I've been doing really well and my supervisors like my work.
ISSUE: Today my boss asked me to help him interview a new candidate. The candidate and I are about the same age and she's also a dual citizen, but she has a very impressive resume and some really flashy prior experience. While I am based in the US and she would be based in China, I am afraid we will be competing for work if my boss hires him...or worse, that my boss plans on replacing me with her.
QUESTION: How should I handle this interview? Should I take this opportunity to try to torpedo her chances? I might risk looking petty and "not a team player" if I do so. But I also feel that if my firm hires her, I will be infinitely less valuable and my career prospects will suffer.
CONTEXT: I've been working at a NY law firm for the past 6 years. I work both in the U.S. and China, and I'm a dual citizen. My language skills and background have always made me unique on my team, and therefore I've always felt really secure and stable in my position. I've been doing really well and my supervisors like my work.
ISSUE: Today my boss asked me to help him interview a new candidate. The candidate and I are about the same age and she's also a dual citizen, but she has a very impressive resume and some really flashy prior experience. While I am based in the US and she would be based in China, I am afraid we will be competing for work if my boss hires him...or worse, that my boss plans on replacing me with her.
QUESTION: How should I handle this interview? Should I take this opportunity to try to torpedo her chances? I might risk looking petty and "not a team player" if I do so. But I also feel that if my firm hires her, I will be infinitely less valuable and my career prospects will suffer.
This post was deleted for the following reason: poster's request -- LobsterMitten
If you "try to torpedo her chances" there's no question you'll look petty and not a team player. Your boss is not likely to be asking you to interview your replacement; rather, he's likely asking you to interview someone with a similar skillset because you are in a better position than anyone else to see if this person will be as valuable to the firm as you have been. Being anything other than helpful and professional in this situation is going to be a big, big mistake.
posted by something something at 2:02 PM on July 19, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by something something at 2:02 PM on July 19, 2017 [9 favorites]
Do not assume and absolutely do not try to torpedo a candidate's chances. Ask your boss what's up: "I'd be happy to help with the interview. Can you tell me more about what this position will be doing and how that fits into our current organizational structure? How will this person's work be interacting with my own?"
posted by haruspicina at 2:02 PM on July 19, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by haruspicina at 2:02 PM on July 19, 2017 [18 favorites]
Consider whether your workload is such that having a second person able to handle it would be a benefit to you and to your firm, and whether your firm wants to try to get more of that kind of work and would need more people to do it.
You can probably answer at least some of that yourself. It may also be worth asking your boss directly if this interviewee is intended as your eventual replacement. (Or that may be a terrible idea, and you should use the wording that people are suggesting above.)
posted by asperity at 2:03 PM on July 19, 2017
You can probably answer at least some of that yourself. It may also be worth asking your boss directly if this interviewee is intended as your eventual replacement. (Or that may be a terrible idea, and you should use the wording that people are suggesting above.)
posted by asperity at 2:03 PM on July 19, 2017
Oh my god, no. Bosses don't generally ask people they're gonna fire to interview a replacement!
You've said yourself they like your work; they are obviously looking to expand in this area. "torpedo" her chances will make you look like a fool and won't work anyway.
More broadly, a tip for you: comparing yourself to others is a surefire path to misery. There is enough good credit and goodwill for multiple people in any healthy job. Others' gains do not equal losses for you. Concentrate on building your own success, don't worry about what everyone else is doing, except to congratulate where appropriate.
Best of luck,
posted by smoke at 2:04 PM on July 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
You've said yourself they like your work; they are obviously looking to expand in this area. "torpedo" her chances will make you look like a fool and won't work anyway.
More broadly, a tip for you: comparing yourself to others is a surefire path to misery. There is enough good credit and goodwill for multiple people in any healthy job. Others' gains do not equal losses for you. Concentrate on building your own success, don't worry about what everyone else is doing, except to congratulate where appropriate.
Best of luck,
posted by smoke at 2:04 PM on July 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
haruspicina is right on. You certainly can't help interview someone without knowing the scope of the job they are applying for. Start with the assumption that they are not trying to replace you and find out what you can learn about why this new position was created and what they are looking for in a candidate.
posted by LKWorking at 2:11 PM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by LKWorking at 2:11 PM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
You might want to ask the mods to delete this question or remove some of the details about yourself. I agree with others who think your boss probably isn't planning to fire you, but if they saw this post, that might well change.
posted by aws17576 at 2:12 PM on July 19, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by aws17576 at 2:12 PM on July 19, 2017 [5 favorites]
Just for the sake of argument, I'll consider the possibility that they are asking you to interview your replacement unawares.
Is that really a company where you want to stick around? Sounds like you'd be able to write your own ticket at a bunch of other law firms.
posted by adamrice at 2:25 PM on July 19, 2017
Is that really a company where you want to stick around? Sounds like you'd be able to write your own ticket at a bunch of other law firms.
posted by adamrice at 2:25 PM on July 19, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kumonoi at 2:01 PM on July 19, 2017 [4 favorites]