This is a true story about an independent recruiter who wanted to make a career change and work for a company full-time. Over the years, he had successfully completed credentialing as a SPHR and wanted to shift his career to a Human Resources role.

He kept his eye out for some opportunities in his vast network. You are probably thinking – what’s the problem, he’s in the business of matching up people – he should land quickly in the HR career field.

His first interview was with a local company. It was for an HR Manager with heavy recruiting experience.  A couple of days before the interview, his family got some Chinese takeout.

Everyone got sick except for him. They figured it was food poisoning and he was lucky to get a piece of chicken that was not tainted. Without thinking, he had some more of that food the night before the interview and now he was experiencing the aftermath.

He managed to hold it together during the interview though admittedly he was not at his best. Ultimately, the company decided to promote from within for the HR position.

The second interview was with an out-of-state company. It was an internal recruiting job that would allow him to set up a home office and work remotely. This opportunity sounded like the dream job.

The company invited him in to interview and he left one morning to catch the 7 am flight. The only problem is he missed the flight by 5 minutes despite being at the small airport an hour early.

The last interview was with a local company as a Recruiting Manager. On the day of the interview, he mixes up his pain and muscle relaxer medication. The kicker is he took twice as much muscle relaxer medication than he normally takes. You can probably visualize how that interview went.

So, now he is asking himself if he really wants to make a career change and become a permanent employee inside a company. Is there some greater force of nature at work? Is the universe telling him no or it is self-sabotage?

What are your thoughts?