A Monumental Hiring Mistake That Became Frightening

I already told you about Jason, the sales lead who lied to customers and made up his brother-in-law's funeral. However, it got even crazier with one of those who worked with him.

I often went on sales calls to answer technical questions about our product. This was the late 1990s, and streaming video was very new.

On one such occasion, I rode with Frank, a young salesperson who lived alone in the North Georgia mountains. We did not know much about him as I got into his smoked-filled Dodge Neon for an appointment just outside Atlanta.

"You're pretty smart, right," Frank asked while lighting a cigarette. "Sure," I said, trying to breathe. "Jason said you know about chemistry," he continued. "Yes," I explained, not sure where this was going.

"My grandad gave me some land that no one can get to, and I need someone to help me make meth," he replied as if telling me about a software idea. "I never actually worked in chemistry," I said, trying to drop the subject.

We stopped at a red light, and Frank started cursing at the car next to us. Reaching between his legs, Frank emerges with a pistol and opens the door. "What the hell," I blurted while trying to duck in the seat.

A few minutes later, Frank calmed down, and we continued to the client's location. Once at the client's location, Frank's demeanor changed. He was very professional, much like how he acted during the interview. However, we did not close the sale.

I was instructed to take Frank to lunch after the call to get to know him. But before lunch, he pulled into a rundown shopping center. "I have to visit my parole officer, and since I am a week late, they may lock me up," he said, throwing me his keys. "If I am not back in thirty minutes, lock the keys in the car and call the office to come get you."

Fortunately or unfortunately, he came back. I do not know what we ate for lunch, but I remember returning to the office.

Conclusion

In startups, people tend to hire their friends without much of a formal interview or background check. However, I advise against this and highly recommend a background check for everyone on the team.