The decision as to whether or not to hire Mimi should be weighed carefully. She has many traits which both promote her and detract from her candidacy. Mimi is educated and well traveled. She has worked hard and put herself exactly where she had hoped to be. These traits would be admired in many employees. However, Fred’s approach to hiring Mimi, as a favor to a friend, is not a wise business choice. Perhaps he let himself believe that he would make his final choice based on her credentials, but the interview didn’t completely reflect that. Fred invited Mimi in as a friend and discussed family life before business. This set a tone for the meeting to which Mimi responded in like kind by winking at Fred and calling him boss. His description of the market – “China yuppies” – that he was working so hard to penetrate was unprofessional as well, and Mimi quickly follow suit.
The information discovered on the internet pertaining to Mimi’s involvement in protests of Chinese treatment of journalists should definitely cause pause. Mimi should be allowed to explain her side of what happened and her current position, especially regarding the job she’s applying for. However, if the decision is made to hire her, she should be kept away from the spotlight and company communications regarding this particular project. Internet information might not be so strongly regarded by the client, but suggesting that she be the one to personally deal with the new business in an Asian culture could certainly be seen as an insult. Before a decision is made to hire, Fred should certainly conduct a more thorough background check to make sure that Mimi’s aggressive creativity and risk taking are not at a level that would put the company in any compromising positions.