And the winner is...

And the winning entry for the "Worst Hiring/Interviewing Story" contest is from Eric Stine, a Production Manager at ALSCO Ogden. Here's what happened to him:

"The worst interviewing hiring story I have dates back several years. I had interviewed several people for the position and had it narrowed down to whom I felt was the most qualified for the position. I told the person that they could start on Monday and gave them a tour of the plant as I start a little later than they do. When I arrived at work I was surprised to find a complete stranger working on the crew. I asked him to come to my office. When he arrived at my office I asked him who he was. He explained to me that he was the brother of t he person I had hired. Apparently my interviewee had decided not to take the job but told his brother he could have the job instead. Obviously I had to explain that this is not the way hiring works and told him he could not have the job and let him go. Later that day his brother called, mad at me for not giving his brother the job."

Eric, for sharing the WORST hiring/interviewing story with us, you win the “Boost Your Business with the 7 Secrets to Hiring & Firing System” completely FREE. ($997 Value) It should arrive within 7-10 days.

But wait, just because you didn't win the contest doesn't mean you're being left out...
For those of you who entered but didn't win, I want to give you private access to the first 3 Secrets in the system and an exclusive offer to get the system at $400 off the regular price. I will be emailing you the "secret" webpage where you can get instant access to the first 3 Secrets in downloadable MP3 format and your special coupon code.

And for those of you who have been following along in the contest, there is something for you too! If you're interested in purchasing the “Boost Your Business with the 7 Secrets to Hiring & Firing System”, you can get $200 off th e regular price until November 30th. But you must use coupon code: 7SECRETSEZINE to get the $200 reader discount!

Just to remind you of all you'll be getting, you can check it out at http://www.discwizardonline.com/lrbseries.html.

Thanks again to Eric, our other contestants and all my readers who followed along!

Nancy Roberts
The DISC Wizard

They are still coming in!

Many years ago I interviewed an individual for immediate hire. We spoke for about 30-minutes or so. We were small company and did not go through all the red tape type things. The person was very knowledgeable and appeared friendly but was reluctant to share his past with me. So…I decided to take a chance and hired him. I asked him what his shirt size was, so I could get him work shirts in his size, as I told him I wanted him to start working immediately. When I returned to my office with the shirts he had already removed his shirt. What I saw scared the heck out of me. His chest was full of knife wound scars. I was absolutely speechless. He then turned around to put the work shirt on and his back was fell of scars as well. I asked him if he had been in the service, his answer, no. I then asked him where all the scars came from. He said- “ I’d rather not say.” It was clear to me, judging by the look on his face, that he did not want to talk about it. A few days later, we pulled a night shift after the store closed to do some painting. He removed his shirt to paint. The more I looked at him, the more scars I saw. His back, chest, upper arms, were a mass of holes, divots, scars, and tattoos. A few days later we had to terminate him, because there was money missing from the register. WOW!!!


~ David Lombard, Rochester, NY

This one cracked me up!

This is an entry that falls into the category of "better late than never." 

The worst interviewing hiring story I have dates back several years. I had interviewed several people for the position and had it narrowed down to whom I felt was the most qualified for the position. I told the person that they could start on Monday and gave them a tour of the plant as I start a little later than they do. When I arrived at work I was surprised to find a complete stranger working on the crew. I asked him to come to my office. When he arrived at my office I asked him who he was. He explained to me that he was the brother of the person I had hired. Apparently my interviewee had decided not to take the job but told his brother he could have the job instead. Obviously I had to explain that this is not the way hiring works and told him he could not have the job and let him go. Later that day his brother called, mad at me for not giving his brother the job.


~ Eric Stine, Production Manager, ALSCO Ogden

In case you missed this one...

Once I had an second interview with a candidate scheduled. When he was a no-show, I thought it was weird but went on with my day. As I was heading out to lunch, I saw the gentleman passed out in his car in the parking lot. When I knoceked on the window and woke him up, he told me that he had been out all night before drinking and didn't bother to go home because he didn't want to be late for the interview. So he drove right to the office and fell asleep.

~ Rosemarie, HR Manager, Rochester, NY

Close talker!

1. I had an interviewee speak so quietly that I had to ask her several times to speak up. She continued to "whisper" through our entire interview. And she was interviewing for a nail technician position where she would be conversing with clients all day long. We did not hire her.


2. I was interviewing for salon coordinator positions (Front desk) and walked out to greet one of our candidates. I was shocked to see that she was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. I did conduct the interview, regrettably, and couldn't get over the fact she was dressed like this during the entire interview. I did cut it short and I was recommended in the future, if a candidate was dressed like that to tell them, "Hi (fill in name) since you did not feel it was appropriate to come dressed to our interview, then I do not feel it is appropriate to interview you." Still have yet to use that one...(thank goodness!!)

3. We were looking for an Esthetician for our expanding spa. One of our procedures is to have potential candidates perform a facial on one of our current estheticians. We had three candidates narrowed down and really had one in mind we wanted to hire. During her facial with my lead esthetician, not only did she put scalding hot towels on her face, she proceeded to push the hot towels onto her skin instead of lightly pressing on them. After this traumatic facial, my lead esthetician recommend that we NOT hire her!

~ Jill Rizzo, Director, Beau Monde Spa and Salon, Victor, NY

Trouble with the blog!

I just found out that some of you were having trouble posting comments to the blog.  So I will continue to add stories if you send them to me at info@discwizardonline.com. 

A couple more just came through!

Scary for sure!

It was an open interview day, and I was recruiting for a nursing position. Sat down with an applicant who did not have any nursing degree or education to support why she was qualified for the job, so she was asked about her qualifications and if she had the necessary credentials for the position. She said, “No, but I watch ER all the time and I know I can do the job”.


Or – how about the one where the applicant is texting on his phone while I’m asking him questions, not even bothering to look at me.

Jennifer Steier, HR Manager, Ultrafab, Inc.

Be glad this wasn't you!

Here are a few interviewing disasters that were sent in by email!

• I know this sounds made up but I'm not kidding.  A job applicant challenged me (the interviewer) to an arm wrestle.


• Interviewee wore a Walkman, explaining that she could listen to the interviewer and the music at the same time.

• Candidate announced she hadn't had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and french fries in the interviewer's office.

So now you see...strange interviews are more prevalent than we thought.  Let us know your interviewing or hiring disaster and why you need the "Boost Your Business with the 7 Secrets to Hiring & Firing" System by this Friday and you may win it for FREE!  ($997 Value)

Let's Hear Your Hiring/Interviewing Disasters!

Today is the day to start sharing the "Worst Interviewing/Hiring Story Ever!" 

Tell me WHY you need this system so bad (i.e. your biggest interviewing or hiring disaster), and the WINNER of the worst (and therefore, best) story will win the “Boost Your Business with the 7 Secrets to Hiring & Firing System” completely FREE.

So go ahead and post your story in the comments section of this blog. Or if you'd like to send in video of you telling the story (extra points), go ahead and send it to info@discwizardonline.com.


Winner will be selected on November 20th!

Something's Coming...

We're getting closer to the "Worst Hiring/Interviewing Story Ever" Contest! 

The completion of my new product “Boost Your Business with the 7 Secrets to Hiring & Firing System” has gotten me really excited.  So I couldn't wait to get this information in people's hands!  So I thought - why not just give one away?

Of course, this is really valuable information (a steal at $997) so if I'm giving it away, the person has to really need it.  That's why I'm having this contest. 

Starting November 11th, submit your reason for needing this product.  What's the worst experience you've had when interviewing or trying to hire someone?  Funny stories are welcome too!  And if you can demonstrated that you are most in need - you might just win the “Boost Your Business with the 7 Secrets to Hiring & Firing System” completely free!

More to come!

Bring It On!

It's time to have a little fun with an oh-so-serious topic - HIRING! I know from working with my clients over the last seven years, that there have been some real disasters in the interviewing and hiring process. This is going to be the one time that is a GOOD thing!

Starting November 11th, we’re holding a contest for the “WORST Hiring/Interviewing Story Ever!” That’s right. If you’ve had a horrible experience trying to hire someone – we want to hear about it. The more awful, the better!

Here’s why I’m holding the contest. I’ve recently completed a brand new product called “Boost Your Business with the 7 Secrets to Hiring & Firing System.” This system will help you in every aspect of the selection and hiring process. It’s a steal at $997. (You can check it out at http://www.discwizardonline.com/lrbseries.html)

But, if you tell me WHY you need this system so bad (i.e. your biggest interviewing or hiring disaster), the WINNER of the worst (and therefore, best) story will win the “Boost Your Business with the 7 Secrets to Hiring & Firing System” completely FREE.

So go ahead and post your story in the comments section of this blog. Or if you'd like to send in video of you telling the story (extra points), go ahead and send it to info@discwizardonline.com. 

Winner will be selected on November 20th!

Let the games begin!

Loving What Is...

I recently read a book called "Loving What Is" by Byron Katie. It contains something called "The Work" which consists of four questions that can change your life.

A Wizard understands that nothing has meaning except the meaning we give it. Nothing is inherently good or bad (a concept Buffalo Bills fans may be struggling with this Monday afternoon) until we assign it the label good or bad...it just is.

If you struggle with this concept - and why wouldn't you, you're human after all - I encourage you to read this book.

We have come to understand the word "detached" as a bad thing. But being emotionally detached is how we maintain equilibrium in a chaotic world. If you find yourself easily emotionally triggered, run and get this book.

A Wizard Goes With the Flow!

I am in Chicago O'Hare airport on my way to Winnipeg, MB for a speaking engagement. The flight here from Rochester could have potentially been the worst flight of my life. Not turbulence, not bad food, but a toddler kicking and screaming the whole way. And I mean, literally kicking....the back of my seat.

I really had to use my Wizard Training. I used every mantra in my book! I go with the flow. Everything happens for a reason and that reason is here to serve me. On and on I went.

And then something occurred to me that made me unbelievably happy and helped me cope the rest of the trip. At least I'm not the mother!!!

See? There is always a silver lining!

A Wizard Always Finds or Creates a Way!

I just returned from a four-day, jam-packed trip to Virginia. On the way home, we spent the night in Baltimore. Leaving Tuesday morning, we knew we had to make it home by 6pm as we had dinner reservations with friends that we really didn't want to miss. So we thought leaving by 10:30 would give us plenty of time. (It's a 6-hour trip)

Well besides the inevitable construction delays that always slow us down, we got lost coming out of Baltimore. As we made many wrong turns and expressways just seemed to end without warning (since when do you have Rt. 695 South, North, East and West???), we got more and more frustrated as we felt our window of time slipping away.

We DID stop to ask for directions but that just got us turned around more. That was when I remembered that I had everything in the car to get on the Internet and look at Google Maps. Once I did that, we figured out exactly where we were and we corrected course and thankfully, got home by 6pm!

The lesson in all of this is that we were using whatever was available to us to accomplish our goal. We had 1) maps, 2) stopped to ask for directions, 3) used the Internet in the car until we got headed back in the right direction. And if I didn't have my laptop, I would have phoned a friend who could have accessed the Internet for us.

A Wizard always finds or creates a way!

A Wizard by any other name...

1. One who practices magic; a sorcerer or magician.
2. A skilled or clever person: a wizard at math.
3. A sage (a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdom that comes with age and experience)

Of all these definitions, I think I like #3 the best. I leave the magic and miracles up to the Universe. But mentoring, wisdom, spirituality and experience, these are qualities I aspire to.

And I believe the only way to gain these are to be open-minded and a lifelong learner. Most people think they are open-minded. But most of what they call learning is just reinforcing what they already know. When is the last time you really learned and accepted something new?

Welcome to The DISC Wizard's Blog!

I'm so happy you're here. This blog has taken a little longer than expected to be created but now my vision is clear and the insights will be spilling out all over this blog. Just to clarify a bit for those who don't know what the heck is The DISC Wizard.

Simply put, DISC is an online assessment that I use with my clients to help them understand the behavior of job candidates, employees, managers, etc. DISC stands for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance. And every person can be measured on a scale of 100% in each of these four categories.

For those of you who know DISC, I am:

74% Dominance
100% Influence
5% Steadiness
51% Compliance

And while most people know what a Wizard is from books and movies like "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" or even "The Wizard of Oz", I hope to bring you insights into your own behavior (why you do what you do) that will help you see the world in a different, more peaceful, empowering, magical way!