Melody interviewed 10 people for a marketing assistant position, and two of the candidates stood head and shoulders above the rest — Matt and Alicia.

On the other hand, Matt didn’t seem particularly creative. He seemed to lack the personality and sparkle that would make it easy for him to advance to a professional marketing position.

The other candidate, Alicia, made a strong first impression. She dressed smartly, thought well on her feet and seemed to have the intelligence and personality to advance. Alicia also seemed very motivated and had a two-year communications degree. On the downside, Alicia had changed jobs frequently and lived in several different cities.

Matt was the safer approach; things would run smoothly and he has a proven record of dependability. But Alicia’s intelligence and liveliness could be a real asset to the job.

What would you do?

Reading the scenario above, I wondered about the educational requirements. One candidate has a two-year degree, while the other has real world experience and is working toward a marketing degree. That latter seems to me like a winner, but as I continue to dismantle the scenario I see more. One candidate is an introvert and stable, while the other is an extrovert and “job hopper”. I am not holding the latter against her. I recall starting out in the field of social work and going for the “box of chocolates”- per deim work. This allowed me to obtain a feel of what was right for me and help me build an amazing toolbox of skills. Therefore, in the end I would have gone with the female candidate, Alicia. Who would you have chosen? To see who was chosen, you can read  Business Management Daily article.