Business Professional Barbie - Now with Kung Fu Grip

Ok, I have learned my lesson... never underestimate ANYONE. Round 2 of this weeks interviews continued today. I had very little faith in this applicant. Her resume indicated that she is probably 2-3 years younger than me and had only a year and a half experience in the field as an intern. Significantly less than impressive... So I was trying to keep an open mind and treat her exactly the same as the other applicant, no better, no worse. She sent a revised and updated resume to everyone interviewing her earlier in the week and it was pink... bright pink. Granted... it was her online resume and it was only the border that was pink but it still looked like "Susie's First Resume." Then she walked into my office this morning and she was wearing pink, she had long curly blond hair, and she was clearly younger than me. I'm already the baby at work but she made me look downright old. She seemed... nice. Very bubbly and opinionated and chatty. This made me seriously question my plans for chewing her up and spitting her out in the interview but I promised my office that I would treat both applicants equally so I put my "mean face" back on and went to the interview. I asked the first question and it was a perfect three point landing for her. I let the other three interviewers ask their questions and gaged her ability to skirt questions and throw up smoke and mirrors. She was good, VERY good. The rest of the interviewers finished with her and it was my turn again. I stepped up my game a little and fired away. The force was strong with this one. I presented her with the knife to cut her own throat on several occasions and she just tossed it back at me every time. Toward the end we got into this really weird conversation where I was trying to trip her up and force her to admit that she was full of shit but she knew it and kept her smoke screen up. To the rest of the room it probably just looked like a boring conversation about tech things they didn't understand. Her interview was virtually flawless but I have a feeling that the director saw right threw her. She didn't answer any of my questions directly and instead used each question as an opportunity to talk about something she did know. But at the same time she fluffed up experiences and her own knowledge to make it seem like she had done and knew a lot more than she should have claimed. Her presentation was dull and simplistic. One senior faculty member later commented that it was even "vaguely insulting" since she only talked about things everyone in the room already knew and probably knew more about.

Since my opinion was solicited... I gave it. I was honest. I recommended that they not hire either and asked why I wasn't being considered. I have 4 years experience, 8 months experience as a manager, and the same degree as the person being replaced.

Incidentally, I had a meeting with the history department chair yesterday. I just have to get reinstated to the program, change my program of study, get one grade changed, finish 2 papers, and I'm done!