Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work by Paul Babiak & Robert D. Hare

Author:Paul Babiak & Robert D. Hare [Babiak, Paul & Hare, Robert D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: &NEW
ISBN: 9780061147890
Amazon: 0061147893
Publisher: HarperBusiness
Published: 2007-05-07T16:00:00+00:00

psychological or otherwise. Some display of emotion is normal and to be expected during these expositions, as, for example, when describing passion for one’s work, disappointment over a failed project, or termination of a close coworker. Sometimes the absence of an emotional component to an answer may raise questions. The key is to look for emotions appropriate to the story being told, and to be sensitive to how realistic (as opposed to superficial) these emotional expressions appear. This is the one time when “gut feel” and the interviewer’s “emotional antenna” have a valuable place in the interviewing process.

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S N A K E S I N S U I T S

The Emotional Disconnect

We have described the “emotional disconnect” in psychopaths as an inability to experience or express normal feelings concerning the effects their actions have had on other people (p.

226). Some of the most dramatic examples come from those who have killed others.

Six weeks after receiving parole for robbery and murder, Jack Abbott (see p. 54) killed a waiter who was a part-time actor. Abbott wondered what all the fuss was about: “There was no pain, it was a clean wound. He had no future as an actor—chances are he would have gone into another line of work.”

The Green River killer, Gary Ridgeway, pleaded guilty to the sexual murders of forty-eight women. In one of the interviews with law enforcement, he enters the room, sits down, looks up, and points out that the camera is not directly on him. The camera is moved and he proceeds to describe what he had for breakfast and how he had slept the previous night. Later, he talks about his horrific crimes in the same emotionally flat manner he had used when describing his breakfast.

ta k e n o t e s

It is easier to recall impressions and feelings about the candidate than specific facts, so it is a good idea to make detailed notes during the interview and write them on the résumé itself or on the list of questions provided by human resources. These notes should be clear enough that others reading the document can decipher them.

It is also useful to review these notes during the interview to help formulate follow-up questions. Simply telling the candidate that you need a moment to review your notes is a reasonable request and is often welcomed by a candidate, as it allows him or her to take a break.

Enemy at the Gates

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d o n o t d e c i d e a l o n e

A well-structured hiring process will include a meeting of interviewers—a selection committee—to discuss the qualifications and relative merits of the candidates. This is good practice because different interviewers see different strengths and weaknesses in any single candidate, and these should be compared and discussed. It is invaluable in the case of screening out a potential psychopath. Recall that psychopaths attempt to build private one-on-one relationships with those who have utility to them. By definition, this would include all interviewers and decision makers involved in the hiring process.

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