The middle manager sat at what anyone would consider a normal desk in a normal office in a normal building. His pressed white shirt…

The middle manager sat at what anyone would consider a normal desk in a normal office in a normal building. His pressed white shirt wrinkled from not leaving his seat for most of the morning as people filtered in and out of his office. Well, not really an office, but rather just a cube that happened to be taller than the others. The only thing missing was a red stapler. The benefits of management he smirked to himself.

The recruiter sat across from the middle manager. Polished, slick, his sheaf of papers close at hand he quickly ran his fingers through them until they found the one he was looking for.

“Here, this one is excellent. Meets all the requirements you told me about. Years of experience with very reasonable salary requirements and a willingness to take a junior role.”

A glint appeared in the recruiter’s eye. He had dropped the bait in the water…now all he had to do was wait for the fish.

The middle manager glanced over the paper in front of him. Buzzwords jumped out at him. The descriptions were written to order. Experience, skills, background. All were a perfect fit. Still, something didn’t feel right. Was this a ladder climber? Was something missing?

“What about project management AND full stack developer? We really need someone who can do both roles at a senior level. I’m not seeing that here.”

The recruiter grimaced inwardly. Dammit. Didn’t see that one coming. None of the prep work, the networking, the phone calls or schmoozing showed they’d want both. Who the hell has both on hand anyway?

“She’s very flexible and highly skilled at learning on the fly. Trust me, she’ll be successful at whatever you need her to do.” The punctuating grin covered a hint of worry the fish was going to get away.

“I’m just not seeing it. I have another meeting. If you have someone else who is a better fit I have some time tomorrow. Thanks.” The middle manager stood up and shook the recruiter’s hand; a limp, uninterested handshake leaving the recruiter annoyed and concerned.

After the recruiter left the main doors of the office he was on his phone.

“Dammit we were so close on this one! Full stack AND project manager. Frickin’ A. Ok. Dump this one and let’s get one with both queued up for tomorrow. Thanks. You da’ man.”

The head of cloning hung up the phone. What a waste. He reached over and pressed the release button, dumping the candidate into the incineration pits below. Turning slowly he reached to the biological skill samples on the shelf to begin a new candidate. “Full stack AND project manager? Who has that on hand?”