Thursday, February 15, 2007
The Day Everyone Received an Offer
In January and February 1978, a series of three storms hit the United States Midwest or the Northeast. These storms were some of the most severe winter events to occur in recent history, and collectively are known as the Blizzard of 1978.
Like so many times in life we don't really see the impact of today until tomorrow. I remember the snow. I remember the difficulty on the roads, but as an Executive Recruiter my office was across the street from my condo and I couldn't take any time off. With candidates scheduled for interviews I went to work.
The first storm avoided Ohio, targeting the Northeast. From January 19 to 21, twenty-one inches of snow fell in parts of the region. This was a forty-eight-hour record for snowfall.
The second storm found Ohio in its path. From January 25 to 27, between one and three feet of snow fell in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Winds averaged between fifty and seventy miles per hour, creating snowdrifts as deep as twenty-five feet. With temperatures already hovering near zero, the wind chill was deadly, reaching sixty degrees Fahrenheit below zero. Thousands of people were stranded in their cars and in their homes. For the first time in its history, the entire Ohio Turnpike closed due to the blizzard's severity. One semi-truck driver was buried inside of his truck by a snowdrift. Rescuers did not discover him for almost one week.
Here in Columbus on January 25, temperatures did not drop like they did in Northern Ohio; people went to work and some of my job seekers kept their interview appointments. They arrived late, wet and wind-blown. But that January day was the one day that I can honestly say that every one of my job seekers that chose to fight the elements got hired. Without exception. Reckless or brave? It's still difficult for me to really judge but many who stayed home stayed unemployed. I remember those job seekers and nearly 30 years later, during the snow emergency of the past week, I still admire their guts.
Like so many times in life we don't really see the impact of today until tomorrow. I remember the snow. I remember the difficulty on the roads, but as an Executive Recruiter my office was across the street from my condo and I couldn't take any time off. With candidates scheduled for interviews I went to work.
The first storm avoided Ohio, targeting the Northeast. From January 19 to 21, twenty-one inches of snow fell in parts of the region. This was a forty-eight-hour record for snowfall.
The second storm found Ohio in its path. From January 25 to 27, between one and three feet of snow fell in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Winds averaged between fifty and seventy miles per hour, creating snowdrifts as deep as twenty-five feet. With temperatures already hovering near zero, the wind chill was deadly, reaching sixty degrees Fahrenheit below zero. Thousands of people were stranded in their cars and in their homes. For the first time in its history, the entire Ohio Turnpike closed due to the blizzard's severity. One semi-truck driver was buried inside of his truck by a snowdrift. Rescuers did not discover him for almost one week.
Here in Columbus on January 25, temperatures did not drop like they did in Northern Ohio; people went to work and some of my job seekers kept their interview appointments. They arrived late, wet and wind-blown. But that January day was the one day that I can honestly say that every one of my job seekers that chose to fight the elements got hired. Without exception. Reckless or brave? It's still difficult for me to really judge but many who stayed home stayed unemployed. I remember those job seekers and nearly 30 years later, during the snow emergency of the past week, I still admire their guts.
