Basically speaking, it’s best to stick with the basics

Like many of you, I’m looking forward to what promises to be a very exciting season for the Padres.

I am a casual baseball fan who’s more familiar with the game’s traditional stats like batting average, RBI, HRs and ERA. You know, those once-sacred numbers that as a result of technology seem to be fading with every passing season.

In their place, we now have an alphabet soup of acronyms, metrics like WHIP, OPS, WAR, FIP and who knows what else. Let’s not forget Exit Velocity and Launch Angle, which has something to do how fast and how high and how far the ball goes after the crack of the bat. You know, the basics. Once upon a time hiring, like baseball, was much simpler.

I may not know the difference between FIP and WHIP, but I do know something about the science of job placement. And I know that the benchmarks are changing just as quickly as they are in baseball, whether we like it or not.

At last count, there are dozens of newly minted hiring metrics that HR professionals have to follow, with names like conversion rate, attrition rate, diversity rate, recruitment funnel acceptance rate, and candidate callback rate.

There are also dozens of tests that some employers may ask you to take to supposedly give them added insight into your psyche, along with your attitude, followthrough, innate strengths and weaknesses, and even goals and aspirations that you didn’t even know you had.

Those are tools used mostly by very large firms that can afford them. If you want to move upward, you will need to take their “evalu

ations” when asked. And you’ll hear their promise that there “there are no wrong answers,” which isn’t always reassuring.

Odds are, however, that most job-seekers will be applying for jobs at companies that don’t rely on these formulaic evaluations, and even if they do, it’s likely you’ll wind up having to show up for an interview, either in person or on Zoom.

I want you to be prepared for three basic questions, which I’ll get to.

Know this: I’ve met many applicants like you — eager, hopeful, highly qualified, even overqualified, and more than a little nervous, and even desperate.

Through the years, I’ve seen many variations of “you.” Besides judging if you’re a good fit and have the requisite know-how, I’m also getting a subliminal sense of your personality, your ability to tell your own story, and, yes, your ethical and moral character.

Here are my basic questions, conversation starters, really, that all job candidates should be prepared to answer with clarity and confidence. Each one is a different version of “Why should I hire you?”

Tell me about yourself

More a directive than a question, this is where you as the applicant come fully prepared to say something worth hearing. Please don’t start with, “Gee, I don’t know where to start.” Or that you were born in Great Bend, Kan. That won’t work, and you probably won’t get the job.

Impress me by telling me — in so many words, facial expressions, gestures and intonations — who you are, what you know, and what kind of person you are. Make me get to know you, so I’ll feel comfortable hiring you.

Why do think you’d excel at this job?

Tell me why what skills, interests and life experiences make you who you are. Tell me why you think you’d be the absolute perfect fit for the job you’re applying for. Nothing more basic or complicated than that.

What makes you the best candidate?

This is what you’ve been waiting for. Me, too. Don’t give the impression that you’ve never asked yourself that question before. This is no time for false modesty or deflection. Don’t hem and haw, just tell me what makes you special.

Make sure there are no doubts in my mind about your background, your credentials, your energy level (attitude!), your smarts, and your willingness to learn more. And, especially, tell me you want the job.

Make my decision easier. Don’t force me to go to the bullpen or bring in a pinch-hitter.