Burping Through the Job Interview!

by Sue
(VA)

I had recently moved from Ohio to Maryland due to my husband's job and I was the one sending out résumés, looking for a new position of my own. After a few months, I captured an interview at a community college for a job that fit my background and qualifications perfectly. The interview was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and I arrived on time, portfolio in hand.

The person interviewing me (who would ultimately be my boss) was constantly emitting belches and burps. These were not little "hiccups," they were long, resounding belches. He would open up his mouth and they'd just come out.

After the first burp, I felt embarrassed for the poor man, but he continued the interview and questions, without so much as an apology. I was VERY uncomfortable. I had never been in a situation like this before. I thought that perhaps he had just come back from lunch and had a bad case of indigestion. I searched my mind and thought that maybe this was something cultural. But no matter what the reason for the noises, they continued throughout the interview. He thanked me for my time and I left.

A few days later, I was called back for a second interview. This time, it was scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

Amazingly, the man continued to burp and belch through this second interview. Again, there was no explanation or apology, just loud noises coming from his open mouth, every few minutes or so. By this time, I had learned to ignore the outbursts, but wondered how this man could be in a position of authority and responsibility with this handicap.

Eventually, I was offered the job. Because the position dovetailed nicely with my background and had an excellent starting salary and benefit package, I accepted. And when I began working at the college, this gentleman continued to burp and belch. No one else seemed to pay much attention to it and I waited a respectable amount of time before I asked a colleague about his tendency to belch and burp at inappropriate moments.

It turns out that this man had some extreme allergic reactions to many normal substances and his belching was a result of his exposure to these substances. I worked for this man for more than eight years before he was promoted to a new position and found him to be a wonderful supervisor and human being. This situation also pointed out that we should never judge a book by its cover!