Right into the round file

I hire people regularly. I hope not to fire people. So when I hire people I look for whether they can follow directions. I certainly don't believe that I'm always right, but I do want people who can do things my way. My classified ad says a couple of things like 'professional and friendly'. It gives our address but not our phone number and right after the address says, 'No Phone Calls, please.'

I received a call today from someone who asked "Which side of the highway are you on"' and I gave directions, then concluded with 'and how else can I help you?' The reply was "I saw your ad in the paper and wanted to get directions so I could fill out an application." I asked, "Did you see the note about 'No phone calls'?" And heard, "Yes, but I wanted to make sure I found you."

I don't want my phone tied up with applicants when I'm working with customers. I do want to know that applicants can find us by themselves. I do want people who can follow directions. Can you guess where the application is going?