Man arrested for stealing wallet during job interview. He doesn’t get the job.

(This post originally appeared on The Washington Post)

One of the biggest challenges facing small business owners today is not only finding good employees for our companies but also navigating the task of interviewing and selecting the right person for the job. There are many criteria that must be closely evaluated: experience, references, attitude…and of course not stealing from the company’s president while on the interview.

That’s what allegedly happened to the president of a Japanese elevator maintenance company, according to this report in the Japan Times.

The executive was interviewing a job candidate two weeks ago and left the room for a short period of time. When he returned he found his wallet was missing from his shoulder bag. He reported the theft to the police, noting that the only two people in the room were him and the candidate, a 24-year-old named Shogo Takeda

Busted.

Police said Takeda admitted stealing the wallet, which contained ¥50,000 (about $450) in cash after – what police believed – taking advantage of “easy access” to the president’s bag. The culprit, of course, wasn’t too tough to track down. He had included his full contact details on the resume he left behind.