It would be the reputation. I've never met the man before and only talked to him twice previously.

*nods sympathetically* That sounds really unfair, but as someone that used to be in charge of hiring, I can see how that would cloud their judgments. For me, however, I was always willing to give anyone a chance, if it seemed like they deserved it. Heck, Tony made me hire a girl that during her speech thanking him for a scholarship, she made it a point to attack his policies and his weapons. Still got hired though.