If you were a tree what kind of tree would you be and why?
I was asked that question in a job interview 15 years ago. At the time, I thought the question was bizarre, but I answered it without hesitation.
My answer was a peach tree. Why? When I was seven, my parents planted two peach trees in the backyard. It took a few years for them to grow and start producing fruit, and even then some years were better than others.
When the Oil Bust came and the economy went south, we had some of the best peach harvests. We had more peaches than we could eat, can or freeze.
It was my job to pick the peaches each morning and fill brown paper lunch sacks. Then I took them to neighbors on the block. Despite the harsh economic times, our trees were helping to feed others.
I didn’t mention that the peach trees became diseased and were cut down the week before the interview, but I didn’t need to. The interviewer wanted to gage my ability to tell a story – not just answer a question.
In a job interview, your goal is to paint a visual picture when you answer any question because you want to be remembered. It’s important to provide clear, descriptive examples if you want to stand out from the other applicants. Then when the hiring manager considers the top candidates they’ll remember, “Paul. Yes, he was the one who…”
If you’re asked about your personal work style, how you motivate a team, or a key lesson you’ve learned from past failures – answer the question, but go one step further and provide a visual example. You’ll be remembered as the candidate who really shined.
What’s the strangest interview question you’ve had to answer? How did you respond?
Posted on
Monday, August 24, 2009
by Sean Taylor Simpson
filed under