Job Interview

WRITING EXERCISE - week three

Stuck with a character that's faceless and flat?

Take them back to the job interview.

Just like how employers use those fifteen minutes to learn everything they can about the candidate, use that time to show yourself what your character's really made of.

Most commonly asked questions during an interview include:

"Tell me a little about yourself."

"What is your biggest weakness?"

"What is your biggest strength?"

"Why should we hire you?"

"What do you consider to be your biggest achievement?"

"Tell me how you think other people would describe you."

"What do you like to do outside of work?"

These are just to get you started.

It doesn't have to be this formal, and it doesn't have to be written like a normal scene. Instead, just focus on the dialogue. Here's how I would do it:

Will studied the man's face. He was definitely interested in the latter portion of his resume, most of which wasn't related to flight training at all.

"How many years were you involved in these - the firefighting, water survival, weapons training . . ."

"Eight months, sir," Will said.

"And linguistics?"

"Four."

"How many languages can you speak?"

Will felt like his stomach was turning over. If he had known linguistics would be important, he would have taken a refresher course. "Three - and a half."

What looked like a smile came to Mr. Dailey's eyes, but quickly faded. "You were in the Navy since you were old enough to enlist, if I remember correctly. So is there anything you feel you've brought into the service or have learned from it - something that has made you a better person? Or let me put it this way, what do you feel is your biggest asset?"

Will shifted his gaze. "Well, sir, I don't know that I have any one thing to add . . . I was a teenager. I went to a public school with no more than a hundred other students, and I was the second-string pitcher on the baseball team. I was a straight-high B student and worked on maintenance for my church. I don't have much to offer other than what you see there." He gestured toward the resume. "But if I had to say something, sir, I'd say that I'm a hard worker. I'll never be late, I don't ask many questions, and I work fast. I finish what I start, and I always finish because of the people who are behind me. My wingmen. . . my family . . . people who don't know to fight or can't."

Dailey cocked his head to the side. He straightened, then linked his fingers together and leaned back in his big, leather chair. "I'm going to ask you a question that I asked the other guys before I brought them on. Don't think too hard. It's not a right or wrong answer. But let's say you're driving your car down the street and you look over into the next lane, where two people are about to get hit by a car."

Will took a breath. Oh boy.

"One of them is your best friend - a guy who's been there for you since day one. He saved your life in more ways than you can count. The other person is the President. Now, you can only save one. Which one is it?"

Will licked his lips. He felt the urge to look away from Mr. Dailey but tried his best to stay focused. Finally, he breathed. "I'm guessing both isn't an option."

Dailey smiled. "No."

"How many people are in his car?"

"Just the driver."

Will shifted in his chair. "Well, sir, it seems likely that if the driver is about to hit the President, he's likely involved in some form of terrorism or treason, or at the very least, carelessness, all of which could be fixed if I were to hit the bus from the side with my car, which, at the moment, is a heavy duty pickup."

Mr. Dailey stuck his tongue in the side of his mouth. He studied Will for a moment, then finally spoke. ". . . Interesting."

Have fun!

Keep changing the world through words.

Samantha

Reference: Haden, Jeff. "27 Most Common Job Interview Questions and Answers." LinkedIn. www.linkedin.com/pulse/27-most-common-job-interview-questions-answers-jeff-haden/.