30 second interview - why should we let you in?

[Joe]

I participated in a workshop once where we were taught "The Sixty Second Interview" (response). Basically we developed, and then rehearsed, practiced, modified and so on - a sixty second response to the question, "So, Joe - tell me about yourself". It is a great job-getting tool if used correctly.

So with that in mind we have this little scenario:

You have been displaced during a time of national emergency.
You are a refugee.
"You got nothing."
Nope - nothing - you are lucky to have basic clothing and shoes.
As you move with the stream of humanity there is a table set up on the side of the way with a crew of competent and well off (from a survival perspective) looking people and they have a sign that reads: We are looking for a few good people to round out our community.
Inquire here.


You get 30 seconds to list your skill sets/attributes/reasons why they should let you into their little slice of heaven.
You get 30 seconds to ask and have answered any questions you may have.

Well?

[spiffy]

HUmmm ! I think I would wanna know what they have to offer me first, just 'cos they're looking useful doesn't mean they are. They may be a group of enterprising no skills, no prep bad uns looking to ride out the emergency on the back of people like me.

Sorry Joe it's the paranoia in me coming to the surface again..

[Sur-Sol]

electrician/ industrial, commercial, residential with hands on experience from 12V to 13.8KV

also experienced in welding, carpentry, plumbing, roofing, drywall. Basic knowledge and experience in auto mechanics and electronics.

No other skills would be mentioned or implied unless absolutely necessary, and then, selectively.

[kaiservontexas]

I could not do it. Interesting concept for interviews. How did the workshop go?

[ZenEngineer]

I'm an engineer, machinist, and fix-it guy. I can drive and fix any vehicle on wheels. Former Army medic and current EMT. Grew up on farms and ranches, and can grow, shoot, clean, and cook a wide variety of food. Any questions?

[greenman227]

30 seconds;

"I am/have been working hard on Robert Hienlein's defintions(Ben Franklin, Nathan Hale et. al., insert role model of your choice-choose wisely) of a well rounded human being. Is it possible we could talk in depth a little more privately?"

I figure if you've got that little time you better let it hang out.

greenman227

[dukman]

ME: I am Dukman.
THEM: Look, I get a lot of people auditioning all the time. What makes you think that you'd be good enough for our group?
ME: I am Dukman.
THEM: Great... but what do you do?
ME: What do I do? I am Dukman.
THEM: And...?
ME: And there are many Jeffs in the world, and many Toms as well. But I... am Dukman.
THEM: And...?
ME: Are you Dukman? No you are not. Neither is Scott Baio Dukman. Frank Gifford is not Dukman. But I...
THEM: You... are Dukman!
ME: That's right.
THEM: Okay, you're hired.



I really have nothing....

Note: The above dialog is from a movie most people have never heard of... those that have, will be rofl (I just swapped my name for the character's name and added group in place of another word)

[Ziptie]

That is a tough question, I'll have to come up with something carefully, since I'm not the Dukman. I'm sure that I would have to include that I can make from scratch or make work a number of useful tools or machinery parts, and spend less time thinking inside the box than the rest of the population combined. (gotta lay it on thick). I think the best interview I have ever read is from a Hugh Gallagher resume submitted to New York University, who he later attended.

"I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row. I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru. Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge. I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me. I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me. I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis. But I have not yet gone to college. -Hugh Gallagher-

Now I present this as a bit of levity, but the scenario the Joe posed is as serious a situation as any I can think. The thing that makes it more dangerous and more tricky than even a wilderness survival situation, is that nature isn't biased, at least you can count on that. With people making the decisions, you'll always have an insurmountable hurdle of attitude, emotion, and personal preference to deal with, and you will never know what it will take. So in sixty seconds, you have to realize what type of person you are dealing with, and decide how to communicate with him on HIS level, no matter how unsavory it might seem. You might even have time to make observation to this end while waiting in line, you can see the reactions and approaches of different people, and how they are treated. I read a book one time called "How to deal with people you can't stand" and it went into straightforward detail on how to recognize certain personality types, and how to interact with all of them so that you 'relate' to all of them without actually becoming them. Joe, thanks for this challenge, I think I'm going to revisit this book, because I tell you, a lot of my interpersonal skills are lacking, and that might be the reef that sinks my entire family if such an instance were to arise.

Ziptie

[doc27]

army medic, truckdriver, multiple war deployments, fortifacation of numerous defensive positions FOBs PBs COBs, knife maker, farming and hunting, and expert martini maker.

now what do you have for me? really? um... no thanks i will see you on a beach in mexico in a few months when the wether gets cold then you can tell me what you have to offer in 60 seconds.

DOC

[mosby's men]

im surprised you would ask me that , your stressing me out man .
i probally wont contribute much and you shouldnt try and make me feel bad because i dont contribute i
will be happy to sit back and watch others work.

im entitled to be in there if you dont let me stay its because you have big ego's