April 11, 2013
-
Just asking..
When I was hiring an engineer that spoke Spanish during the interviews I would call one of our Spanish speaking employees and they would conduct a five minute mini-interview just to verify their fluency. Turn-about is fair play and this week I was asked to interview a couple of potential new Swedish receptionists to find out their fluency. Since I didn't need to interview them about job skills I went looking online for conversation starting questions. Something to get them talking.
I ran into this blog:
I thought it was very interesting. Questions to ask people around you to get a better, deeper connection with them. It's also just an interesting site. I'm not a big fan of posting questions just so you can talk about yourself. I'm just not that interesting. But I thought it might make a nice conversation starter for people in my life.
I am going to pick two to answer. Maybe you could do the same? (maybe not). I am going to email Mr. Murray and ask him to answer two of them.
Ready to connect? Here we go:
1. What is your dream job?
2. What fulfills you?
3. What’s your greatest fear?
4. What do you want more of in life?
5. What is your greatest accomplishment?
6. What are you ashamed of?
7. What makes you sad?
8. What’s the hardest thing you’ve experienced?
9. What’s great about you?
10.Who are you?
11.What inspires you?
8. What’s the hardest thing you’ve experienced?
There are things in my life that are long term hard, that stay with you for decades, but I don't really want to talk about those. So instead I'll give you a different kind of hard thing.
It was the pinched nerves in my neck and shoulder. I had just completely unrelenting mind boggling toe curling brain bubbling pain for so long without abatement with no idea when it would stop that I really was worried for myself. It's a good thing that I didn't have heavy narcotics in the house that week because I would have taken so many that I would have died, and when it was at it's worse it would have seemed like a perfectly acceptable solution. Other pain I've had may have been as bad but I always knew why I was in pain and that it would end. It was like having the worst tooth abscess ever (I've had a few) and having the pain cover your entire neck & head and never ever stop. No sleep, no food, no sitting, no laying down. Every physical pain now is measured by that, and it's the reason that internally I flip people off when they say an almost snide comment about getting a massage (which I'm doing tonight). Massages for me are not a feel good relaxing moment. It's painful and preventative, but oh the wonderful benefits.
4. What do you want more of in life?
This is easy. TIME. I want to always be here and always be able to read all of the books I want, watch all of the television I want, cook all the food I want, giggle all I want, sleep all I want, exercise all I want, play with the dogs all I want, talk to my family all I want. I want the days to be 48 hours long and me to be wide awake for 40 of them so I can get everything done!
-------
Oh, I didn't ask the receptionist interviewee's and of these questions!
Comments (14)
Excellent stuff!
1.) My dream job would be Veterinarian. I think I would love that.
9.) currently - my hair is pretty great.
Hi Tracy, in my later hiring years, I started letting the affected employees interview the final 3 applicants. I wanted to make sure that it was a good fit for the department. Interviewing got tricky after the the 60's cultural changes.
I had a back injury at work in L.A. and was sent to a 'back' doctor. He put me in hot water soaked pads that almost burned my skin. Then, I am not kidding, a Swedish blond employee suggested I get a massage while there--it was heavenly. She was actually built like a Mac Truck, not a slender Scandinavian blond. I hated to be released by the doctor snice I love the massages so much.
frank
@Kissed_By_A_Dog - You DO have pretty hair!! As much as I love animals, I know I could not be a vet.
@HUMOR_ME_NOW - I do that now for people I'm hiring into my office. The 2nd interview is always conducted by the engineers in the office since they will have to work with the new person and be dependent on their technical skills. I had massage prescribed for 90 minutes/3 times a week for six weeks, and insurance paid. It was LOVELY even though it was not by a good looking Swedish gentleman.
I can't imagine coming through that sort of pain without an altered view of reality. Do you think it changed you? Maybe made you more open to the small, daily "good things" that so many of us take for granted?
More time is the perfect thing for which to ask!
9. What's great about you? I am a hardcore optimist, even when evidence against "the good" is overwhelming. I hope not annoyingly so. You would have to ask my family and friends about that.
11. What inspires you? My family and friends inspire me. They make me want to be healthier, live longer, do what i do better every day. I am pretty competitive, so being close to people with a wide variety of interests keeps me challenged with a constant influx of new ideas and things to try.
I have seen that pain. It's not pretty. Pain changes people and how could it not. i'm glad massage works for you.And i don't blame ya for getting annoyed at anyone saying anything about it. That old walk in my shoes thing.
Time...yes good answer! When my husbands truck motor blew this week, I found out in a text, I wasn't happy, but was mostly not looking forward to him being miserable about it all night when we got home. To my surprise and delight, he said you know what? I woke up this morning, we'll figure it out...like no biggie. Priorities huh. and I wish for you all the time you need to do all those things. And then enough more to get a little bored.
So i will pick..#1--to make a living as an artist. To be so lost in my art I don't notice time. To do that takes talent that I wasn't blessed with, but we're dreaming here right?!and #9--I can get a long with anyone. Really anyone, even if I don't like the way you think or your values, I can find at least one redeeming quality in you.Those are some good questions that could be fun to really think about. I have actually been asked some of them in interviews. Have tried to keep the answers work oriented when answering them. But you could get pretty deep into some of them on a personal level. Fun post.
Insurance paid for 90min massages 3 times a week?! I wish my insurance was that good. I need to do some comparing!
I have been thinking about people with constant pain like back and neck pain and I can't imagine how bad that would be, I'm so glad yours is fixed!
7. What makes you sad? Others disappointing me.
I agree with your .4 answer.
My dream job is to run a hotel - more specifically a resort. This was my life's dream when I was 8. I still want to do it. In the last 49 years, I've given much thought to the good, the bad and the ugly and it has not taken away the desire to do so. HE is saying...OMG...now she wants to buy a resort...hahahahaha we just had this conversation in the last two weeks.
My greatest fear is to lose my children to death and then to lose my memories to alzheimers or dementia
@Mom_with_a_Chainsaw - I loved your answers. In answer to your question, I'm going to say no. But only because one of the things that I like about myself is that I do enjoy all of the little things and I think I almost always have. Some people let one tiny little incident mean that the whole day is bad, and I am lucky enough to do the opposite. One good laugh makes it a fabulous day, or one exquisite cup of coffee makes it a memorable day. What it did to me was teach me that Doctors do not know everything and that I have to be in charge of my life and care.
@isitreal_no - I know! My insurance was really good back then.
@strawberryfieldsgirl - I completely sympathize for dreading the reaction more than the actual problem. Glad it was better than expected!
I am sorry you had such horrific pain. I am so out of it these days that I am not sure if I knew about this or when it happened. I hope the massage went well and not too uncomfortable and that it is keeping the other pain away.
2. I find it very fulfilling to make food for my loved ones - food that they love and enjoy. We really love food here (too much) and I love when I feed Craig and he really enjoys it.
7. Too much makes me sad. I internalize too much and stories of pain that others have breaks my heart which is why when I think of something like the Newtown murders and what those children went through and what their families are going through and I feel their pain, I just can't understand how anyone would be against some kind of gun control. I wonder how the people who don't want some sort of accountability don't feel the pain of those families. How can they not feel that???
and one more for good measure
11. I am inspired by regular people trudging through life and working hard and loving their families.
@skanickadee - There is something so wonderful about watching people genuinely enjoy something that you have created for them. I completely understand that!
Comments are closed.