Three girls apply for a job.
At the interview, they are told they will have to answer a question and then explain their answer.
Gwyneth goes first and is shown a cauliflower, a potato, and a knife. She is then asked which one is the odd one out and the reason why.
She ponders for a minute, then answers, “The knife, because the knife is long, yet the other two are round.”
Her answer was accepted.
Beryl goes next, and she also chooses the knife, explaining that the knife was mineral while the other two were vegetable. Her answer was also accepted.
Finally, Blodwen thought for a minute after being asked the same question, then replied, “The cauliflower is the odd one because you can make chips with the other two.”
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Jonathan Hale applied for a job as an insurance salesman.
Where the form requested “prior experience” he wrote “lifeguard.” The lead recruiter, Ms. Evelyn Hartley, adjusted her reading glasses and stared at the single line typed in the “Prior Experience” section:
Experience: Lifeguard.
No dates. No location. No glowing testimonials or metrics of past performance. Just one stark word.
Evelyn looked up. “Mr. Hale,” she began with polite formality, “this role requires resilience, persuasion, and the ability to gain trust quickly. We’re looking for someone who can not only sell insurance, but who can sell themselves. You put down… lifeguard. That’s it.”
Jonathan gave a calm nod. “That’s right.”
“How does that qualify you to sit across this table?” she asked, skepticism lacing her voice.
He leaned forward, folding his hands. “May I tell you a story?”
The panel exchanged glances. Evelyn gestured slightly, permitting him to go on.
“I was seventeen. Needed a summer job. There was an opening at the city pool for a lifeguard. I’d never done it before, but I needed the money and I needed the chance.”
“And were you certified?” asked one of the panelists.
He smiled. “No.”
“You’d been a strong swimmer, then?”
He paused, his smile deepening into something almost… confessional. “I didn’t know how to swim at all.”
He got the job.
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A young man hired by a supermarket reported for his first day of work.
The manager greeted him with a warm handshake and a smile, gave him a broom and said, “Your first job will be to sweep out the store.”
“But I’m a college graduate,” the young man replied indignantly.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that,” said the manager. “Here, give me the broom – I’ll show you how.”
