“Tell me about yourself.”

“Do you have a while? Not just a few minutes. Maybe a year or two? I haven’t really done any hiring interviews for nearly a decade as I’m sure my CV shows. Is this now standard? Well, what do you want to know? “

“We’re just wanting to get a feel for you as a person. See how well you might fit in with our team here.”

“Yes well. Where to start then. How far back would you like me to go?”

“Oh feel free to start wherever you’d like.”

“Actually, I would rather not get too personal. I don’t know you at all. Where are you from, if you don’t mind me asking? I was born here in Los Angeles. You?”

“That’s not really important. This is about us getting to know you. What your outside interests are. Whether you have a family, or pets. That type of thing.”

“Oh. Why would you be interested in what my life outside of work is like? This is an hourly position isn’t it? I have 3 children but they’re grown with their own families now. What type of outside interests? I do go to church on Sundays and I enjoy sitting down to watch some television shows during the weeknights. Other than that, I help at the food bank on Saturdays. It’s just me and my dog now since my wife passed. She had cancer. That’s one of the reasons I am looking to go back to work. It’s awfully quiet without her and I could use the income.”

“I’m terribly sorry for your loss Mr Smith. Anything else that you would like to add?”

“I do have something else to add. I have always been a hard worker. If any of the companies on my CV were still in business I ‘m sure that you would get excellent reviews from all of them. It’s surprising that none of them are still around. They were some good companies. I guess that’s what happens over the years. But, I really am a hard worker.”

“Thank you Mr Smith for your time. We will get back to you if we need anything else. Do you have any questions for us?”

“Yes. When will you know who gets the position? Should I call and check?”

“That will be up to HR. I really don’t know. We will reach out to you if you’re needed. Thank you for coming in and the receptionist will show you out. Goodbye Mr Smith and I hope you have a pleasant day.”

“Thank you for giving me the interview and I look forward to hearing from you. Hello again Miss Stanley. Yes yes just out the doorway to my left. Thank you again.”