Columnist Interview Question:

So, [insert candidate name], what's your story?

Submitted by: Muhammad

This inane question immediately puts an interviewee on the defensive, because there is no right answer or wrong answer. But there is an answer.

It's a question that asks for a creative response. It's an invitation to the candidate to play the game and see where it goes without worrying about the right answer. By playing along, it tells me a lot about the character, imagination, and inventiveness of the person.

The question, as obtuse as it might sound to the interviewee, is the beginning of a story, and in today's world of selling oneself, or one's company, it's the ability to tell a story and create a feeling that sells the brand--whether it's a product or a person.
Submitted by: Muhammad