Getting into a challenging, dynamic, rewarding, organized, and fun workplace community is a tricky business. For a myriad of reasons, competition is as intense as it’s ever been, and job seekers around the world are in tough when it comes to showcasing their can, want, fit* with an organization.

For example, a recent power-move by Co-Editor, Kurt Heinrich, and Back End Guy, Mike Boronowski, has put me in an awkward position – I have to formally apply for the position of Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Gumboot.

One of my students recently helped me prepare for the interview by forwarding along some innovative “new” potential questions from Ben Dattner, founding principal of organizational consulting and research firm Dattner Consulting. The full article can be found in an up-and-coming financially-minded newspaper called The Wall Street Journal. As for the link love, WSJ, hey – you’re welcome!

Typically, Career Educators like me will tell students/clients that the CAR (context, action, result) model is the best approach for giving great interview answers. Will the age-old formula stand up to Mr. Dattner’s five must-ask interview questions:

1. In what ways will this role help you stretch your professional capabilities?

CONTEXT: This question implies a future-tense answer, right? Hmmm…kinda hard for me to put it in past-context – wait, I’ve got it! Okay, so I know this job will require me to stretch my need to be liked by people; I get upset if people don’t like me, especially if I perceive it to be “for no reason.”

ACTION: From time to time, our Correspondents miss deadlines, spell things wrong or just won’t stop being from Toronto. Delivering difficult information, such as reprimanding a Correspondent over jeopardizing “the streak” will develop my leadership skills in important ways.

RESULT: Delivering difficult information and making unpopular decisions is part of being an Editor, and I am prepared to be unpopular, even if it means firing the guy who is writing in his third language and thinks the Nordiques are still a hockey team.

2. What have been your greatest areas of improvement in your career?

CONTEXT: Over the past five years I have really come into my own with technology, which wasn’t easy for a rural-raised Vancouver Islander who hasn’t taken any technical courses and who also had just one professor that used computers during five years of university and two history degrees.

ACTION: Whatever the technological niche in my workplace, I’ve filled it – or at least tried to. Like when I encouraged a certain community college to start using the Internet in 2005. That was kind of a big deal.

RESULT: Recent findings show that the internet is important, which makes me well suited to lead a twitblog that will be navigating its pipes and tubes for decades to come.

3. What’s the toughest feedback you’ve ever received and how did you learn from it?

CONTEXT: When I was eight years old one of my mom’s friends asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told her that I wanted to be a “fire truck.” She said, “You mean a fireman?” I said, “No, I said ‘fire truck.’” And she replied, “John, that’s impossible and you’re being ridiculous!” Man, did that ever sting.

ACTION: “Impossible, you say? Nothing is impossible when you work for the circus.” That’s what I learned. Creativity is only limited if you let it be limited. I’ll be a fire truck one day – trust me.

RESULT: My creativity excellently supplements my uncompromising vision– ridiculous or otherwise – for this project. Whether it’s spending way too much money that we don’t have on capital investments, compromising my other job by writing/editing too much or alienating the entire Internet by trying to get everyone involved in the Daily Gumboot, I promise to be the guy who takes things way too far.

4. What are people likely to misunderstand about you?

CONTEXT: People usually misunderstand my trendsetting ideology, Johnism. These people are named “Kurt” 92.8% of the time.

ACTION: Johnism is a tongue-in-cheek commentary about brokenness of our global system of leadership – the ironic argument is that the world would be the same or better off if, say, neoliberal democracy was replaced by leadership made up of people with the most common name in that region (ie. John/Juan/Jean/Giovanni/Johann).  The fact that the faux-ideology is also sexist because of the name, well, is another pretty apt commentary on how global leadership is grossly exclusionary of women.

RESULT: My editorial range runs the gamut of sensation, from New Yorker-ish pretentiously highbrow to Daily Show-ish crude brilliance. Johnism covers it all, man.

5. If you were giving your new staff a “user’s manual” to you, to accelerate their “getting to know you” process, what would you include in it?

CONTEXT: Pictures say a thousand words, which is why I always bring along the photographic representation of The John Horn User Manual to meetings like this (see photo).

ACTION: Jesus implies kindness, sensitivity and vision. The Pirate represents democracy, resilience, environmental stewardship, and fashion. The Ninja is all about research, planning and shade from the Sun. And the Cyborg reflects efficiency, logic and unrelenting drive. Together, the Cyborg Pirate Ninja Jesus will help people “get to know” a multi-dimensional leader who doesn’t take himself too seriously.

RESULT: Nothing accelerates the “getting to know you” process like a ridiculous, possibly controversial, entry-point that inspires questions. If people on my team ‘get’ this and understand that, say, the reference to Jesus is in no way offensive, but an honest celebration of spirituality, then we will have fun with it together. Because, I think, my manual pretty much screams “fun!”

Thanks for your time, gentlemen. These were innovative questions that, I think, any people-developers should use during their next interview.

Your thank you cards are in the mail, by the way.

- JCH

* The “can, want, fit” formula is pretty simple: Can you do the work? Do you want the job? Are you the right fit – personality, values, etc. – for the organization?