What kind of animal are you?

Interviewers are using weird, wonderful and off the wall questions during interviews. These include what kind of animal are you? What kind of fruit and even what kind of cereal. So what kind of animal would you be and why? So in preparation for your next interview, don't worry about clinical issues think about some weird and wonderful question you may be asked. Nurses Job Hunt Article

In an Interview recently, I was asked a strange question, "If you were an animal what kind of animal would you be?"

Initially I laughed out loud as I thought it was a trick question or a joke but it was a serious question.

My answer surprised them; they said they had never heard that answer before.

My answer was 'I would be a chicken' and my rationale was that there is a pecking order, but they look after each other and work together as a team, they fight over the scraps but protect each other, they work out a strategy to negotiate difficult situations and they are productive.

We could learn a lot by watching animals who often work together as a team. To me, there is a pecking order in health care. We often fight over things. And, if we are a good team, we look after each other. We are productive and have usefulness in life.

Do we always work together as a team? No.

We need a leader to bring things back into focus. Often we resent the leader and don't understand why we have to change what we are doing. So we push back and become nonproductive. In the animal world, we would be excommunicated or killed. In the real world, we are disciplined or fired.

So after the interview I researched the question on the internet and found that interviewers are now using this scenario to decide if you are suitable for a position.

Really! So if I had said Lion, Tiger, Bull or various other strong killers it would be better.

Apparently there are no right or wrong answers, interviewers just want to see how you react under pressure.

I don't know about you but I think it is kind of crazy to compare yourself to an animal.

Sometimes I shake my head at the interview process because we never get it right.

Somebody who is strong, clever and can say all the right things is considered the ideal candidate for a job, yet I believe we can prepare ourselves so well we can talk ourselves into a job, but it is not the right job for that person.

There appears to be so many strategies out there, so many complicated secret ways in interviewing, I think we get lost along the way.

So did I get the job with my 'clever' answer, no I did not. Maybe it was a good thing as I do not really want to run round like a "headless chicken".

So my question to you, "what kind of animal are you and why?

On a more serious note if I was asked what kind of cereal are you? Before I walked out I would have to say 'FRUIT LOOPS'.

Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

I'll bet that anyone who doesn't answer "I'd be a Labrador Retriever, because I'm loyal and

hardworking", doesn't get hired. YAWN.

My answer: A wombat. When the employer asks "Why a wombat?", my answer, "Because I

strive to be different, and I'll bet no one else has said 'Wombat' today."

End of interview. I don't get the job.

Specializes in being a Credible Source.

I'm a raccoon.

Very curious, very social, but very hard to push around and willing to defend my space as needed... and dark rings under my eyes from being nocturnal.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
I'll bet that anyone who doesn't answer "I'd be a Labrador Retriever, because I'm loyal and

hardworking", doesn't get hired. YAWN.

My answer: A wombat. When the employer asks "Why a wombat?", my answer, "Because I

strive to be different, and I'll bet no one else has said 'Wombat' today."

End of interview. I don't get the job.

See, you'd be the one I hired...

Repetitiveness and canned answers drive me nuts... I'm trying to see something beyond the 2-D, flatness of the resume...

I figure, we're going to work together and spend hours and hours and hours of our lives together, let me see a little of WHO you are and not just WHAT you are.

Wombat, you're hired... unless perhaps I meet a 3-toed sloth or a platypus...

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I've always associated myself to Frogs, turtles, and gorillas. I'm an extremely visual person, so out of curiosity I looked up what these animals represent symbolically.

Frogs have been used as good luck charms. People would give frog shaped pendants to people about to leave for a journey to keep them safe.

As a Celtic symbol the frog symbolized healing in connection with the rain or coming of water.

Turtles are seen as innocent, having few predators. They are considered Wise due to their longevity. In asian myth they represent cosmic order.

Gorillas are seen as noble creatures. They represent leadership but not the aggressive kind. The gorilla manages with temperance, understanding, compassion, and balance.

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I'd be a lion. A lion who eats dumb HR people who ask asinine questions.

Love it, Brandon!!

See, you'd be the one I hired...

Repetitiveness and canned answers drive me nuts... I'm trying to see something beyond the 2-D, flatness of the resume...

I figure, we're going to work together and spend hours and hours and hours of our lives together, let me see a little of WHO you are and not just WHAT you are.

Wombat, you're hired... unless perhaps I meet a 3-toed sloth or a platypus...

Haha, being different is lovely. But, remember, madwife said a chicken (which no one else said) and she didn't get hired.

I wanna know your opinion of a giraffe...am I hired?

Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Haha, being different is lovely. But, remember, madwife said a chicken (which no one else said) and she didn't get hired.

I wanna know your opinion of a giraffe...am I hired?

Hmm, giraffe...

Long neck, purple tongue... sure, welcome aboard.

Actually, I'd want to know why a giraffe, and an honest answer like, "Because it's the first thing that popped into my head in response to this silly question." would be fine by me.

Personally, I'm not big into the metaphysical stuff and I think such questions are drivel... but I'm a very concrete thinker and I love to hear abstract replies.

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hahaha, the purple tongue must be the part that gets me hired. I don't know, I have always liked giraffes. Very cool looking animal. I don't like them for some symbolic reason, I just thought they were graceful and cool looking.

So, we got a platypus, wombat, giraffe, chicken, blue whale, raccoon, I think someone said dog, lion, turtle, frog....quite the crew there. LOL

Specializes in Adult/Ped Emergency and Trauma.

What a Zoo!:wacky:

I still want to know what the "correct" answer to the question is.

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I would personally be a dog, if you treat me nice I'll be nice to you but if you are mean to me I'll bite you- But I won't say this to my interview.Maybe a chameleon because I can adapt well in the surrounding I'm in.

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