The worst job interview of my life… and how I aced it

I hate jigsaw puzzles. Imagine my horror when halfway through an interview I thought I’d prepared well for, I was given the following task:

·        Complete this 250 piece jigsaw puzzle in 45 minutes

·        You will be filmed and a debrief will occur when time runs out

·        You are free to leave if you wish

The puzzle was of the Colosseum in Rome. I’ve seen it in real life, albeit it had some scaffolding on it at the time. Now I had to attempt to recreate this architectural wonder in a format I dread. What’s worse is that I had to practically do a piece every 10 seconds to complete it on time, all while being filmed!

I needed a plan. Corners first, edge pieces for border, similar colours... I was beginning to freak out. What if there is a piece missing? Would they sabotage it to see how one would cope? I wanted to throw the box across the room!

Suddenly, I had a great idea. I hate puzzles, but my cousin loves them. When I was growing up, I remember he used to have 1000+ piece puzzles taking up the floor space of an entire room. I dialled his number. “Are you in the city? I need you to come to this office ASAP.” I wasn’t asking for his advice over the phone… I wanted him to come do it!

He was elated when he saw the task at hand and he loves a challenge. He also loves Archie Rose Smoked Rye Whisky so I told him I was going to run out and buy a bottle and it was all his if he could complete the puzzle by the time I return.

After 45 minutes, the interviewers came back into the room to find my cousin and me drinking whisky with our feet on the table. I raised my glass and proudly exclaimed “When in Rome!”

When facing a task I am not the best at, I seek out those that are and ask for their help. I incentivise those that I delegate tasks to in order to allow them to thrive and perform to their potential. I didn’t break any rules. I took the option to leave the room, not because I was giving up, but because my time was better spent buying whisky and rewarding my cousin who was the jigsaw puzzle expert. There was no condition that I couldn’t seek outside help or needed to do the puzzle myself.

Quite an unconventional task to conduct in an interview, but I came to understand that the task was not about how good you are at doing jigsaw puzzles. The task was about how good you are at using your mind. Most companies view employees as pieces and try to find a good fit for them. Few companies view employees as puzzles and allow them to flourish.