to ask if this is common in interviews - help please!!

[ToomuchtimeonNetflix]

I have been shortlisted for an interview next week and have been asked to take along an object or picture so I can describe myself to the panel.

Has anyone else experienced this? I really want to run for the hills and not attend and I would too if I didn't need the job.

Does anyone have any ideas what they would bring to start me thinking?

Oh I hate those kinds of things.
"If you were a chocolate bar, which would you be?"
Much better to ask "If x situation happened, what would you do?"

It sounds as though they are trying to

• give you a prompt to talk about yourself and what matters to you
• understand how you tell stories, use analogies, etc to explain feelings to people.

I have no evidence to say it's a good or bad thing to ask. It would make me cringe a bit but I guess the important thing is to find something that allows you to convey an aspect of your life /personality that you want them to appreciate, and that you are able to talk about authentically.

What does google suggest? Hopefully it is intended as just an icebreaker but they'd do much better if they told you about the role.

I had this as an ice breaker at the start of training about 10 years back. We had to find something in our bag that was typical of us. I dug out a red pen and said I did a lot of proofreading so I always had a red pen with me. Gave them an appropriate answer without it getting personal.

A mirror - so you can look into it and describe yourself.

Don't take a picture, it's too personal.

I'd take a cushion.

Take along a picture of someone famous and tell the panel how you are said person's biggest fan!! Tell them you spend all your spare time out of famous persons house.

Sorry you need the job, you could have so much fun with this!!

• outside of

@DivGirl I'd take something you've had since childhood with some bullshit about how as you've grown up and gone through difficulties the item has changed a little (broken, ripped, missing an eye) but you've always had it as a comfort and a way to remember that things get better.

That's a perfect idea.

My last job interview suggested I bring in a project to discuss. I brought along a college project I did. I seemed to be the only person who did as no one else in the waiting room had anything with them. Anyway it was great to have something to talk about. All four interviewers were impressed and I got the job.

Could you bring in an old bear or something you treasure, something that brings a smile to your face when you talk about it.

I've not heard of this. I'd probably bring along my emotional support rock.

This is the sort of thing that unimaginative hiring managers do when they don’t understand how to interview people correctly and just google “interview techniques”. I can guarantee they won’t really have a proper way of assessing the candidates fairly on this.

I completely agree with this. Lord save us from crap managers who've been promoted above their ability and who haven't got a clue how to recruit or assess who'd be good at a job.

crock o' shite!

I would take along a nice cold Yorkshire pudding and give them some guff about being adaptable...you can be the pancake or rise to the occasion like the pudden

A sanitary towel? Strong, reliable protection on even the heaviest of days.

I think I'd bring a pair of false eyeballs and roll them as far upwards as I could

If you are willing to play the game op (I would want to run for the hills too) then a wooden spoon may not be a bad idea for a supporting role: a humble tool that helps you create something that is comforting/nurturing/ sharing blah blah etc?

I bet they have already seen a lot of rocks and candles!

Take a picture of an assistance dog & say you're calm, resilient and a good listener who loves to help others.

I've changed my mind, be a moon cup cause then you're also flexible, eco friendly and it takes quite a lot of fill you up.

It’s done in lots or different ways depending on the industry. In Pharmacy world we ask people to pick an antibiotic or a medicine that describes them. TBH I don’t care what they pick it’s about how they relate themselves to the person specification linking it to what they pick. Look at the JD and person specification and pick something mentioned there and focus on it. Could be a phone to show you communicate well with people. Good luck with your interview.

Scrimpshaw I misread that as emotional support dog!

That could also work, squander. Especially if it could answer on my behalf.

Toilet roll.

Say your the dependable one who sorts out other people's mess and people don't cope well when you are not around.

I don't know what they expected but I was cranky, all corners and not ready to go back to work, I needed a few more weeks to decompress after stopping teaching.

I think if asked as OP has been I'd take one of my slow stitch pieces, unfinished, needle and thread parked in the fabric. Ready for action, relaxing, destressing, allows for meditation and heavy thinking on knotty issues.

That way they'd either hire m and I could do my hobby at work, or they'd run a mile, think I am utterly bonkers!

It's a load of bullshit but a nice chance to plan a wee bit of the interview and how you'd like to present yourself. I'd work backwards and think about the qualities that you'd like to put forward in the interview and then see what you have that fits that.

Maybe you've taught yourself an instrument or hobby that shows you have resilience, care for detail, not scared to challenge yourself and try new things...take a music book, ball of wool,scarf you've made, pot you've thrown

Maybe you have a hobby that requires problem solving, working with others as a team...

Have you been working on anything at home that you're proud of - project managed a renovation, reclaimed an area of wild garden and turned it into a lovely veg garden...

Scrimpshaw YY to thatr!

I went to an interview where the four candidates had to work together, watched by three interviewers, to do their best to ... escape from the Brazilian jungle when their plane crashed. Ridiculous!