You may have read the story of a Marks & Spencer employee sending a hand drawing of a "smiley dinosaur" to a customer (the customer in question had demanded the dino sketch as a joke after seeking a refund on a sandwich, but probably didn't expect one to actually arrive in the post). Well, I'm probably the only person who saw this story and thought "that reminds me of a job interview I once had".
The interview was for bar work at Fab Cafe in Leeds and I was pretty nervous about it – especially as I'd got chatting beforehand to another girl going for the job who had loads of experience. Anyway, the interview went fine until the manager, in his thick Scottish accent, asked me a question that took me by surprise: "Will you draw me a picture of a snail?"
I explained that art had never been my strong point at school but would give it a go. As I completed my sketch on the back of my application form I looked up to find the manager in the middle of an uncontrollable laughing fit. "What on earth do you think I asked you?" he said.
Clearly torn between the girl with loads of experience, or the oddball who could sketch snails on the spot, the manager decided to give us both the job. I'm pleased he did – the other candidate became one of my best friends and was a bridesmaid at my wedding last year.
To this day I've no idea what the manager actually did ask me, but I do know that my artwork left a legacy. Apparently, Fab Cafe started asking all potential bar staff to draw a snail on their application form – it's obviously the mark of a good worker.
