Thousands of people would love to work for Disney, and they'll do anything to come across as the perfect candidate. So how can an interviewer whittle down the dizzying number of candidates to the few that truly share the company's values? According to one Disney exec, there's a simple prompt that can separate out the best candidates in just a few moments.
"Tell me a story."
According to head of Walt Disney International Andy Bird, determining whether a candidate will be a good cultural fit for Disney all comes down to how they present and interpret their own stories. Bird told Business Insider Australia that he says to each interviewee, "'Tell us a story about something that's happened in your life.' It's important because we're storytellers."
While it's obviously key for creative professionals to be able to tell a good story, this question can apply to employees across all departments. "Everyone has the ability to be creative if they're given the opportunity to be. . . . Creativity's not just about filmmakers, it can be anyone. Some of the best ideas have come out of the finance department." In listening to a candidate's story, Bird is hoping to "dig down deep into finding out whether you share the same sort of value set as we aspire to. Those are really important."
So, which story would you tell?
