When I was 15, I was working at the local grocery store to earn a little cash. I really didn’t care for that job much. So, when I saw a sign in the window of a newish downtown restaurant (a second location of a local favorite) for a waitress, I went in to apply. The owner gave me an application, which I filled out and handed back to her. I had no waitressing experience, and she was hard on me in my interview–wanting to know why she should take the chance on me without any experience. I remember telling her that I learned quickly and tried hard. I think she pegged me as a smarty pants, and said that learning in a restaurant is different than learning in the classroom. But, she gave me the chance. I worked for her restaurant, and the original restaurant for many years.

Several months after I started, she told me that she’d decided to hire me before ever interviewing me, which is why she felt so comfortable giving me a hard time. See, one of the questions on the application was, “Give two words that best describe you.” I can’t remember the second one, but I know that the first one was “vivacious.” She didn’t know what that word meant and had to go look it up in the dictionary. And she liked what she found. She told me that if I knew myself well enough to describe myself that specifically that I was someone she wanted working for her.

Towards the end of my interview last week, the owner/headmaster of the school looked at me and said, “I like you. You’re genuine and vivacious. You’re someone I want on my team.” And I had to smile. A lot of things have changed about me in the 19 years since I interviewed for that waitress job. But the core me? The me that I apparently know so well? She hasn’t changed so much. She’s still that vivacious girl she was at 15. And not only does she see it, but others do too.

That was actually the moment I knew I’d take the job. It was also the start of them offering it. But, as soon as she said the word vivacious, I knew I’d be working at that school.

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