While we’re on the subject of gift wrap.

One year I was looking for a seasonal job. I got an interview with a popular home decor store and sat on a bench in the mall with the interviewer. At the end of the interview, she asked this question:

Interviewer: How are you at gift wrapping?

Me: (Ughh, not very good. But I can’t say that because this job obviously involves gift wrapping. I’ll just go home and watch YouTube videos to teach myself.) Oh, I’m pretty good!

Interviewer: What would you give yourself out of ten?

Me: (A four? Can’t say that…) About an eight.

Interviewer: Wow, an eight? No one else has said anything higher than three! Why don’t you come into the store right now and wrap something for me.

Me: (TOTAL SENSE OF DOOM.) Sure!

So I followed her into the storage room where she presented me with a tiny table, a huge empty box (have you ever tried to wrap a huge empty box? No, you have not because it is not normal to wrap huge empty boxes. It caves in on you like crazy), and a giant roll of plaid wrapping paper – meaning any lines that weren’t perfect would be painfully obvious.

The result was not pretty. When the interviewer examined it she said, “Not bad… I don’t think it’s an eight but maybe it’s a six” (I think she was just being nice.)

Did I get the job? I got called in for a second interview – I know, a second interview for a two month seasonal job in the mall? I didn’t even have a second interview for substitute teaching! I didn’t need to take the interview though because I got another job in the meantime.

So maybe this is part of why I now stick to handmade bags.

How are your gift wrap skills on a scale of 1-10? Have you ever had to prove them?

(Photo credit: Pretty Petals)