Dinosaur interview

SueC_2

In a previous role I was responsible for recruiting hotel receptionists, and used to always ask at least one completely left of field question.

I didn't really care much what answer was given, I was much more interested in seeing how the applicant handled being asked something completely nutty - which is a very very relevant skill when you are a hotel receptionist!

Wellery82

SueC wrote: »

In a previous role I was responsible for recruiting hotel receptionists, and used to always ask at least one completely left of field question.

I didn't really care much what answer was given, I was much more interested in seeing how the applicant handled being asked something completely nutty - which is a very very relevant skill when you are a hotel receptionist!

Exactly. It is all to do with what the interviewer is trying to find out. That said i am sure there are lots of interviewers who ask stupid questions as they don't know better!

Some of the questions will be seeing how someone responds to being put down, very relevant in sales for example, will be testing how someone thinks on their feet which is very relevant in customer service, some how long an individual will keep perservering with an answer before giving up.

I'm not a fan of these type of questions, but can see their value if used sparingly and in the right context. A couple though i can't see the point of at all!

Wellery82

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Slight problem there though isn't there. I'm sure you're bright enough to figure it out but just in case:

Quick thinking doesn't always mean right / correct thinking. Many quick thinkers get things wrong while many slower thinkers (who take the time to think it through thoroughly) get it right or consult others for their input.

Having a quick thinking loose cannon in your company isn't always a good thing.

Whilst you don't always want quick thinkers, in some jobs you need to assess how quickly someone can think on their feet. In any customer service role for example.

Putting a shock question to someone you may be able to see whether they get flustered and stressed, whether they are calm or volatile, whether they are composed and logical etc. It depends on the question and context but they can certainly have some value

colino

This has come up again because of the alleged leaking of the "killer interview questions" from Google. Some are just rubbish but for years, if you have worked with the multi-nationals, they have been very common. They are designed to get you out of your comfort zone, think on your feet, be creative but actually logical.
The most common one that I remember, after a series of, "normal questions" would be how many piano tuners are there in (insert local town/city).

bluenoseam

I can think of several places where "name 3 Lady Gaga songs" would actually be a relevant question to ask - infact, one of my previous jobs had a 50 question quiz on such things! (Granted that was for HMV!)

bobhawke

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Even simpler - wait until the person testing you says 'that's it, 9 minutes has passed, you have no more time to experiment' - and that's the time that 9 minutes has gone.

Sounds like the barometer problem legend. Supposedly Neils Bohr was asked how to find the height of a building using a barometer. The expected answer being, calculate the difference in pressure at bottom of building and at top then use that to calculate the height. He supposedly gave a bunch of answers like, throw the barometer off the roof and time how long it takes to hit the ground, give the barometer to someone who works in the building if they tell you how tall it is, use the barometer to make a pendulum and various other unorthodox answers.

itsmethatswho

I've been asked "if you were a bag of crisps what flavour would you be?" i think it's meant to give some indication as to what your personality is like, and how you can sell yourself.

robtruscott

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?
Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator?
Wrong Answer.

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend.... except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there. This tests your memory.
Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes:D:rotfl:

DKLS

I would rather have the funky questions rather than the tedious questions that are pumped out, particularly "Where do you see yourself in 5yrs"

axomoxia

Ahhh... the infamous "Interview 2.0" - a sure sign that your HR department has more deadwood than Sherwood forest.

A few years ago we were interviewing for a couple of senior IT roles. Being friendly types we offered candidates a hot drink, from our shiny new coffee machine (which gave you about fifteen choices). We did have to reassure one particularly nervous candidate that their choice of beverage was not going to form part of the interview.