What are the most interesting job interview questions you've been asked?

Sanne

There's so much written about job interview questions - books, internet etc. A lot of interviews use these and yet there's sometimes surprising questions, which are actually really clever. And I don't mean the "what animal would you be" type ones.

For my current job, I had two interviews, the first one focusing on if I could do the job, the second one with a Director and the Head of HR, focusing onto finding out if I was a good fit for the organisation. During that second interview, a question I really had to think hard about was

Why has your current employer hired you?

I thought this was a really interesting question with the answer telling them so much. (I can see where he was coming from in my situation - my back then current job was a big career step and a chance you don't get often as I didn't really have the required level of experience)

What have been the most interesting/intelligent/surprising questions you have been asked during interviews that you haven't necessarily come across before?

[Deleted User]

A few funky numbers of mine standing out have been;

What do your parents do for a living?

How long would you give this role (I'll presume more on the settling in!)?

Tell me what you wouldn't have liked to be asked?

Why do you go through recruitment agencies?

What would you do if you didn't and couldn't afford to have a laptop to make job applications? This and next one was a 'lets put the world to rights debate nearly 2 hours later' I finally got to walk out of the door! but oohh how I'd love to send a revised postcard answer on some of these now!!

Why is my interviewing list full of ladies?

2nd interview - Have you ever bent the rules?

No I'm not kidding there have probably been worse or funnier to - though my last interviewer had it spot on as well - lets not bother with the questions as we could both tell each other only what we wanted to hear in an interview situation, offering a half day trial straight of which I much prefer now

Sanne

Deleted%20User wrote: »

How long would you give this role (I'll presume more on the settling in!)?

Tell me what you wouldn't have liked to be asked?

Love these two - the first one's really funny and the second a really good (though a bit mean!) one.

Also think the plan of your last interviewer was great - I've been offering trials in the past when I was recruiting and they tell you so much more than an interview.

trailingspouse

'Could you read a story to this class of children please?'

At last - someone who wanted more than me telling him the theory of teaching!! And also didn't need me to produce a lesson plan - he just wanted to see me relating to children. No notice, no planning, just choose a book and get on with it.

PasturesNew

Deleted%20User wrote: »

What do your parents do for a living?

My mother is doing war work. Really .... she's got dementia and thinks she's in the factory she worked at in the war.

Wyndham

I was asked 'is the customer always right?'. Well, if you work in any sort of customer service you know that sometimes customers are idiots, so it was such a good question!

Of course, many of them are right, all the time.....

essjaytee

at the end of a very tedious 2 hours long interview in a very hot room with just 1 tiny cup of water I was asked.... if you had a grain of salt and a grain of sugar how would you tell which was which without tasting them?? Didn't have a clue what the answer was then and to this day have never bothered to find out the answer!!

mumof3boys

If you were a tree what kind of tree would you be?

Yes seriously! Was very tempted to say a Christmas tree as I would only work for a couple of weeks in December! But decided to say an oak tree - steady reliable etc. still didn't get job! Probably just as well !!

mattcanary

Sanne wrote: »

There's so much written about job interview questions - books, internet etc. A lot of interviews use these and yet there's sometimes surprising questions, which are actually really clever. And I don't mean the "what animal would you be" type ones.

For my current job, I had two interviews, the first one focusing on if I could do the job, the second one with a Director and the Head of HR, focusing onto finding out if I was a good fit for the organisation. During that second interview, a question I really had to think hard about was

Why has your current employer hired you?

I thought this was a really interesting question with the answer telling them so much. (I can see where he was coming from in my situation - my back then current job was a big career step and a chance you don't get often as I didn't really have the required level of experience)

What have been the most interesting/intelligent/surprising questions you have been asked during interviews that you haven't necessarily come across before?

Why would I know why my current employer has hired me?


I'm not a mind-reader.....

mattcanary

Deleted%20User wrote: »

A few funky numbers of mine standing out have been;

What do your parents do for a living?

How long would you give this role (I'll presume more on the settling in!)?

Tell me what you wouldn't have liked to be asked?

Why do you go through recruitment agencies?

What would you do if you didn't and couldn't afford to have a laptop to make job applications? This and next one was a 'lets put the world to rights debate nearly 2 hours later' I finally got to walk out of the door! but oohh how I'd love to send a revised postcard answer on some of these now!!

Why is my interviewing list full of ladies?

2nd interview - Have you ever bent the rules?

No I'm not kidding there have probably been worse or funnier to - though my last interviewer had it spot on as well - lets not bother with the questions as we could both tell each other only what we wanted to hear in an interview situation, offering a half day trial straight of which I much prefer now

I like the question:


have you ever bent the rules?


I believe you need to sometimes.
John Lewis are an example of an employer that would prefer you to answer yes to that question

Sanne

Wyndham wrote: »

I was asked 'is the customer always right?'. Well, if you work in any sort of customer service you know that sometimes customers are idiots, so it was such a good question!

Of course, many of them are right, all the time.....

Reminds me of a one I was asked... Have you ever dealt with a difficult customer
I chose to sarcastically answer no, never.... Luckily the interviewer got my irony and laughed.