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

Callie22

I don't think I've ever been asked an interesting question at interview. I swear every HR department has the same book of interview questions that they lend to every inexperienced interview panel. There really are only so many ways you can answer the stock questions about strengths, weaknesses and 'what do you know about this department/company/organisation?'

I also hate the inevitable 'do you have any questions for us?' that you get at the end because you know you can't really ask the questions that you'd like an honest answer to. Questions like 'has this role become available because the manager is a psycho and everyone else has left?'

Actually, thinking about it I have been asked some 'interesting' questions but they've been interesting in what they've told me about the people doing the interviewing and the company ethos. A favourite was 'do you have any long-term illnesses that might mean you have to take lots of time off?' Not sure that's an HR approved question these days!

mattcanary

essjaytee wrote: »

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!!

Get someone that you trust to tell the truth, to taste them for you.

PasturesNew

I had one employer that told me he hired me because: [a] You live up the road, so will walk - and the last bloke was driving 25 miles and struggled to find a parking spot so was often late You're older, so I don't have to worry that you'll be getting pregnant.

Sanne

PasturesNew wrote: »

I had one employer that told me he hired me because: [a] You live up the road, so will walk - and the last bloke was driving 25 miles and struggled to find a parking spot so was often late You're older, so I don't have to worry that you'll be getting pregnant.

I've had one interview with a company who were also keen people were local "otherwise they'll late all the time with traffic and train problems".

Also know that one of the interviewers didn't want to give me my first job as I was a woman and could fall pregnant - he kept telling me regularly that he won't talk to me if I fall pregnant and I'll be trouble (yes mate, and you'll be in trouble if I go to HR....)

Sanne

Callie22 wrote: »

I also hate the inevitable 'do you have any questions for us?' that you get at the end because you know you can't really ask the questions that you'd like an honest answer to. Questions like 'has this role become available because the manager is a psycho and everyone else has left?'

I've only had one interview ever (the one that got me my current job) where this led to a great discussion with lots of interesting information. It helped though that it was with the guy who had been doing parts of my job (he changed roles within the company) as well as my now-manager.

Though I did have a couple of interviews where I sincerely didn't have any further questions (they covered everything I wanted to ask); didn't do me any harm...

Noctu

I was asked "What moment of your career are you most proud of?"

That was quite a nice question actually!

Ronaldo_Mconaldo

I was asked a pretty good question once. It was in a small type of company, coulple of hundred employees so not a PLC or anything, all based on one site. The question was something like if you've been asked to do an important piece of work by your line manager and you have to get it done in that day but then quite soon after, the boss of the company comes along with some other very important work that needs doing in that day, what would you do.

regprentice

Was once asked 'how many planes a day do you think land at your local airport'

It was one of two 'no right answer' questions presumably designed to test abstract problem solving.