Had 2 Interview question's the other day

slackgarry

Had this question,
"If you were a book, Which section of the library would you be in ?"

and

Choose 1 super power, "Back to the future or See into the future" ?

What's the thought behind this.

Thanks

Devongardener

I think it depends on what the job was and in which industry sector.  If it’s a technology company, maybe scfi for the book and see into the future,  but different for a managerial role in a long established traditional organisation.

General_Grant

slackgarry said:

Had this question,
"If you were a book, Which section of the library would you be in ?"

and

Choose 1 super power, "Back to the future or See into the future" ?

What's the thought behind this.

Thanks

Thought:  What kind of stupid question can I ask to show my "outside of the box" credentials?

amanda1024

Perhaps seeing how well you can think on the spot

Dakta

Probably just to see how you think, on the latter one it's probably to see if you look ahead, or live in the past - probably no right or wrong answer, just need to try and give a good rationale 

DullGreyGuy

Oddball questions to see how you deal with the unexpected/think on your feet. The decision itself, particularly on the last one, wouldn't be that interesting but the rationalisations could be...

"I want to see in the future so I can win the lottery on Friday and never have to work again" may not give the sense you are committed to the job or are just money orientated. 

Its also a chance for you to lose yourself down a rabbit hole, similar to the above I'd no longer need to run a risk log because I will know if my Key Person Risk is going to crystallise or not but then you could lose the plot and question what this means about free will etc if the future is fixed. 

Grumpy_chap

The question is probably not about the answers but the manner of the answer and whether you can explain your selection.

Consider the book example.  A simple, short, closed answer "childrens' section" is not showing great ability to convey the message and win people over.  A more developed answer "childrens' section because it is important to convey complex subjects in simple and easy to understand ways" may be far more convincing.

lincroft1710

When the Northern Ireland troubles were at their height  in the 1970s, I was asked at interview "How would you solve the Northern Irish problem?". Cannot remember my answer, probably something along the lines of "I would start by researching the history behind what is happening". But I was very tempted to reply "Well if I was able to solve the problem, I wouldn't be wasting my time sitting here!"

Southend_2

Those sort of questions could easily trip up neurodivergent people who might actually be very good at the job if only they could get past the ridiculous interview process.

DullGreyGuy

Southend_2 said:

Those sort of questions could easily trip up neurodivergent people who might actually be very good at the job if only they could get past the ridiculous interview process.

Depends on the nature of the job, some involve a lot of curve balls and non-standard situations where you have to think on your feet. It's hard to simulate that without throwing a curve ball question. 

Smoulder80

I quite like them, better than the 'where do you see yourself in 5 years time' question.

Quite easy to answer as well, as an accountant my responses would be

Book - I'm the type of individual who likes to look at challenges and patterns, find the clues and get to the answer. Us accountants also think we are super humans so I'd be somewhere in the crime / thriller section, probably next to the likes of Jack Reacher.

Superpower - Whilst its tempting to see the future to avoid any mistakes overall you get a better understanding form the past, especially from times and places your haven't experienced, that allow you to make good decisions that help shape and change the future, so definitely the ability to see back in time (I'm assuming the question wasn't actually would you like to see into the future or watch the Back to the Future trilogy)