Fast Company | Business + Innovation: Glassdoor on Friday released its list of the top 25 oddball interview questions, which were compiled by its data science team based on tags and community feedback. While the list is tech-heavy, it's not just Silicon Valley that's fond of brainteasers. Other companies have been known to throw such curveballs, including Bed Bath & Beyond ("If you were a box of cereal, what would you be and why?”), Urban Outfitters (“You're a new addition to the crayon box, what color would you be and why?”), Applebee's ("What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?"), and Norwegian Cruise Line ("Do you believe in Bigfoot?").
13 comments:
Some of these questions seem interesting, but, as the article said, some of them seem silly and just like they are designed to make the interviewer seem smart. Im not sure how practical it is to throw crazy curveballs like "why is a tennis ball fuzzy" in what is already a pretty stressful situation. I feel like bizarre questions like "what is the color of money" might seem like they reveal deep truths about a person's personality, but it might just show how quickly they can make up a decent-sounding response in a few seconds in an unnatural situation. While it could be argued that this shows how well they think under pressure, someone interviewing for a job managing people might be great dealing with emergency situations with people but unable to quickly figure out why a tennis ball is fuzzy. It's not exactly applicable. I feel like you would spend your time better talking to the interviewee about their life in order to get to know them better, rather than throwing bizarre questions at them.
I love the idea of non-traditional interview questions. I think that if handled with care, asking someone a well thought out critical thinking question is a great way to truly get to know candidate in a short period of time. It can shed light on the type of personality they will bring to an office or how they think. Asking something like" what color is money," showcases how broadly they could think on the spot. Interviews are supposed to to tell an employer all they need to know about a candidate, and if asking non-traditional questions is beneficial to a companies process, then I think its a great idea.
I think non-traditional interview questions are, like Laszlo Block said, "a complete waste of time." I understand why throwing an interviewee a curveball to see how they react can be useful but I think ridiculous questions like "why is a tennis ball fuzzy" don't give the interviewer any real insight into the person. I think that all these questions do is help you gauge how quickly a person can come up with some passable BS. I think a more useful curveball is to throw them into some scenario and see how they react. For example, asking someone interviewing for a position on a concert tour what they would do if some vital piece of equipment fails, doesn't arrive in time, or if the power goes out. These kind of pointed questions would give the interviewer much more valuable information about a person. Why would a company care what kind of cereal you would be?
Some of those questions are really interesting, but a lot of them seem pretty BS. I wonder what sort of answers the tennis ball question gets. It's interesting to see the factual kinds of questions, like the tennis ball one or the internet one. Is the company looking for a correct answer or creativity, and what would happen if someone actually knew why tennis balls were fuzzy? Would they be penalized for not being creative in their response? My favorite question is probably the Apple question about the pizza and the scissors, although I have no idea how I would answer it.
These sorts of interview questions appear rather pointless when it comes to selecting a person who can do a job well. Although they may not help an employer hire an employee, I think they can help an employee become excited about the job they may be hired for. If a person being interviewed feels like they have a chance to reveal a piece of their personality and creativity by answering a silly question, they may feel more comfortable, confident, and enthusiastic once they enter the workplace.
I love these questions. If I was in charge of hiring, I would definitely ask some similar questions. When it comes down to it, with this type of question, the answer is often not the important part. Its how the potential employee approaches the question- the process they take to get to an answer. This can immediately, in the interview, show creativity and problem solving skills. These are often some of the hardest things to access because you have to see them working. Even besides from the above, I also think these serve a purpose to remove the person from a pre rehearsed speech.
I think the appropriateness of asking an un-traditional question depends on the role the interviewer is trying to fulfill. If I'm hiring an engineer or other creative type who needs to solve varied and unconventional problems, then sure, ask away. But I get really frustrated when people ask these questions in interviews for sales associates and other similar positions. If it's my job to restock, ring people up, and up-sell them things, the kind of cereal I am doesn't really apply compared to a whole host of other qualities like whether I'm polite, punctual etc.
I hope I walk into an interviewer with questions like these up their sleeves. My goal is to be surrounded by creative minds as often as possible. I like that some of the questions come from the Zapppos company. I have seen a documentary with interviews with the heads and employees of the company. Apparently it is a really great place to work. So these questions are cool, reflecting the companies they work for. I am still trying to figure out what I would say for, Why are tennis balls fuzzy?
This is a very interesting way to deal with testing quick thinking skills in interviews. These questions give insight into a persons personality while simultaneously making them come up with an answer to something they couldn't possibly have prepared for ahead of time on the spot.
I think most of these questions are BS as questions but i think being thrown a curveball question in the midst of very traditional question may throw and overly arrogant interviewee of kilter a bit. Which could tell you a lot about them and their character and how that will gel with the currently existing dynamic in your company. For more non traditional jobs that require a lot of adaptability i think these questions or similar ones would probably be helpful in finding a future colleague.
These are definitely interesting questions and a great way to see how people are at critical thinking and thinking on the spot (assuming you didn't already know about the question). However, when asking the questions the interviewer must know what to look for and how to analyze what is being said. I also understand the people say that these questions are a complete waste of time, which can definitely be true in the interviewer has no point in asking these questions or doesn't know what to look for. I do understand that their could be more relevant questions, however when done right, these "weird" questions could prove to be helpful.
Oh the surface, a lot of these questions seem quirky or rather useful. Yet, I would argue that the vast majority of these questions are designed to help pick apart and highlight each candidate's personality. Especially the questions that ask the interviewee to answer something about his/her self.
I find the question asking how lucky the interviewee to be rather interesting. I feel like the answer to that question could go several ways. The interviewee could go on to explain that he/she is not in fact that lucky, and that their strong skill set sets them up for success. Ultimately I believe these open ended questions are a valuable way for an interviewer to quickly analyze a candidate's personality and thought process.
I think it's interesting that the article points out that although these questions are commonly used in interview by many companies, they aren't proven to predict an employee's potential. I think that odd questions like these are more about promoting a certain type of atmosphere and company culture than truly assessing an interviewee. It's a way to say hey, look, our company is fun, quirky and progressive!
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