lifehacker.com: How many people would use a drug that prevents baldness? Name as many uses for a brick as you can in one minute. If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and dropped in a blender, how would you get out? Major companies are asking challenging job interview questions like these. Here's how to prepare.
9 comments:
Questions like these really let you see into the way someone thinks. If I were an interviewer for a company, I don't think I would ever interview anyone without asking a question that really pushes them to think critically. I completely agree with the suggestion to never say "I don't know" because there is a workable solution to almost everything, even if you try to reason it out and fail. Giving up is a terrible answer - your interviewer can only presume that you will do the same in the face of adversity on the job.
Some of these questions would be really nerve racking in an interview situation, but it is a fantastic way to glean more from an interviewee than with regular questions alone. It seems fairly difficult to understand the full scope of a person one may be attempting to hire with just an interview, but these questions seem to make it a little easier. I was reading a book recently that covered predicting violence in a possible employee during the hiring process. Most interviewers don't take all the steps necessary to get to know the interviewee to really know whether or not to hire them. While these questions may not be useful to predict violence, it is still good to see a greater effort to really understand an interviewee.
I completely agree with most things the article says, but it really wasn't that helpful of a read because most of the things they said were common sense. Although I really liked their tip about thinking out loud so that the interviewer can see your line of thought and how you go about problem solving, i wouldn't have thought to think out loud in a formal interview like that. The interview question "interview me and tell me if you would hire me" sounds absolutely terrifying, but it would be a great thing to ask to really find out how a person reacts under pressure and how well they are able to take the initiative to get things done on their own. Im kind of glad that more interviews these days are switching over to a more creative and problem solving type questions rather than the standard "what are your strengths and weaknesses?" I these new types of questions not only give the company better insight into the mind of the potential employe but also give the interviewee a better idea of what sort of company they are working for by what types of questions they ask.
I read this and I think back to my CMU interview when Anne Mundell asked the question that sparked what seemed like a 10-minute explanation of what I think of Hamlet, both the title character and the production. Talking through your thought process out loud is s good method to clearly express how you'd get out of a tough situation. Random out-of-left-field questions help employers because it keeps interviewees on their toes and most importantly, honest. Nothing is more important than an honest look at the kind of person you'll be hiring and working with.
This reminds me of all the puzzles we've been doing in Mind the Gap lately, such as the gnomes with the two different colored hats. As a class we had a hard time trying to step back and think about the solution from an outside perspective. I would say we were thinking too much in detail of the problem instead of thinking about it in the simplest form. Sometimes I find myself looking over what would be the easiest solution because I figure it couldn't possibly be that easy. I've learned the past week or so in class that you should take you time and go through every possible solution no matter how stupid it may sound because you never know if it'll work.
I would also like to agree with Will on his comment about never saying, "I don't know" as an answer to a question you are being asked in an interview. For one, it looks like you can't figure out problems and it also causes you to appear to not know how to successfully handle a situation that might not be going just the way you want. You should at the very least try to talk out a possible solution. Sure, it might not be the best, but it shows you are trying and have some sort of thought process you are going through to get to an ending solution.
I didn't expect the content of the article to go down this line at all. I think that on one hand it was good that they highlighted the fact that an interviewer can throw wild, crazy, mind knocking questions at you in an interview simply to see their reasoning skills and probably how creative a potential employee might be. I also agree with what April said in terms of these types of questions giving the employer/ company a better insight into the mind of the potential employee.
I however wish that the article also ventured into some of the other, I guess more serious types of questions that an employer could ask.
One important point mentioned however is to never say, "I don't know".
It was interesting to answer the questions asked in the article though, really makes you think!!
Wow! I had no idea that companies were asking questions like these. I think it is great that companies are asking these unconventional questions in order to really see how someone thinks and reacts under that sort of unexpected pressure. It is also a way to catch someone off guard and get a more accurate look into who they are once they will probably lower their guard and, although they will probably and hopefully stay professional, loosen up in order to answer these questions.
All of these questions certainly do seem stumping at first, but it is important to remember that these questions really delve into how a person's mind works. As Melanie Pinola (the article's author) suggests (and other commenters have referenced), it is very important to never say "I don't know." Thinking outside the box and exploring a question in innovative ways will always come across well and show a bit of your creative process to your employer. For a theatrical interview, it is especially important for your interviewer to understand your thought and work process to developing an idea and a plan. For us, that may show through a portfolio; but it also shows up through questions asked. As the article suggests, it is important to talk through the issue to find a solution, and I 100% agree with this suggestion.
How to Ace Hardest Job Interview Questions? for more information
http://www.trendsfair.com/how-to-ace-hardest-job-interview-questions/
Some companies are tarnished for using interview processes which bring back to the college entrance exams wrought with puzzles, written-tests, Group discussions and personal interview. Glassdoor, a blog dug through more than 80,000 interviews...
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