Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Top 10 Oddball Interview Questions for 2015
Glassdoor: Job candidates must be prepared for anything during an interview. That's why Glassdoor has combed through tens of thousands of interview questions shared by job candidates over the past year to compile its annual list of the Top 10 Oddball Interview Questions.
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4 comments:
Believe me, I am all for non-conventional interview questions, but these are plain stupid. Most of them do not even have an answer, and it seems like it gives more joy for the interviewer to ask them than it does to the interviewee. It was briefly discussed in class how "oddball" interview questions are asked to see how well an interviewee can think on their feet. They do not need the perfect answer, they just need to react well under pressure. I understand the reasoning behind this, and oddball questions are definitely fine to be asked, but in order to catch someone off guard, they do not need to be this stupid. I hope that I never encounter these questions in a single interview. They seem like something that would be asked, followed by an evil laugh. Some strange interview questions are meant to be asked and they do have good, specific answers that may or may not be said by the interviewee, but these have no clear feasible answers that make any sense. The email one, for example, there is not enough information in the question to actually answer it. It's just seem more like a waste of time than anything. Oddball questions are great, but I do not consider these to be quality questions.
I am so weird! I love both asking and receiving oddball questions in interviews. The reason behind this is that it really does several things to improve the conversation that is taking place in the interview. The first thing that these questions do is relax everyone that is partaking in the interview. Think about it, everyone comes into their interview nervous and starts off somewhat scripted. The oddball question throws them off just enough to trash the script and let their own self shine through. Secondly, the oddball question really creates a conversation instead a mechanical interview. When you are taking part in an interview it should be a conversation about a job instead of just one person asking another a bunch of questions. I guess the point that I am trying to make it that oddball questions are great! I am a huge fan of weird oddball questions being asked in interviews!
Some of these are dumb, but some are actually rather valuable. The one about the email inbox is particularly great, because that seems like something an actual employee for dropbox would have to deal with. Additionally, the jelly bean question is an actual problem solving question, and seems like it would show a lot of insight into how/whether people problem solve. However, questions like "What's your favorite Disney princess" and "Who would win, Batman or Spiderman" (Duh, Spiderman obviously), don't seem to generate any sort of deeper analytical insight into a potential candidate, partially because they rely on rather specific cultural references that someone who would be good at a job may not need to know as part of their duties.
Actually, the Disney Princess one in particular seems to rub me the wrong way, and I don't think I'm being overly sensitive. While they all have subtle differences in character, there are very few that aren't rather weak, subservient female roles, whose main character traits are their "selflessness" or external beauty. I guess it's not really sexist if they ask everyone that question, but I would certainly bristle before replying to that question, and I am a great aficionado of Disney movies. Then I would answer Mulan, because, obviously. How is that even a question?
I totally wish these were the only questions asked at interviews because I would actually enjoy them. It brings out a different side of the person being interviewed. Its easy to ask "can you use microsoft?" and have two people give the same answer, but throw in that oddball question and it changes the game completely. Oddball questions open up for detriment as well, it could be the deciding factor on whether or not you get the job or not. I personally think knowing what you would do in a plane crash is very important because it detracts from the technicals and get more into how the person is... as a person. I also think oddball questions let you shine if you have a
bigger-than-cubicle personality and want to show off how interesting your mind works.
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