12 Off-the-Wall Job Interview Questions and What They Mean
Interviews are perhaps the most nerve-wracking part of a job hunt. Will they ask you about your strengths and weaknesses, or will they ask you how many golf balls would fit in a school bus? And if golf balls do come up (and you're not looking for a job at Golf Digest or Titleist), what is the interviewer actually looking to find out about you?
Tech companies, in particular, are known for asking bizarre-sounding questions while interviewing future employees, but unusual interview topics aren't only the domain of Silicon Valley giants. Living Business, a blog for the insurance company Colonial Life, put together a short list of odd questions that might come up in a job interview, explaining what they really mean so that you can answer them in a way that makes you look like the stellar employee you are.
To prepare for your next job interview, take a look at the questions below, which have all been asked by real companies. Unfortunately, research shows that free-form interviews aren’t actually very useful for finding the right candidate for a position, but in a world where interviews are still a necessary step to securing a position at most companies, you have to endure them regardless.
Note: Some questions are illegal for potential employers to ask during interviews, so you don’t need to prepare answers to queries like “do you enjoy drinking?” or “how old are you?” It is, however, perfectly legal for Urban Outfitters to hire you based on what you would call your hypothetical debut music album.
APPLE
If I was talking to your bestfriend, what is one thing they would say you need to work on?
Goal: Tell me about faults an weaknesses others may recognize in you so I can work out what might hole you back and how you could grow.
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
What would you do if you were a magpie?
Goal: I want to se how you cope with such a left-field question and how much you know about this particular animal.
CONVERTRO
What does "brimborian" mean?
Goal: You're not likely to know what this word means, but I want to see how creative you are and if you can think on your feet.
FACEBOOK
On your very best day at work - the day you come home and think you have the best job in the world - what did you do that day?
Goal: "What are you passionate about and how do you measure success?"
GOOGLE
You're the captain of a pirate ship and you find a chest of gold. Your crew gets to vote on how the gold is divided up. Id fewer than half of the pirates agree with you, you die. How do you recommend apportioning the gold in such a way that you get a good share of the booty but still survive?
Goal: "How do you go about problem solving and are you any good at it?"
HUBSPOT
Teach me something.
Goal: "It's all well and good you telling me about your experience, but now demonstrate it."
MICROSOFT
If you had a choice between two superpowers, being invisible or flying, which would you choose?
Goal: I want an insight into your personality and your answer to this seemingly innocous question might give me that.
NVIDIA
Name as many used for a brick as you can in one minute.
Goal: "How good are you at thinking on your feet?"
STRYKER
What kind of poeple do you dislike the most?
Goal: Give me an insight into which values you hold in high esteem so I can see if they match our brand's and you'd be a good fit within our organization.
THOUGHTWORKS
Tell us a story with the title "Green Hat".
Goal: Show me how creative you are and if you get fulstered when put on the spot.
URBAN OUTFITTER
What would the name of your debut album be?
Goal: "Do you tastes and personality reflect those of our brand?"
WHOLE FOODS
Would you rather fight 1 horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?
Goal: "Do you prefer tackling one large problem or several smaller ones at the same time?"
Article Source: http://mentalfloss.com/article/94577/12-wall-job-interview-questions-and-what-they-mean
Image Source: http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/istock-470554390.png
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Off-the-wall (idiom) ~ eccentric or unconventional
2. Nerve-wracking (adj.) ~ causing stress or anxiety
3. Bizarre (adj.) ~ very strange or unusual, especially so as to cause interest or amusement
4. Hypothetical (adj.) ~ of, based on, or serving as a hypothesis
5. Debut (v.) ~ perform in public for the first time
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. Among the questions mentioned above, which three do you think are the most interesting? Which are the three most difficult to answer?
2. What is the most difficult question have you been asked during an interview? How did you handle it?
3. If you were a hiring manager, what is one unique question you would ask an applicant? Why would you ask that question?
4. What do you think is more important, the answer to the question or the way the question is answered? Discuss your answer?
