Ridiculous interview questions 11

[haggis]

What is the most ridiculous question you’ve been asked at an interview? What was your answer?

Here’s mine. I interviewed at a major auto parts paint plant and after the interviewer seemed to be satisfied that I qualified for the job, he asked me what motivated me most to get up in the morning and go to work. I enjoy my work, but who doesn’t have some bad days.

The answer I gave was that I had a mortgage to pay and a family to feed…..a pay cheque!
He looked dumfounded for a moment then asked was that all. I said no, I also get the satisfaction of knowing I’ve earned it.

He said he appreciated my candid answer, hired me and then told me I wouldn’t believe some of the answers he got to that question.

After I got to know him, I realized that had I said something like “for the greater good of the ACME Widget Co. the next candidate would have been brought in. A trick question? Maybe, but an honest answer benefited me that time.

Haggis

 

[TheTick]

When I was stumping for my first engineering job after college, I had a phone interview with a manufacturer of oil circulation pumps. The interviewing manager had a faxed copy of my resume, and I was at an employment agency's office. The interviewing manager says, "I see you used to be a machinist. Any idiot can run a machine. What else can you do?"

I ended that interview as quickly as possible, and told the agency I wouldn't work for that man until I was so starved that my navel was sticking to my spine.

But wait, there's more...

After telling the agency I was absolutely not interested, they set up an interview anyways! They pushed pretty hard, so I let them think I was going until an hour before the interview when I called to cancel.

 

[daddymem]

I was asked "Why are manhole covers round?"

 

[ivymike]

wow, where were you interviewing? At a place that gets interview questions from this site?
see thread404-118635 ("why are manhole covers round?")

I'm not sure that I've been asked any really stupid questions - usually the ones that seem stupid were really intended to check critical reasoning skills or similar. I was once asked "how would you explain the size of a micron to a three-year-old?"

 

[ghghghgh]

I was actually asked that exact question IN an interview.

Unfortunately my wit wasn't quick enough to say "the one you just asked", but I definitely have the answer if I ever get it again.

 

[EngJW]

"What year did you graduate high school?"

Oops. That was before the interview. Weeding out question. Over 40, don't apply.

 

[EngJW]

On second thought, one guy wrote an equation on the blackboard and told me to find the Eigen values. Eigen who? I guess they did me a favor by not offering the job.

 

[DRWeig]

"If I give you a piping-hot cup of coffee and a chilled container of cream, and you want the mixture to be as hot as possible 15 minutes from now when you will have a chance to take your first sip, should you mix them now or later, just before you sip?"

Note that this was in an interview for a postion as a Facilities Engineer (Electrical) at a university.

I answered that I could give him a verifiable answer in 15 minutes if he'd loan me a thermometer and a second cup.

I didn't get the job, and neither did I learn the answer to the question. I haven't ever taken the time to do a heat-transfer-over-time analysis. It just didn't bother me that much....

Old Dave

 

[MadMango]

I was asked, "So tell me about MadMango (real name)?"

I wasn't sure how to reply, so I replied as if I was making a dating video. With a straight face I said, "I like long walks on the beach, cheesy horror movies..." After everyone got a good laugh, the interviewer clarified his question.

[green]"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."[/green]
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[FalsePrecision]

LOL - Only engineers from the Mid East and Far East know what an Eigenvalue is.
When I was in college, we engineering majors cowered in fear in the back row of the higher math classes. The instructor said very first day: "I know you engineering types may not grasp this, but at least show some interest, and I will give you at least a "C".
Another math instructor would always say, as he was handing out test papers, "There will be many casualties on this test"

 

[daddymem]

Pardon? We love our Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors here in the northeast too.

 

[corus]

After half an hour of chat I was asked why I wanted to be a Project Engineer. I answered, I don't.

Never trust employment agencies to find you the right job.

corus

 

[FalsePrecision]

Usual questions when interviewing Big Corporation:

1) "Where do you see yourself 5 years from now, 10 years from now....",etc.
2) "Tell me a little about yourself..." or, "So tell me about <insert your name>" - as MadMango described.

Usual questions when interviewing small consulting firm:

1) "Can you start tomorrow? We are swamped!"
2) "I really can't afford to pay you that. If we select you, we can discuss a salary increase after 3 months".
Footnote to 2):
Hah! It will never happen. You will be lucky to get an assigned parking space.

 

[MikeHalloran]

I asked about my assigned parking space on my first day. My mentor said, "If you're so f_____g important, you damn well better be here first!"

;---

Showed a print that said something like "N detectable flaws allowed per unit volume", was queried, "What is the acceptable number of _un_detectable flaws?"






Mike Halloran
NOT speaking for
DeAngelo Marine Exhaust Inc.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

 

[MikeHalloran]

Of course, if you can't detect them by any means, then they're never going to cause a problem, so you can allow an infinite number of undetectable flaws.



Mike Halloran
NOT speaking for
DeAngelo Marine Exhaust Inc.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

 

[ctopher]

I had an interview once and the manager seemed to look at me weird and acted like he wanted to ask something but wouldn't. A couple weeks later he finally asked me, "Your last name, what nationality?". I told him German. His eyes got big. He said "If I new that when I interviewed you, I wouldn't have hired you!". (He was British, his secratary was Scottish and the owner was Irish)
I quit a couple months later.

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP1.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site

 

[GregLocock]

Stupidest question I remember "If you were changing the wheel on your car and lost the wheelnuts down a roadside drain, what would you do?".

I'd seen the answer in a mag the week before. Still didn't get the job.




Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[corus]

A technical question I was asked was What would happen if you lit a match in space. I said it'd go out as there's no air. This bleedingly obvious reply was the wrong answer it seems and I never got the job, thankfully.

corus

 

[GregLocock]

That's a shame. Even in the presence of oxygen it would still go out, if there is no gravity. No gravity = no convection=match gets surrounded by its own exhaust as it burns.



Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[IRstuff]

Would it actually "go out" if there were no oxygen?

Would it even start at all?

TTFN