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

 

[corus]

The most common question, is Tell Me About Yourself. It tends to floor a lot of people and it's best to have a little history ready. If you go into an hour's monologue starting from your early childhood and the interviewer starts day-dreaming out of the window and picking his nose, then you've no chance. Keep it to a couple of minutes maximum.

corus

 

[franzh]

One motivational speaker I heard many years ago used that particular comment "tell me about yourself". The speaker’s suggestion was to turn it back around and ask the questioner "what would you like to know about me"? That removed the subjectivity and turned it into objectivity question that the questioner had to answer in a more direct manner, and in such a way as to make your reply more directly in response.
If the questioner responded with the same question, ask it to be more narrowly defined. In the US, your personal life situations are not allowable, only relevant work history. The questioner cannot ask about them, but if you freely state them, they can be used in a split hiring decision!
Franz


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[mshimko]

I think all should keep in mind that for most (albiet not all) openings there are numerous candidates with the technical competence to do a decent job.

Therefore, whether the interviewer admits it or not, they are often seeking the candidate that will be the "best fit" in the organization, persons with the appropriate personality, drive, etc. In this regard, any question that solicits a response can be a good question (or put another way - there is no such thing as a ridiculous question).

Think about it this way - of those who have left your company within 2 years of being hired, how many did it for reasons other than technical competance?

Seeking resumes, conducting interviews, and hiring people costs the company money. Hiring the wrong person just wastes this money, and in contrast, finding the "person with the best fit" who can do the job increases the chances that this person will still be an employee in 5 years and is a great use of these expenses.

 

[JRW261]

Q: How many quarters would it take to stack them as high as the empire state building?

Thats the only information you get.

It was a simple "Firmy" problem, they just wanted to see your rationalization and really didn't care about the correct answer. That is probably what they were looking at regarding to the match in space.

At an interview with a smaller company that I had to drive 6hrs to and didn't get any re-embursement (I didn't mind not getting paid, but its nice). I was tore apart by the employer. One question that stands out was "what do you like to do in your spare time". Ive heard it befor no big deal. "Hunting, Fishing, Snowboarding in the winter, and Motocross in the summer"

Now I know its not always good to mention "Risky" hobbies but I really dont want to work for ANY company that thinks they have the right to tell me what I can or cant do in my spare time. Also, Ive never missed a day of work because of an injury, and I laborered through college, no cushy desk job.

ANYWAYS.. He immediatly replied.. "we had a guy that worked here who rode motorcycles (Harley).." the guy goes on for a good minute or so on how much they loved this guy and how good of a worker he was. He then says "he died in a motorcycle accident a year ago". I didn't know what to say, it totally caught me off guard. I looked at the other man that was with him to see his reaction which was the same constant smirk he had the entire interview.

Didn't hear from them, nor did I want to.

 

[EngJW]

What a dumb_A--

You should have told him you never sleep because most people die in a bed.

 

[71corvette]

Ah yes, the "What are your weeknesses" question... I've been asked that one quite a bit. I typically try to turn it around by turning a question that asks for a negative trait into an answer that delivers a positive trait.

As an example:

"We'll, like everyone I have weeknesses but are am always working to improve on them. For example, after graduating college I wasn't organized enough. Of course I quickly realized this and was able to solve the problem by xyz..."

This not only shows your ability to recognize and solve a problem, but also demonstrates that you have a desire to continually improve yourself.

In my opinion, your the potential employer really doesnt want to hear about your weaknesses, just how you deal with them and keep them in check.

 

[epoisses]

Turning it into a positive trait is just as much as cliché as the weaknesses question itself. Of course you should demonstrate that you're working on your weaknesses besides being aware of them, but if you think you can get away with "I guess I'm too modest" or "I'm a bit of a perfectionist" you're simply not as intelligent as the person on the other side of the table (and the people before and after you).

For heaven's sake... KNOW your weaknesses, TELL about them and be done with it. I would rather hire a sincere person than a dumbo who thinks he can bluff his way into my company.

 

[CanuckMiner]

What about replying that you've been turning your weaknesses into monthnesses and therefore they don't crop up as often?

Sorry, early morning pun.

Cheers,
CanuckMiner

 

[ghghghgh]

I tell them my biggest weakness is that I use unimaginative handles in anonymous forums.

gh(4)

 

[EngJW]

What a brave new world we are headed for!

They ask canned questions, we give canned answers, then all they are left with is to pick the candidate with the best haircut.

 

[GregLocock]

damn. I'm out then.

hey, I'm pleased to say that as an interviewer I've never asked any of these stupid questions.

There again, I only ever recommended one hire (who turned out to be every bit as good as I thought she would be)

Cheers

Greg Locock

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

 

[HgTX]

More on the "what's your weakness" question in thread731-101460

Hg

Eng-Tips guidelines: faq731-376

 

[CESSNA1]

All I can say is that amazes me how stupid and incompetent some (most) managers are. We already know the HR people are that way. You just wonder how these people can get through the day without killing themselves. In many companies the cream settles to the bottom and the other stuff rises to the top.

Regards
Dave

 

[privateer]

Most excellent posts, y'all!!! I have thoroughly enjoyed the posts here, and even laughed out loud at a bunch!

My very first interview, 8 yrs ago, was still in college with 1 month till graduation. The interviewer, a vice-pres., had me solve engineerng problems on the chalkboard in his office!! Had mixed feelings about it, but when asked, I said "sure..." and did it anyway as if I didn't mind. Got the problems right. After finishing the interview (4 hours), he asked me to call him in a week (yes, he wanted ME to call HIM back - I never understood this....). I didn't. Took an awsome job with another company....

Another wierd question I was asked (non-engineering job, before becoming an engineer):
"How much do you save a month?"
I ended the interview as politely as I could and ran screaming from the building.

A great question I had once at an engineering firm, and was complimented on my response:
"Give me an example of a task you completed or a goal you accomplished where you thought you were going to fail in the beginning, but actually succeeded?" I explained to the interviewer that I build radio-control model airplanes, and that I took on a particular model once that was way out of my league, and I knew I would fail, but I just wanted to see what would happen if I tried. I built the plane, and it flew beautifully - an outstanding success, as if I knew what I was doing the whole time. Her jaw hit the ground. I got the job. She later told me all her other canidates used "work-related" examples that were incredibly boring. My example was "interesting and refreshing." Since she didn't specify to use a work related examples in her question, by using an example from my personal life showed creativity - that I could think outside the box. My response was not planned, it was honest, dumb luck that I answered the way I did.

Thanks for the great posts, everyone!!

 

[epoisses]

"How much do you save a month?" in combination with "What's your current salary" is not a dumb question at all...

 

[SomptingGuy]

My scariest interview question was when I was applying for industrial sponsorship in my 6th form days. One place I applied to was BNFL and they gave me the old chestnut of;

"If you are floating in a boat in a pond and throw a brick overboard, what happens to the water level in the pond?"

I had already thought this one through for some reason and had the answer to hand. However, my (correct) answer was disputed by the interviewer. I argued my case for a bit, thinking that maybe my explanation & arguing skills were being tested, but he was adamant.

I didn't get (or really want) the sponsorship. And it still scares me that someone in that industry (nuclear power generation) doesn't understand the priciples of floatation.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Within the same company, another engineer and I used to ask the same stock question ... and expect different answers. He, of course, was wrong. I'm sure the candidates were very confused when they left. Of course, the ones you would want, ran away screaming.

With respect to knowing how much you save, I've met people who could quantify that, but I always felt they spent more time keeping score than actually improving anything. At a lot of outfits, it's very difficult to figure out what anything _really_ costs, and those seem to be the places where "cost improvement" projects are most popular.





Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[andyenergy]

So what was the answer to the floating boat/brick question SomptinGuy?

 

[bioengr82]

Worst question ever (Cargill, May '04)

If you were a tree, what kind would you be and why?

I know its one of those "see how they react under pressure" questions, but it still blows my mind to this day.

I look forward to asking the same thing when I interview someone *evil grin*.

 

[SomptingGuy]

Answer to boat/brick question:

If the brick sinks to the bottom (exerting a force on the bottom), the water level will rise. If it floats (at any height above the surface), the level stays the same.

It's a question of upthrust and weight of water displaced. The weight of water displaced to float both the brick and the boat doesn't depend on whether the brick is in the boat or not.

My interviewer was adamant that the relative (to water) density of the brick had to be 1.0 for the level to stay the same.