As recruiters, we think we’ve heard it all.
We can prepare our candidates for an interview as thoroughly as possible but sometimes nothing prepares you for that quirky interview question. We asked Twitter and Facebook what the weirdest interview question they’ve ever been asked was … and how they handled it!
Tammy Finnigan (Facebook)
“How would your friends describe you?”?I made stuff up!
@christinebailes
“If you were a dinosaur which would you be and why?”Tough one, because you need to know at least ONE dinosaur to answer.
Annabel Hill (Facebook)
Annabel often asks “What’s the biggest lie on your CV?”They usually laugh and say nothing! But then say maybe they’ve exaggerated a few things!!
@Nelgumford
“What came first, the chicken or the egg?” @Nelgumford says he asked this just to see how they answered it.
@barrbies
“Give an example of a time when you have valued diversity in the workplace.”Not necessarily that weird, just impossible to answer.
Michael Wilkinson (Facebook) and @RobWeatherhead
“If you were a biscuit which one would you be and why?”Michael answered ‘Hobnob because it’s the best biscuit’; they laughed but he didn’t get the job. Rob is an interviewer who went through a stage of asking it – he’s had some interesting answers but he says he’s never had a good one! ‘One guy said pink wafer ……’
@SarahMcKiernan3
“What are you not?”Sarah wasn’t actually asked this in her interview but she knows her manager frequently asks this question. We agree with Sarah; this is a tough one to answer!
The award for the weirdest interview question (in our opinion) most definitely goes to @captainconnect (Dave Hume) who was asked by a female interviewer
If I kissed you on the cheek what would you do?
It sounds like Dave handled this perfectly – “I’m a fairly open guy & come from a huggy family – so it wouldn’t be unusual for me. But I know plenty who would have been horrified! It also takes me to a thread about culture. That kind of culture would work for me but not others so [it’s] actually a great question!”
Just goes to show that there is always a reason you’ve been asked the question; however unusual it may seem. The best thing you can do as a candidate is to take a second to consider your answer then answer it honestly. Your interviewer knows they are throwing you a curve ball so take your time, they won’t be expecting a prepared answer. The question that is posed is normally to check your cultural fit, so make sure to give an answer that best represents you! They need to know you will fit into an existing team so lying to give them the answer you think they want runs the risk of landing you somewhere you won’t be happy in the long term. Other questions might be designed to test your technical, mathematical or specialist knowledge so make sure you really consider your response before speaking (We are not trying to scare you!). At the end of the day you can only give it your best shot so take a deep breath, compose yourself and answer confidently – they might be more interested in how you handle the situation rather than the actual answer you give.
For more advice on your job search get in touch with one of the Adam team today!
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