Articles

Let’s Get Serious About Interviewing
December 30, 2015

I am always amazed when I find out how many bad interview questions are being asked during the interview process. Many organizations believe they interview candidates well, but when looking at issues such as turnover, productivity and engagement, the numbers tell a different story. Some of the best companies use interview tactics that:

  • Tell you little about the candidate
  • Makes the candidate guess at what you want to hear rather than tell you about themselves
  • Relies on you being a psychologist to evaluate their answers
  • Creates concerns in the candidate’s mind about whether to accept the job or not; Or
  • Opens the door to legal issues

Below are some funny and unique questions that have found themselves in daily interview practices:

  1. "What would you do if you were the one survivor in a plane crash?"
  2. "Choose a city and estimate how many piano tuners operate a business there."
  3. "What's your favorite 90s jam?"
  4. "How much do you charge to wash every window in Seattle?"
  5. "If you woke up and had 2,000 unread emails and could only answer 300 of them how would you choose which ones to answer?"
  6. "What do you think of lava lamps? And 'Dilbert'?"
  7. "Who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman?"
  8. "How many children are born every day?"
  9. "If you had a machine that produced $100 dollars for life what would you be willing to pay for it today?"
  10. "What did you have for breakfast?"
  11. "What's your favorite color?"
  12. "Describe the color yellow to somebody who's blind."
  13. "Design a spice rack for the blind."
  14. "If you were asked to unload a 747 full of jelly beans, what would you do?"
  15. "Tell me a story."
  16. "If you had a choice between two superpowers — being invisible or flying — which would you choose?"
  17. "How many people flew out of Chicago last year?"
  18. "Why are manholes round?"
  19. "What do you do if you are approached by an employee who is complaining about a colleague who has horrible body odor?"
  20. "What kind of tree would you be?"
  21. "What's your favorite Disney Princess?”
  22. "What were you like as a child?"

It is time to get serious about hiring and selection again.  But in the meantime…what are some other funny, unique, or questionable questions have you heard of?

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