Hey fellow ozbargainers. As the title says: what's the weirdest interview question you've ever been asked? It seems like in this day and age, a lot of companies tend to be more creative with what they ask interview candidates. I guess the age-old 'What animal would you choose to be and why' is no longer a preferable question to ask (and probably because everyone gives similar answers relating to power, freedom, etc). Looking forward to reading some quirky questions :P
What's the weirdest interview question you've ever been asked?
lizzle on 12/10/2015 - 12:55
Last edited 12/10/2015 - 15:25
Last edited 12/10/2015 - 15:25
Comments
What in the Flying Flamingo Flock.
This is my new favourite.
What on earth did you answer!?
This was actually a friend. And in his undergrad degree, his proudest piece of work was a big essay on why the atomic bombs were justified. So he started down that track instinctively, quickly realised that the answer wouldn't fly, and changed it to something along the lines of no. He got the job and we both worked 4 years in Japan.
- Provide an example when you were buoyant and flexible
Then the manager looked at me and said, I didnt make this up - HR gave it to me
hahahahaha"Well, I once did the splits in the pool."
childbirth - very flexible during the delivery, and I felt quite buoyant at its conclusion
"Ever seen a grown man naked?"
A little out of context, but still worth sharing IMO
There are 500 bricks on an airplane. If you drop one out, how many are left?
499.There are three steps to putting an elephant in a refrigerator. What are they?
Open the fridge, put the elephant in, close the fridge.There are four steps to putting a deer in the fridge. What are they?
Open the fridge, take the elephant out, put the deer in, close the fridge.The Lion King is having a birthday party. All the animals are there but one. Why is that?
The deer is in the fridge.A woman wants to cross an alligator infested swamp. How does she do it?
She crosses normally because the alligators are at the Lion King's party.She dies anyways. Why?
She gets hit in the head with a brick.
defence force interview
Life in a day of a fairy. Please talk for next 6 minutes.only six minutes.
If it wasn't politically incorrect, and a little outdated, I would say - "Don't ask, don't tell".
I was asked a question which goes like this:
A judge asks the accused if she is guilty. He tells her that if her answer is true, she will be sentenced for 2 years and if her answer is false, she will be sentenced to 3 years.
The person under trial answers the question and the judge sets her free. What was her answer and explain why she was set free.
That wasn't even the weirdest question during that interview.
Fascinating - what's the answer? She pleaded not guilty? The fifth?
The fifth?
Job interview was in Australia.
The answer
Understanding that everyone (including the judge) is answerable to the law, the accused makes the statement:
"You will sentence me to 3 years in prison."
If the judge then sentences her to three years in prison, the accused's statement is true and the judge is a liar (for giving 3 instead of 2 years), and therefore the judge would have to sentence himself to 3 years in prison. If the judge says that's true, he then sentences the woman to 2 years in prison for being truthful, but the judge then lies (still) and gets 3 years.
That and the "Tells us a bit more about yourself and why you want to work in this field" were the only non-sex related questions I had during that interview.
she said nothing
The person under trial answers the question
Answer: "I am not guilty and you will sentence me to 3 years in jail
"Would you shave for me?"
I had a heavy beard and long hair when this happened, I was asked whether I was a Muslim in an interview, I said no (I'm not) and got the job but refused it outright because of the apparent discrimination.
In my days a boy applying for a job in an old sandstone insurance company. What religion are you/ Anglican or catholic. I do have irish heritage and at 10 worked out how to make certain cocktails. No internet No libary, and Dad who trained military confirmed designed. Lucky for insurance company I was not that much Irish.
I was put through a series of physical tests for one job i went for. I thought they were a little intrusive, but played along. One of the tests was to be able to get on all 4's and crawl, i stifled my laughter, but when he asked me to crawl backwards, I burst into hysterics. He said to me, do you think this is a joke. I got up off all 4's and looked him in the eye and said - if you do not want someone with a sense of humour working for you, then I do not want to work in this place. He told me the interview was over now, and did I have any questions, I said - yes, when do I start. 6am tomorrow was my reply. In an interview i think it is good to remember the person interviewing you is also just human, and being yourself is the key.
This is interesting…what line of work is this?
Working in a mushroom factory, they grow mushrooms in big sterile warehouses.
That's exactly what I'd guessed.
Are you fed stuff and kept in the dark?
Mine similar to OP. What looney tunes character would you be and why? The problem was I had the perfect answer after I bloody well left the interview!!
I went for a job at Catapult, the company that makes GPS units for athletes. If you are unaware athletes often wear GPS units underneath their jersey in between their shoulderblades.
I was asked how GPS units detect location. I had not the slightest idea.
Turns out the GPS unit is a reciever that triangulates timestamps sent by satelites. The difference between the time stamp sent by the satellite and the time it is recieved is used to calculate how far the satelite is from the GPS unit. When you get a few of these you can combine them to determine exactly where you are. Wow.
I had no idea, tried to think logically but failed miserably, then I just tried to be interested, haha, I had nothing!
always research the company before an interview
Everyone should know how gps works. It's very simple actually.
You get the feeling that a lot of these questions come out of some HR "twonk" trying to prove they are relevant to the process. To me the questions should be either technical or based around how you would deal with people you are likely to encounter in the role, i.e. how do you deal with conflict situations, how would you deal with customer complaints, what are your responses to negative reviews, etc. The manager should then explain the environment you would be coming into, i.e. your coworkers are extroverts, introverts, supportive, driven, etc.
You get the feeling that a lot of these questions come out of some HR "twonk" trying to prove they are relevant to the process.
my feelings about HR departments entirely
"Who is your least liked comedian?"
Afterwards I found out that apparently there was only one wrong answer…
I was asked "You arrive at a party, and you have to take a drug! Which drug would you take and why?" my answer was asprin because loud music gives me a headache.
Didnt get the job though so no idea what the right answer was lol.
perhaps the "right answer" was alcohol and they wanted to see if you would fit into their "after work drinks" culture..?
Australia Post - they wanted my full medical history. A list of every medication taken in the last five years, with a reason why, including over the counter and vitamins. I was required to produce a copy of every X-ray I'd had done (with ONE DAY'S NOTICE), and they wanted to speak with every medical professional I'd seen in the last five years and a list of reasons I saw them. They didn't ask women if they were pregnant or planning pregnancy directly, but they were required to tell them if they had seen a gynaecologist, had an ultrasound, or were on prenatal vitamins. I was required to strip to my underwear, and explain any scars or sores I had. The questions were so all encompassing and so stringent that people who had experienced sexual abuse would have been required to explain it to their employer. I was asked strange psychological questions, like if I had ever felt fear, and why.
It was for a 3 month temp job sitting at a desk answering phones. This happened earlier this year. I didn't know this kind of thing was legal, and it shouldn't be. It's disgusting.
Trying to suss out if you were the type to "go postal" :P
Lol. Being asked so many personal questions would be the only thing that would make you want to…
sounds more like an interview to join the defence force o_o
their rabid desire to hike up stamp prices makes a little more sense now..
You stayed for all of that? I think I would have walked after the first or second inappropriate request. It can only get worse once you work for them. That's life experience though. I doubt you will forget that "interview" ever.
Well technically they emailed those questions to us immediately after the interview. At that point I told them I wasn't willing to do it and not to give me the job. They tried to guilt trip me and told me that "nobody else had a problem with it" (yeah, bullshit), but I just said forget it.
Good on you! They really need reporting to Fair Work Aust but since I don't have any confidence in that organisation it would likely have been a waste of your time and energy and Aust Post had wasted enough of that already. It certainly adds weight to the allegations of bullying.
So much about that dosnt sound right that it's not believable. But ok. I'll take your word for it. I belive everyone on the interment. :-)
I can post a copy of the document where they asked me to write it all down.
That document was likely going to be kept on file to be used against you in case you filed a Worker's Comp case.
You're working in a 50 storey office building in Sydney and you find a time bomb with T-minus thirty seconds on the clock. You're on the highest level and it is late afternoon, rush hour traffic outside. What do you do?
My answer was to stick the bomb inside a money safe or a fridge, calculate the time it would fall to the exact floor of a building with the least occupants and drop the bomb down the elevator shift to have it explode on the desired level.
I did not get the job.
I would have said - ring the fire alarm to initiate evacuation, if it was on the top floor, and everyone went downstairs, good chance everyone would survive, but the building would not, building can be rebuilt.
I think the correct answer is to eat it, and after it explodes belch and state "thats a spicy meatball!"
But what if I left my mask at home that day?
He knew you were a liar because there is no way in hell an average human being can do all that in the span of 30 seconds… thus you did not get the job.
I've had that one when applying for a job as a social worker. Mine was bomb will explode in T-90 seconds .I said : ring the fire alarm, call '000' and defuse the bomb.I said it quite matter-of-factly. They gave me the job because they clearly expect their social workers to be superheroes.
i consider social workers to be superheroes anyway :)
one of the most underrated, under-appreciated and underpaid jobs:)
During the same interview (program manager/ social worker), I also had a question about being stranded on a desert Island. A plane flies over the island on the 30th of every month. I find a pair of dice on the beach. Using them, I make a calendar that tells me the days of the month. How did I do it?
Assume that you have ordinary dice.. Are the dice six sided?
You just need a list of permutations from 1 to 31. Then you polish the dice until they are smooth and blank so you can edit their values.
Then you'd need to write down the numbers on the die, while knowing that you do not need to have two sixes since 66 does not exist in the list of permutations.
Six also doubles as a 9, if flipped upside down. You don't need a 9 on any die.
So you need numbers 0,7,and 8 written on one die to account for the numbers needed to create a two digit date.
@scrimshaw: Why would you do that when you can use something as simple as the tally system?
on Dice 1:
1 pip = day 1
2 pips = day 2
3 pips= day 3
4 pips= day 4on Dice 2 ( placed on the left of dice 1) :
1 pip = day 5 + whatever is on dice 1*
2 pips = day 10 + watever is on dice 2 …so on6 pips = day 30th
So for example the 24th day of the month would be
Dice 2 : 4 pips (4 x 5= 20)
Dice 1: 4 pipsThe 19th day would be:
Dice 2: 3 pips (3 x 5 = 15)
Dice 1 : 4 pips*on the 5th ,10th, 15th, 20th ,25th and 30th days, you will only use Dice 2
Use the dice to write a number in the sand… or you could use your finger I guess, but they didn't specify that you could use fingers.
start collecting coconuts and put them in a line
use the dice to determine who has the job of climbing the trees to get them.
I was typing and then pressed the wrong key, and lost all text, so will be brief.
Assume f as first dice and s as second dice.
Value of day= (f-1)*6+s
So,
f1,s1=1
f1,s2=2
…
f2,s1=7
…
f3,s6=18
…
f5,s1=25
f5,s2=26
..
f5,s6=30.
You can use the f6 combinations to track months greater than 30.
Flaw in question for Feb. Does the plane even fly in Feb?
I would break both dice in half.
That way I would have 2 halfs that could be used to track the month, and the other two to track the date.
role the dice for +8 escape powers?
@varunpant: Nowhere does it say that you have to use both dice at all times.
Tally marks are used in most of Europe, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand and North America.
Why reinvent the wheel when you don't have to?
Flaw in question for Feb. Does the plane even fly in Feb?
They may have said plane flies over the island on the 30th of the month. So no plane in Feb which would suck if you got stranded on the 31st of January:(
Our answers were timed. I had that one, the bomb one, another one about answering a 1000 emails and how I would prioritise ( without knowing the contents of each emails);what is the most efficient way of unloading a 747 full of jellybeans; to describe my favourite colour to someone who is blind; if I was a superhero, who would I be…etc We had 25 mins to answer as many questions as we could. We couldn't move on to the next questions until we've answered the current one.
They also asked me what I thought it'll be like working for their organisation, to which I replied :"Overworked and underpaid?" and they laughed. That answer was spot on :(
Ahh, the consolation prize. Had you said the correct answer you could have got the good job, which is where you get to sit on a couch gossiping all day and eating peppermint creams.
My previous job was sitting on a 'couch' and 'gossiping' about my client's sex lives all day. No peppermint creams though:(
The interview for that job was an interesting one too. Some of the questions were:
what is my opinion on the role masturbation could play in a marriage.
examples of homework exercises I would give couples facing sexual concerns such as low libido, difficulty with arousal and orgasm, erectile dysfunction or early ejaculation.
do I watch porn and what kind (it was phrased in a more PC way but this was what they wanted to know)
Am I or have I ever had any form of addiction ( sexual or otherwise)
my professional opinion on sexual surrogacy.
One of the panellists had an Irish accent and reminded me of hubby's grandpa :$
@wicket1120:
Well, thats different kettle of squid. Whereas a social worker works at being social ie gossiping and peppermint creams, a sex therapist makes love to rapists. In any case, I'll let in on a little secret. When it comes right down to it, all upper level management really care in an emergency is getting at least one zig airborn, so that theres at least a chance of great justice being achieved.So next time someone pose a hypothetical where they have set you up the bomb, the correct answer is always to 'take off every zig'.
a sex therapist makes love to rapists
Not all sex therapists.Some unfortunately do.
Whereas a social worker works at being social ie gossiping and peppermint creams,
there is a lot more involved in the job than you would think: you never get bored, you're always frustrated , you're surrounded by challenges, there's so much to do and so little time and resources, you carry immense responsibility but have little authority. You step into people's lives hoping to make a difference: some will thank you for it and most will curse you . You see people at their worst, you see them getting better, you see them at their best, you never cease to be amazed by their capacity for love , courage and resilience. You see life begin ….and end.You experience resounding triumphs and devastating failures. You shed a lot of tears.You laugh too…
Some days, you go home broken , with your tail between your legs and other days, your faith in the world is renewed,you're exhilarated and you hum a few bars from that Sia song and you do your little happy dance. Today is one of those days, so excuse me but I have to go. They are playing my favourite song on the radio :)
Dealing with emotionally vulnerable people makes me a little uncomfortable to be honest. I generally try and avoid talking, or even making eye contact with them if I can. I think if we just leave these people alone it will give them the space they need to work out whatever problems they have themselves. My dad taught me that. Said it was crucial to building character, and that talking about problems just spreads the misery around. He was a great man. I've felt a bit lost ever since he died last year.
I'm afraid I'm not familiar up with the current bubblegum pop. Quite frankly I don't know why they kept making music after Will Smith basically perfected it with his timeless classic, Men in black. Never felt the need to listen to anything after finding that gem.
I'd offer to discuss your relationship with your father but I'm no longer a sex therapist :p
This article may be helpful.
I'm afraid I'm not familiar up with the current bubblegum pop
Then get enthused my friend. I present my favourite war cry in 2 versions:
Minecraft
Naked ladies in showerOn the off-chance that you weren't joking, I'm sorry for your loss
:(It's a nice song. Very nice. I'm not usually for the sad slow type but that was quite good. I'll probably stick with my Willy though.
Did you like it? There are others if that one didn't strike your fancy.
Nod ya head
Just the two of us <- might be more your taste, the pace is a tad slower but still very goodOh, did you hear Will Smith was going to be in the upcoming Star Wars?
I only mention because I gather from your dp and the article you linked to that your a pretty big fan. TBH I'm surprised you were able to find star wars related psych articles. Now the question I find myself asking is if you have a database of website links to psych articles, and if you have two categories, one for star wars related material and one for everything else :sAh well, its getting late so I will have to wait until tomorrow. Goodnight! :)
the sad slow type
Ah! So you went with the nekkid ladies version? :)
I'm going to tell you a secret but shhh! don't tell anyone : I've never seen a single star wars movie from beginning to end. I had a huge crush on someone who was a massive star wars fan. I read a sparknotes version of the saga to impress him :)
My favourite Will Smith's song has to be Wild wild West. It won a razzie award so maybe I shouldn't say its my favourite :(
You just had to bring that up, didn't you? you really know how to go straight for jugular. Wild wild west is a more than a bit of a sore spot for us Willy's, being the only black spot on Will Smiths near cherry record. Will did what he could to save it, even dangerously taking it to the limits of what his funkability and shwingitude could handle, but he's only one man, and it was too big a mess. For the sake of my sanity, I generally try and forget it was ever created. Ohhh I'm sad now :`(
So did things go well with this starwars guy? I'm guessing it didn't, or else you would have seen it dozens of times in the first year of dating alone.
My favourite Will Smith's song has to be Wild wild West.
It won a razzie award so maybe I shouldn't say its my favourite :(Oh, Wiki.
:( indeed.You've also made outlander sad.
Is it the 'wiki-wiki' at the beginning?
Only excuse, Madam, given that the song itself is combo-razzie-deserving and shithouse.Maybe if Will had been as brazen in sampling Stevie Wonder's 'I Wish', as he has been in using other samples - http://secondhandsongs.com/artist/61/samples#nav-entity 'Wild, Wild, West' would have been a better song.
I really like Will Smith, and both songs based on the above. He also has some skills, live (some stuff on Youtube - he isn't a joke), but of all songs as a favourite - 'Wild Wild West'?
Wiki.
Really?I'm sorry, Princess Vexatious.
Boom, Boom, Shake, Shake…Nope. Just
GO TO YOUR ROOM.
(Not hypnosis. Just an order)
@outlander: She came as C-3PO, her version of it. She looked so sad that I married her instead.
Poor Padmé. She never forgave me nor got over me. Some even say that she died of a broken heart :(
@Jar Jar Binks:
Thats alright, its just padme
I'm sure she choked back the tears and moved on
If she's still upset about it, its nothing a pat on the back can't fixI think you made the right choice. Wicket sounds like a real animal in bed
@outlander: A combined vixen-snugglepuss, I think you would find.
I'm sure that Jar Jar will confirm that for you.
Also, vexatious, but that is a separate issue.
AlbeitAlbeher, cute, it's just too easy (for me, but not for you) to forget that behind the swapped-for-princess avatar, lies a, dangerous, ruthless, little, ozbargaining, ewok.Ongoing risk of you being cooked and eaten for grocery savings, aside, I hope, at least, that the awkward shift to 'friend with benefits' status has not been accompanied by any relaxation in attitude by Wiki toward the need for fur-waxing. #deargodno #fortheloveofthebabyjesus #thestillhopefullyuncookedbabyjesus
JJB, you too have a relaxing, but in your case also vigilant , Sunday
Just from the tossed lemon 'nades alone, I do admire your bravery in the face of obvious danger.
Please don't teach JediBoy to fertilise her lemon tree.
What was I thinking?:(
@wicket1120:
Well now jjbs gone and done it again, he's compared wicket to a big rat. It seems romance is not dead yet, but is certainly starting to look a bit gross and is getting a bit stinky.Was the finger puppet in your dp hard to make?
I would scratch out 1 dot for each day that passes. Each dice can track 21 days. So two dice can track up to 42 day. No maths or hexadecimal required
This is a great way of doing it and no wind can disturb your count. You can keep them safe in your pockets
Besides time doesn't mean anything when your about to have water lapping at your door.
Besides time doesn't mean anything when your about to have water lapping at your door.
https://newmatilda.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Tony-Abbot…
What happens if the plane flies over the island but they don't see you and you have to try your luck with the next one? There's no planning ahead.
The dice pits remain around even if the paint is scratched off. So you could still use the dice with the black paint removed.
If you happen to have a flat casino regulated dice then you could easily scratch an X into each pit. Each pit can be used to record 2 days. This give twice the permutations and let you track up to 84 days.
Either method would fare a hurricane better than you would.
Hmm been thinking about it I'm pretty sure if you put a bomb into a fairly airtight container. Such as a pressure cooker, fridge or safe..
Your likely to intensify the blast.
"how badly do you wan't this job?"
LOL. Are you a young, attractive female, by any chance?
I was asked: Do you like Star Wars?
Reason: Whole office was decked out with Star Wars statues and fans about the movie series.
"Why do you think our office wall is blue?" (this is interview for asking phone call for premium credit card concierge section)
because it is a calming colour - the paint colours for government buildings is very carefully chosen for its effect on moods, and a very valid question. Side Note: most old skool diners have a lot of red decor because it makes you hungry.
Meanwhile back in Czech "for 5000 kroner will you show me your tits and i film"
At an Optus group interview they put us all in a conga line and made us massage the back of the person in front. Um, hello, boundaries? And what the hell does that have to do with working in a call centre?
At a NSW Railway interview, they hired an actor to play the part of an angry customer. Without giving any knowledge about railway processes, they got the actor to harangue us one at a time about his missing baby crib and ruined holiday. It felt like a trap and a verbal assault. They said after the interview that we were supposed to ask him questions. I wanted to ask questions cos that's standard customer service procedure, but it seemed that he was told to keep making things worse, and since I didn't know railway procedures anyway, I thought it was safer to not ask questions for fear of opening the can of worms even further. Also, it felt like an improv acting event rather than an interview.
Anyway, I think the HR scene in Australia is clueless. I've been to about 50 job interviews, and I'd say about 3 of those people were skilled at what they were doing - able to find your weaknesses without making you rub people's bodies or haranguing you.
those who can't - work in HR
Optus is a very team-based business, that was an icebreaking exercise, which would help them weed out anti-socials, and the Railcorp interview is seems no different to my training as a Librarian, it is about knowing how to defuse a person and calm them down, librarians actually get a lot of aggro.
rather unorthodox and intrusive "icebreaker." isn't that what a firm handshake is for?
in massive group interview for Myer, we were sat at tables of 5 and told to give the group a short speech about us, our favourite department at myer and why we wanted to work there. no massages involved.
doubt networking events involve any massaging of strangers to break the ice either.
it is actually common in more dynamic and youthful team-based companies. I had one job where we all sang a song to pump us in the morning, then did a scrum.
edit: although I am talking pre-overly sensetive 00's
An atomic bomb was dropped ? I'm getting out of here!