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Strange Interview Questions

I just got home from a job interview and I was asked the most bizarre question I’ve ever been asked.

(I’m paraphrasing) Imagine you’re working in the reception area and your boss asks you to have a bottle of water for him in ten minutes. You check and there is one bottle left. Just then, a co-worker runs in the room and tells you there is a fire in the back and the water is needed to put it out, otherwise the office will burn down. What is the first thing you would do?

It was delivered with a straight face and everyone on the panel just looked at me expectantly. I’ve never been asked such a strange question.

Does anyone else have stories of strange questions they’ve been asked?

by Anonymousreply 83January 29, 2020 1:44 AM

Ernst. You’re interviewing for a job? Why did DL not know? Our king can not possibly be doing thinks without us knowing.

What is the job? Will you still have time for us? What does your 6’6” husbear think about this decision?

by Anonymousreply 1January 20, 2020 3:32 PM

*things

by Anonymousreply 2January 20, 2020 3:33 PM

How did you answer?

by Anonymousreply 3January 20, 2020 3:37 PM

Yes. I was almost 40 years old, professional, yuppie-type, the whole works. I was looking for a job change (I was a Senior Project Manager for an engineering firm, and looking to expand my resume).

During the interview with a new company, I was asked what my high school and college extra-curricular activities had been. And I was nearing FORTY!! I thought, what kind of dumb-ass question was that to ask a middle-aged guy??

by Anonymousreply 4January 20, 2020 3:43 PM

I’d grab the bottle off of the water cooler, extinguish the fire, report their workplace to authorities as unsafe place with no sprinklers or extinguishers—and choose to keep my job at The Gap as a salesbottom.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 5January 20, 2020 3:45 PM

I applied at Borders Bookstore and was handed a pen and then asked by the interviewer to sell it to them. So, I told them all about the pen and how great it was. She seemed satisfied. The rest of the interview went baddish (more stupid situational questions, no emphasis on experience) Never got the job. I saw the people they hired for the job later, and was really NOT impressed, to say the least.

They went out of business, like, 3 months later!

Then, later I saw an interview with the Wolf of Wall St guy. He said you’re supposed to ask the interviewer what kind of pen they’re looking for or something...that you sound like a fool listing the pen’s attributes.

I really still disagree. Every commercial or infomercial you see, they tell you what’s great about the product.

Oh, well.

by Anonymousreply 6January 20, 2020 3:49 PM

If I was ever asked a question like yours OP I'd finish the interview and, if offered, decline the job. Actually, it was the part about the boss asking for a bottle of water. I've worked with senior managers for the last 20+ years and they never would ask someone to get them anything.

by Anonymousreply 7January 20, 2020 3:52 PM

I was asked how I felt about the fact that I live in the most Godless state in the union and then told how much the interviewer missed the south because you could tell so much about a person by which church they attended

by Anonymousreply 8January 20, 2020 4:04 PM

R8, That one’s illegal, but if it’s in some super religious area it doesn’t matter.

About OP’s question, I would say all workplaces are supposed to have a charged, ready fire extinguisher on site, and I’d use that to extinguish the fire.

I had to set up some offices and all workplaces require a fire extinguisher and an emergency medical kit. If they didn’t have one, I’d assume it was an unsafe workplace and quit.

by Anonymousreply 9January 20, 2020 4:16 PM

There goes the worst EST on here sitting there thinking about something elaborate. Then all his stupid blind followers eat this EST shit up. You're losing your touch asshole.

by Anonymousreply 10January 20, 2020 4:36 PM

Hi, Ernst! Keep us updated on the job search. You are the sweetest person on DL.

by Anonymousreply 11January 20, 2020 4:43 PM

A nerd friend interviewed for an IT position and was asked "Which would win in a fight, the Death Star or the Enterprise?" And of course, I immediately started wondering if the Death Star could ever hit the fast Enterprise with it's planet-killer weapon or if the T-wing fighters could blast through the Enterprise's shields...

The nerd said "I have a girlfriend", and got the job.

by Anonymousreply 12January 20, 2020 4:44 PM

R1, I’m applying for a part time admin job. My husband isn’t over the moon I’m doing it, but he is being generally supportive.

R3, I replied in a manner similar to what R9 said. I did stumble at first and say that I would give the bottle to the person if it was going to put people in harms way, but I then talked about a fire extinguisher and said I would find one.

R7, I had that thought, too. I think it was just part of the question set up though, the people seemed very down to earth.

R10, I’m thinking about doing a bit later this week where I pretend to be a US Senator and ask for input on how I should vote on impeachment. Any advice on how to handle making that thread?

Thanks, R11. They said I was in the last interview group and I should I hear from them “soon.”

by Anonymousreply 13January 20, 2020 4:58 PM

I would have asked what sort of life threatening fire can be extinguished by a single water bottle and why can't the fire sprinkling system take care of the fire?

Joke aside. It's clearly about your ability to be quick on your feet and prioritize in an instant.

by Anonymousreply 14January 20, 2020 5:19 PM

You lost me at "have a water bottle ready for your boss in ten minutes". I would walk out on any of these ridiculous interviews where this kind of question is asked. I just can't stand this stuff. A fire? A water bottle? I was asked in an interview what my spirit animal was, sitting around a table full of people. The same interview included what I watched on Netflix and my favorite salty snack. The position was like a communications consultant at a health and wellness company. I didn't get the job, so apparently my answers weren't good enough??? I work for myself now, and can't imagine going through this crap ever again.

by Anonymousreply 15January 20, 2020 5:27 PM

I would not leave the reception area because someone needs to be there to buzz the firemen in.

by Anonymousreply 16January 20, 2020 6:47 PM

Will someone PLEASE shit in my mouth?

by Anonymousreply 17January 20, 2020 7:35 PM

[quote] Imagine you’re working in the reception area and your boss asks you to have a bottle of water for him in ten minutes. You check and there is one bottle left. Just then, a co-worker runs in the room and tells you there is a fire in the back and the water is needed to put it out, otherwise the office will burn down. What is the first thing you would do?

Pull the fire alarm to set off the automatic sprinklers, then dial 9-1-1.

Next question.

by Anonymousreply 18January 20, 2020 7:39 PM

Shoot the boss in the face for his stupid request, lock all the doors so the building burns down with everyone inside, and take the bottle with you as you will be thirsty from the heat. Tell corporate it was a tragic mass suicide.

by Anonymousreply 19January 20, 2020 7:50 PM

R19, you’ve got the job!

by Anonymousreply 20January 20, 2020 7:52 PM

R14, that’s kind of what I thought. My brother in law works for the firm and called me after he got off work to see how I thought it went. I told him about the strange question and he said they ask weird questions sometimes to see how candidates think on their feet, prioritize, and handle stressful situations. Apparently their HR people endorse it.

R10/R17, are you familiar with the blocking feature? I would welcome you to block me. Unless you’re into eating shit, in which case I hope you find what you’re looking for.

by Anonymousreply 21January 20, 2020 10:20 PM

Some of you bitches are taking the interview questions a bit too literally.

OP's question wasn't literally about water. These questions are designed to see how you'd think and react in a situation. The idea with OP's question was: If there was a crisis or issue, would you mindlessly follow your boss and his/her orders, or would you do what was needed if it impacted more people?

by Anonymousreply 22January 20, 2020 10:50 PM

So I was offered the job...kind of.

They’re restructuring some current roles and offered me a job that I didn’t apply for, but they’re classifying it in the same category (just for a different division).

Instead of general admin, I would be some kind of event planner/travel coordinator. I would coordinate all of the engineer’s itineraries when they travel, process meal vouchers, plan site visits, etc.

I could work from home some (love the flexibility), but I would also be working in the same division as my brother-in-law. I think that might be a little strange, so I don’t know what to do. They asked me to decide by Friday.

by Anonymousreply 23January 21, 2020 11:11 PM

are you working because you want to or because you need to? that may help you to decide.

otherwise, if you like scheduling, take it. scheduling is something people either really like and are good at or not. there's not a lot of in between.

by Anonymousreply 24January 21, 2020 11:27 PM

Recently interviewed with a 'christian' health care system founded by catholic nuns. Each day starts with prayer, etc. the interview was going well as I kept throwing out vaguely spiritual responses as most of the questions focused on " Can you support our mission?" Finally I threw out 'By the grace of our lord, JESUS". Both interviewers started beaming. Never thought I would have to code switch quite like that

by Anonymousreply 25January 22, 2020 12:00 AM

[quote] I was asked in an interview what my spirit animal was, sitting around a table full of people. The same interview included what I watched on Netflix and my favorite salty snack.

What about this is weird? Are you a human being who can make fun small talk with other people. This is important for them to evaluate you as a potential coworker, and to evaluate whether you can be trusted to talk to clients.

[quote]The position was like a communications consultant at a health and wellness company.

So a position where communicating with other people is key!

[quote]I didn't get the job

Well yeah.

by Anonymousreply 26January 22, 2020 12:16 AM

Taking the job is the right thing to do Ernst. Your brother's family will resent you for not always being there to help with their kids as long as you remain unemployed. Once you have a job, you can tell them to fuck off and that you have your own responsibilities.

by Anonymousreply 27January 22, 2020 12:24 AM

husband's family*

by Anonymousreply 28January 22, 2020 12:25 AM

Do you work well with coloreds?

by Anonymousreply 29January 22, 2020 12:25 AM

I was at a parochial school where one of the people on the panel was the person leaving the position, a big no-no to begin with. She blatantly played with the cross around her neck waving it at me and asked what my religious status was, another no-no.

by Anonymousreply 30January 22, 2020 12:30 AM

Unless you are in DESPERATE need for a job, I wish job seekers would get the guts to start walking out of interviews that ask ridiculous questions. If the people being interviewed put up with this bullshit, it will continue. It’s time to stop allowing ourselves to be circus monkeys who jump for their amusement. I remember one interview I had where one of the interviewers got snarky with me and I said “This would never work” and I got up and walked out. They were speechless and it felt great to take back some of the power from their power trip.

by Anonymousreply 31January 22, 2020 12:38 AM

R24, I am kind of doing it as a gap filler on my resume. There aren’t any openings in my current line of work and I want something to hold the empty place. Admittedly (and I told them this on the phone today) I do not have scheduling experience. They asked me to come in tomorrow and talk through it.

R27, I see what you mean. The brother-in-law I would be working with is the one who is closest with my husband. I do kind of wonder if he might have pulled some strings in this whole thing. It gives the flexibility my husband wants, but allows me to fill my gap. Who knows. I might just ask.

by Anonymousreply 32January 22, 2020 2:14 AM

I'm pretty sure the brother-in-law pulled some strings.

by Anonymousreply 33January 22, 2020 2:20 AM

[Quote]Admittedly (and I told them this on the phone today) I do not have scheduling experience.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to make reservations.

by Anonymousreply 34January 22, 2020 2:24 AM

I was sort of down and out at the beginning of the Great Recession and actually went to apply for a job at Walmart. In no time HR Frau was asking me that, if I was working the floor and saw the check-out line had gotten long and that a merchandise display had toppled over, which would I take care of first? HR Frau was so serious about this - like I was applying for a job at Special Ops or something. I said I would help out at check-out first because people get really irritated if they have a long wait and that's something they don't forget. Soon, she was practically screaming at me - "But what about the store image? What about the Walmart image?" By this point, I was getting frustrated and I blurted out that I didn't think that people who shopped at Walmart really cared about the store image. Jobs were hard to come by back then and I never heard from them again.

by Anonymousreply 35January 22, 2020 2:34 AM

Ernst, I took a job where I was referred by a relative and I didn’t regret it. Your relative may get a bonus if they hire you so that’s good.

In my case, my relative was in one department and I was in another. I had nothing to do with her in my day to day job. You’ll find usually that people in your immediate group have a little clique together and that’s who you stay with. Your relative probably won’t even see much of you.

I’d take it, if you hate it you can always look for another job and then quit. If it’s a big company, you can look for transfers within the company, and you will usually get preferential treatment as an employee. It sounds fun to me.

by Anonymousreply 36January 22, 2020 2:36 AM

I interviewed for a business job with American Airlines years ago. The asshole I would have been working for asked me “tell me something your friends say about you behind your back” I gave him an answer and he challenged me and said “I find that hard to believe”

I didn’t get offered the job, but swore to myself that had I ever sat in a job interview again where someone asked me anything even remotely like it (or like many of the questions above in this thread), I would say “did you really bring me here to ask stupid questions like this or are you serious about hiring a professional? I’m guessing not” and then walk out.

Managers that play stupid mind games or ask out of line questions aren’t worth working for. You spend 1/3 of your life at that shitty job and no money is worth it.

by Anonymousreply 37January 22, 2020 2:39 AM

OP, It's one of a series of psychological questions designed to determine how you think and if you can quickly respond to issues under pressure. There's a lot of similar questions online if you look in the right place.

This technique of asking rapid fire hypothetical and analytical questions used to be SOP at certain creative and high tech companies.

by Anonymousreply 38January 22, 2020 2:43 AM

I tried to get a server job at Cracker Barrell while I was in college, I was actually asked "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"

It was hard not to laugh.

by Anonymousreply 39January 22, 2020 2:45 AM

OP, Try dealing with the following questions which everyone had to answer when Mr. Steve Wynn ran Bellagio:

1) What is the name, address, and occupation of each of your siblings? My response was that I have no idea as I'm not at all close with my family. They didn't accept my answer and asked a lot of questions about it especially when I said I wasn't at liberty to provide such info. Then they asked wouldn't my siblings want me to get the job? No, I said. They don't care.

2) What's your father's address and contact info. My response, he died when I was a child. Also to the best of my knowledge he never worked or lived in NV. Again my answer only led to future probing by Bellagio. Finally I said that if I stole money or property from Bellagio (which of course I never would do,) and anyone wanted to track me down, they shouldn't contact any family member if they wanted to find me as they'd be the last to know my whereabouts.

by Anonymousreply 40January 22, 2020 2:49 AM

I was asked in an interview to name what animal I resembled and why. I gave a very creative answer, one the interviewer admitted he'd never heard of being given. I said a liger ie a cross between a lion and a tiger, meaning that I had an unusual combo of strengths and aptitudes.

by Anonymousreply 41January 22, 2020 2:52 AM

I applied for a job and basically got it, except one person in the extended academic setting blocked me and it was withdrawn. I didn’t have the full credentials, but the person who blocked me had started in the same position that I was coming in to interview from and knew I was more than capable of doing it and getting my credentials as many people do in that field.

Fast forward about five years and another position opens at this school and now I have the credentials and years of experience. And this person ends up being the primary interviewer as it’s her old position and she’s moving into a more management position. It’s an all day interview and I already know I’m the stand out candidate and the parts with the parents and administration go extremely well. I observe her conduct one of the worse lessons I’ve ever scene taught and contrary to much of what the field is about and she explains that this is what she see as the future of role of that position.

I’m supposed to replicate the lesson with another group that’s coming in about 15 minutes. I decide right then and there that I don’t want to work under this witch and have to teach in her backward manner. I tell her “I want to stop the interview and no longer continue.” She’s dumb founded, I explain what’s wrong with her lesson and pedagogue and then I say “You don’t remember who I am do you?” She says no and I explain the earlier situation and it all but stops her dead in her tracks. She’s very panicky because she knows the administration and parents liked me and pleads for me to continue the interview.

I say “No” collect my things and walk out the door. I’m striding across the parking lot when her assistant calls to catch up with me. I had noticed her earlier and we connected having worked in the original place that we all three had come from the start of our career in this field. She tells me I’m doing the right thing that this lady is a monster to work for and she has never been happy in her position since the day she’s started. I gleefully go off and have a wonderful lunch and enjoy the afternoon.

I was lucky in that I had already had another offer for a position before going into the interview. Although I was more interested in this particular school and community because I had lived there before and had many friends. But it was the most satisfying thing I ever got to do in an interview and literally say fuck you when having been treated badly in the past and undergoing a miserable interview.

by Anonymousreply 42January 22, 2020 2:53 AM

Hello Ernst! Oh, Ernst! It’s me, Christmas Moose 💞 💕 ❤️ I wuv you!

by Anonymousreply 43January 22, 2020 3:36 AM

Ignore him, Ernst, he got into the bourbon.

by Anonymousreply 44January 22, 2020 4:10 AM

First, put out fire with water from bottle, then refill the bottle with water from toilet.

by Anonymousreply 45January 22, 2020 9:50 AM

Lol, r39. I had that same question for an interview as a banquet server at a hotel. I was still in high school, so I answered “in college.” They seemed a little miffed, like it was elitist or something. Never got the job. What are you supposed to say, that you’d still be working there?!

by Anonymousreply 46January 22, 2020 4:34 PM

I’d say that I would call 911 to report the fire, pull the fire alarm to alert the rest of the building, and begin evacuation.

I have no doubt that I wouldn’t be hired.

by Anonymousreply 47January 22, 2020 4:39 PM

In case of fire:

R- Rescue

A- Alert aka call 911

C- confine

E- extinguish

by Anonymousreply 48January 22, 2020 4:47 PM

R25, Did you get the job?

by Anonymousreply 49January 22, 2020 4:48 PM

I would clean up the overturned display, r35. Safety first!

by Anonymousreply 50January 22, 2020 4:49 PM

But how would you move Mount Fuji, OP?!?! You smart little know-it-all, you!

Bwahahaha bwahahaha!!!

by Anonymousreply 51January 22, 2020 4:52 PM

R25 Got the offer- turned down the job. grossly invasive 'pre-employment' screening. Copy of your most recent physical, all immunization records, copy of all prescriptions, 'lifestyle' questions focused on eating, drinking, exercise, blood tests !, plus the usual urine drug screen, etc. This for an office job.

by Anonymousreply 52January 22, 2020 4:58 PM

“worker runs in the room and tells you there is a fire in the back and the water is needed to put it out, otherwise the office will burn down.“

It sounds like a place consumed with grease fires by disenchanted employees.

by Anonymousreply 53January 22, 2020 5:07 PM

Oh I've been in the InfoTech/InfoSec field for 30 years. Let me tell you I've gotten some bizarro questions. Many of which my answers got me the job.

by Anonymousreply 54January 22, 2020 5:30 PM

If you want to interview well, you should develop a stock answer to all the routine stupid questions that others give you when they don’t know what else to ask. Don’t blame the questioner, it is hard to know what to ask. (I used to ask the interviewee to solve whatever problem I was currently wrestling with, a win-win!)

In 5 years, I hope to.... move progressively through roles with increasing responsibility and range. I’d like to continue my technical education....take some management courses.... I have no interest in spending time with my family but I do want to give back to the community in my spare time when I’m not working overtime for free for you slavedrivers.

My greatest fault? I take the [bold] initiative [/bold] and am a [bold] self-starter, [/bold] but I know some people don’t like that, so I have to remind myself to keep a sense of the situation and personalities and make sure I don’t overstep, because it’s important to get along with people.

You should also have a sales pitch. Sell you a pen? May I sell you myself? He’s what I have done and what I can bring to the company: I [bold] multitask [/bold] and [bold] work collaboratively [/bold] by taking the [bold] initiative [/bold] blah blah blah. I invented polymer blended bank notes. I have two DARPA proposals accepted and funded by the Dept. of Defense; and the Supervisor of Shipbuilding audibly moaned when I told him I was leaving the company, but that my associate would do a fine job implementing my proposals. I implemented a repair proposal for nuclear submarines that saves millions of dollars per year and which, I’ve been told by an old salt, was something they’d wanted to do for 30 years - but I did it! Because when I know I’ve got a sound technical proposal, I am [bold] persistent and persuasive. [/bold] I also found $1 million in inventory laying in the shipyard that was not in the inventory system and hence was never called-out for use. It was 15 years old but could still be used after modest refurbishment, because I was [bold] curious, and determined [/bold] to identify this inventory, that my predecessors overlooked. Use the key words in bold.

For my last phone screen, I had a one-page list of accomplishments, so for each stupid question, I could say, “hmm, I can speak to that, ...” look for excuses to twist every question into something you can brag about, like the pen question, above.

by Anonymousreply 55January 22, 2020 5:50 PM

R52 reminds me. I interviewed at BAILEY CONTROLS in Cleveland in the 1980s. It was on a Saturday and they were all working. I didn’t like that (though I have done so plenty times.) When I was leaving, they gave me a 50-page psych questionnaire, with those bubbles to fill-in. I threw it away, it was ridiculous. How desperate were their employees?

by Anonymousreply 56January 22, 2020 6:00 PM

That does not ring true, r25. Catholics do not burst out with praise phrases like that. That is strictly Protestant/evangelical behavior.

by Anonymousreply 57January 22, 2020 7:35 PM

The Very Nice Lady who interviewed me for an upper-echelon position at my town's largest medical clinic began the interview with the usual inane stock questions. Early on in the process, she mentioned she collected dolls. I seized on this and feigned great interest. She started her collection when her father was stationed in Germany. This led to an even broader discussion—which could probably be called more of a monologue, since I really got her going on a roll. I felt like Dick Cavett, bringing out the talkative streak in a guest. We talked nearly 45 minutes—all about her. She never even attempted to talk about me.

I got the job. And the Very Nice Lady wound up being one of my greatest supporters.

by Anonymousreply 58January 22, 2020 7:49 PM

I hate that, when interviewers talk the entire time, after I’ve prepared and all. Good for you, r58. Smart and perceptive.

by Anonymousreply 59January 22, 2020 8:54 PM

R32 Ernst, I thought your 6’ 6” husbear fiiled your gap? Why do you need a job to do it?

by Anonymousreply 60January 22, 2020 9:16 PM

Not a question so much as a situation. They (5) formed a mock town meeting in which I was supposed to state my case in opposition to a new shopping center. It was dreadful.

by Anonymousreply 61January 22, 2020 9:55 PM

This happens when the interviewers (and probably people at the job) do not know how to do anything. I think there needs to be a crack down on this because the job applicants are probably spending money to look professional, prepare, and travel to the interview.

They may not even be hiring. It is a shady way to raise stock prices to investors, by saying we are hiring a lot of people.

by Anonymousreply 62January 22, 2020 10:17 PM

R57 Founded by Catholic nuns in the south and since taken over by the local variety of JESUS lovers.

by Anonymousreply 63January 22, 2020 10:34 PM

It was an eventful day!

I accepted the position, they see it as a majority work from home position! I will just need to go in for staff meetings and then to coordinate visits on the day of the event, but the scheduling and planning can be done from home!

Also, I’m pretty sure my brother in law pulled the strings. They wanted me to come in today to try my hand at scheduling a trip. Before I walked in to the office, my BIL texted me and told me to “remember time zones“. The “example” they game me (more of a test) had a person who needed the soonest flight back, but it was in a different time zone from the office...they were impressed that I noticed that and made the adjustment.

I’m kind of mad at BIL/hubby. It kind of feels slimy like I couldn’t have done it without them :/

by Anonymousreply 64January 23, 2020 2:32 AM

It is not slimy, Ernst. It’s just “networking”, and it’s a blessing like any other. If you have it, it would be a waste not to use it, and everybody does.

by Anonymousreply 65January 23, 2020 4:27 AM

Yes getting a job through connections is the way of the world. It's good to acknowledge the reality of what happened, but move on from it, it's really not something you need to beat yourself up about.

by Anonymousreply 66January 23, 2020 4:31 AM

You kind of indirectly slept your way into that job, Ernst. But sounds like you had a good time doing so. Wishing you all the best, you've got this!

by Anonymousreply 67January 23, 2020 4:51 AM

Your brother-in-law must really like you Ernst - or really love his brother.

by Anonymousreply 68January 23, 2020 5:13 AM

Suggest a threesome as thanks to your husbear and his brother.

by Anonymousreply 69January 23, 2020 5:20 AM

Well it wasn't an interview really. It was a blackmail attempt.

by Anonymousreply 70January 23, 2020 7:57 AM

R64 You only got the job because of your BIL. You owe him a favor now. Fully expect him to ask you to give him a blowjob when your husband is not around.

by Anonymousreply 71January 23, 2020 8:08 AM

R65/R66, good point. It still stinks to not be able to do something yourself. I don’t know if that makes sense...it just feels weird.

R67, that makes me feel like a prostitute. Let’s use “married into the job” because I like to think my husband likes me for more than just sex!

R68, they’re really close. He’s The Godfather of this brother’s daughter. They hang out all the time. It’s weird though, he knew my husband wasn’t crazy about me getting the job, but one that allows me to work from home and set my own schedule allows the flexibility he was after, I guess.

R69, I don’t know that two brothers would see having a threesome with one another as a thanks. Especially considering that one is a hetero.

by Anonymousreply 72January 24, 2020 12:12 AM

[quote]OP's question wasn't literally about water. These questions are designed to see how you'd think and react in a situation.

We know but multiple studies have shown that such questions are a complete waste of time, telling you nothing at all about how an individual would actually perform in the job.

by Anonymousreply 73January 24, 2020 12:38 AM

I'm bad at answering those usual scenario questions. What kind of not strange interview questions do you get asked and how do you answer them? And what questions do you ask a company?

by Anonymousreply 74January 28, 2020 10:35 PM

When I was 30, I was interviewed and asked for my SAT scores. I happened to remember. The interviewer said he embarrassed to ask but he had to.

by Anonymousreply 75January 28, 2020 10:42 PM

Fuck, I hate applying for jobs and doing interviews. It's so degrading.

by Anonymousreply 76January 28, 2020 10:43 PM

Yeah, what some good replies to those standard interview questions. I always babble.

by Anonymousreply 77January 28, 2020 10:53 PM

[quote] R74: And what questions do you ask a company?

You should do a little research on a company beforehand, so don’t ask questions that would indicate that you don’t know who they are and what they do. You could ask “what is a typical day like here”, in the job you’re interviewing for. What’s the Job title? Will you be on-call? What kind of schedule do they work? How often is weekend or evening support is required or expected? What are the benefits? What is their medical, dental, vision insurance plans like? Do they have a 401k? To whom will you report? Usually that person does one or more of the interviews. You could ask about the salary, but that’s usually discussed at the second interview or later.

Don’t ever put anything on your resume that you can’t talk about, because that is the actual purpose of the resume. Computer folks like to list proficiency in every computer language they once heard about. I once caught someone unable to articulate anything about a skill they listed. You should have a little story that goes with every statement you list on your resume. If you’re initially doing a phone screen, have your rehearsed talking points right in front of you.

Prepare a sales pitch about yourself. I’ve even explicitly asked interviewers if I could give them my sales pitch.

In the interview, write down the name of everyone you speak with, if you’re bad with names as I am.

by Anonymousreply 78January 28, 2020 10:59 PM

I was asked if a colleague was giving the go ahead to projects which were clearly non compliant with regulatory standards, and if to pass them I had to sign them, what’ve oils I do? I replied that I would refuse to sign off of them that I would try to explain to him what the issues were and if that didn’t work I would raise it with my superiors but that I would not expose the department to any potential lawsuits.

This was an interview fir a government department. I didn’t get the job. I don’t know if it was because of that answer- the rest of the interview was technical which I aced- maybe more to do with my being independent minded.

by Anonymousreply 79January 28, 2020 11:13 PM

Good advice, R78

by Anonymousreply 80January 28, 2020 11:17 PM

[quote] R77: Yeah, what some good replies to those standard interview questions. I always babble.

See R55.

Also, don't try to be funny. That never went well for me. Arrive early, but not too early. Maybe 15 minutes. Overdress, even if they say it’s a casual workplace. Polish your shoes (no kidding!)

You are expected to be reasonably excited about the job and appreciative for having been interviewed.

Note that the word “anxious” as commonly used means “eager”; but it more accurately means stressed and nervous. Instead of using the word “anxious”, use “eager”, as in “I’m really eager and excited about the prospect of working here.”

You could ask about what current projects are they working on; or what problems have they encountered (provided you have the experience to address those problems on some level.) When I interviewed people, I would often tell them about one of my then-current challenges, and ask them how they might address it. Rarely could they solve the problem right there, but it might give you some ideas and more importantly, should show you how they think.

Thank you, R80.

by Anonymousreply 81January 28, 2020 11:53 PM

Years and years ago, pre-internet I interviewed at a stock photo agency. I can't even remember what position but after going over my resume, the interviewer asked me how I would research what a Catholic priest would wear for eg, an Easter Mass in a photoshoot, ie colors of those scarf things they wear. I'm not Catholic. I said, I'd noticed a Catholic church in the next block so I would walk over there and ask the priest on duty. He replied that the previous interviewee had answered that she would go to the library to look it up. He was VERY impressed with her answer. I thought, dude. That library is miles away and the card catalog (!) takes up a long corridor. Whaddya gonna start with E for Easter or P for Priest? I suppose she could ask a librarian but in that case, just telephone and ask for the research desk. What a maroon.

by Anonymousreply 82January 29, 2020 1:36 AM

“What was your favorite class in college?”

Assuming they were looking for a 20 year old, I ended the call a minute later. Fuckwits..

by Anonymousreply 83January 29, 2020 1:44 AM
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