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30 Times Job Candidates Were Taken Off Guard By Interview Questions, As Shared Online
Interview With Expert
Most of us probably are not the biggest fans of job interviews. We always want to answer all the questions as best as possible, show our best qualities and finally - in most cases, get the job. However, we tend to worry, forget what we planned or wanted to say and if we get some extraordinary questions that we were not ready to get asked, well, that may mess everything up.
One Reddit user created a thread online asking folks to share the trickiest or hardest questions that they have heard during a job interview, and probably a few of them would confuse almost all of us. Scroll through them and share your opinion!
More info: Reddit
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#1
A friend of mine applied for a job in sales, about which he didn't know anything but he has the gift of gab. Interview went like this:
Interviewer points at a thing on his desk: "Sell me that."
My friend: "I don't know what that is."
Interviewer: "It's a dictaphone." (This was many years ago.)
My friend: "What's that?"
Interviewer: "I use it to record letters and memos and then have the secretaries type them up."
My friend: "Oh, is that what I saw them doing with the headphones? How do they type and work the machine?"
Interviewer: "They use foot pedals for play and rewind and so on."
My friend: "Well, that's really clever. How much does a thing like that cost?"
Interviewer: "This one's about $500."
My friend: "You'd pay $500 for one of those?"
Interviewer: "Sure."
My friend: "Sold!"
Interviewer stops cold. Stares at my friend for a few seconds. Leans back in his chair. "Son of a b***h."
My friend got the job. Had a fabulous career in sales, retired a couple years ago.
Kylie 1 year ago
Having worked with some top of the line salespeople I CAN believe it.
Load More Replies... RELATED:
#2
“Why should I hire you over a fresh off the boat immigrant that will do everything you do for a third of the pay ?”
I responded because “I believe a company that pays its employees fairly shows integrity of management and reflects well on the company as a whole.”
I didn’t get the job
Sven Horlemann 1 year ago
My answer would be along the line of "If this is seriously an option for you, why interview me ?"
Karen Philpott 1 year ago
Well done you for your reply. Obviously the answer showed deficiencies with the company in relation to integrity.
Bored Panda got in touch with Margaret Buj, who is an expert interview coach and career strategist. She kindly agreed to share her professional insights regarding this topic!
To begin with, Margaret noted that unusual or unconventional questions in job interviews serve multiple purposes. “Firstly, they can help to gauge a candidate's creativity, adaptability, and ability to think on their feet. These questions often require candidates to approach problems from unique perspectives, showcasing their problem-solving skills beyond the standard behavioral questions.
#3
"Can you tell me about a time where you experienced a lot of stress on the job? And how did you handle it"?
I'm an Iraq War veteran who served as a combat medic with the infantry when I was in my early 30s. If you want me to go into more detail I can but you probably wouldn't believe it.
Heather Miles-Marriott 1 year ago
I worked in the er for 8 years, I answered that question honestly and the hireing manager cried
#4
I ask candidates, "You are asked to do something that you are certain will fail. How do you proceed?" Some people say they do it because they were told to do it. Some will say they will do their best not to fail. Some will refuse to do something they know will fail. Some will say that they will escalate/complain about the unreasonable request.
There is no single right answer, but the conversation is important. The best candidates ask questions, like "How do I know it will fail?" or "Do I have alternative approaches that would work?" or "Am I being asked to do the thing, or am I being asked not to fail?" Asking questions is important, and getting context is important before answering.
The best answer I ever got was, "I'd want to understand what I'm being contracted to do. If it's to do the failing thing, then I'd revisit the request for clarification that what was asked is the intention. If it's to do something, and the approach is the thing that will fail, then I'd suggest an alternative approach. If the customer is insisting on doing the thing that I know will fail, I'd clarify that with the customer, get it in writing, and then I'd highlight the risks of proceeding. I'd then proceed, and you never know...I could have been wrong...but I'd have gone about it the right way to mitigate risks."
You stole that from Robocop 1 year ago
Send an email detailing my understanding of the task, ask if my understanding is lacking and if so how. If it isn't then state something along the lines of my reason for questioning is that my understanding is that the task wouldvfail because of a, b, c reason. If that isn't the case then I will carry on with the task. Get it all in writing, make sure you have the task in the email, the problems in the email and your willingness to do the task in there too.
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
I think I'd ask them to define "Fail". eg: is it a job where failing still has value (like having one day to clean a massive area, can't be done but at least some of it is clean) versus a job where failing produces zero result, or even a negative (design a booster rocket for the space shuttle).
M Zellmer 1 year ago (edited)
True answer is what happens in reality... give the customer a price that is far beyond reasonable and tell them you can't do it when they agree. It's happened to me several times, and I was insistent as the customer that I don't care if it's perfect, it's supposed to be messed up a bit, and then did it myself for 1/6th their price and lived with he results.
She added that unusual interview questions can reveal a candidate's personality traits and cultural fit within the organization, as their responses offer a glimpse into their thought processes and values.
“Personally, I am not a fan of asking very unconventional questions but I believe the interview should be a conversation where you not only ask some standard general and competency-based questions but you also get to know them as a person,” she noted.
#5
"Tell me about yourself". I immediately forget everything about myself
WindySwede 1 year ago
"Well, some 4 billion years ago there was the first of my ancestor, and now I need to go to the office. Hired?"
Deppression 1 year ago
There is a channel on youtube called AdviceWithErin and their channel is all about how to answer interview questions. You should check it out :)
Load More Replies... #6
I don't think this was a good question, but it obviously was a question they were trying to trick you with. I guess? I think they were just stupid.
The interviewer had an equation in their hand but didn't show me it, that looked like this:
2(5+5)/3+8-3
They said it like:
What is 2 times 5? Waited for an answer... Now add 5. Waited for an answer... Now divide by 3. Waited for an answer. Now add 8. Waited for an answer. Now subtract 3.
So naturally I went, 10... 15... 5... 13... 10...
They say I'm wrong.
I go, "Oh? Can I see the question."
They show me the equation and I'm like you didn't read that properly. You told me that like a series of steps, not an equation.
They said I should have known what they were saying if I knew BEDMAS.
Ok... sure, it's me...
Tucker Cahooter 1 year ago
I didn't hear any brackets being mentioned. Probably the idiot interviewer was just given the question to ask by someone else
Rahul Pawa 1 year ago
I think waiting for an answer and then saying "Now..." are implied brackets. The interviewer basically asked (((((2x5)+5)/3)+8)-3).
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Ronna Black 1 year ago
There is no was to do BEDMAS with incomplete information. The interviewer was an idiot.
Karen Philpott 1 year ago
So what was the answer then? According to the spoken equation, I get one answer, and when looking I get another. So ? I'd be asking them what relevance this equation has to the job.
Kylie 1 year ago
That's because we use Parentheses instead of Brackets. Same principle though.
Load More Replies...Now, we asked Margaret if there are some interview questions that should be avoided and she pointed out that questions which delve into personal or sensitive topics unrelated to the job can be inappropriate and potentially discriminatory.
“Additionally, questions that are overly abstract or unrelated to the role may not provide meaningful information about the candidate's qualifications or suitability for the position,” she emphasized. “It's important to ensure that all interview questions are relevant, fair, and respectful of the candidate's privacy.”
#7
I’ve worked in small towns all my life. Been trying for years to get a job in the city. My last interview for a job in the city hit me with this one: “So why do you think you’ve never been good enough to get out of the small towns?”
He did not like my answer: “Well, your rejection letters always say you’re looking for applicants with more experience. So I’m out here getting more experience. Do I have enough yet?”
#8
This was the worst interview I ever had. So I was doing a phone interview with two IT managers at a company called Apptio. So I'm doing pretty well on the technical portion. I'm quite good at my job. But then they interrupt and say "what is your favorite feature of our product?" Bear in mind that I'm an IT guy. I'm not a software developer. I was going for a sysadmin role at the company, working on infrastructure projects and end user devices and systems. I had done my research so I just named one of the features I could remember. They wanted me to go into details about why I liked that feature so much and what really draws me to it. When I explained that I don't really have any experience with their product the interview mood did a complete 180. Now all of a sudden I was being interrogated about why I hadn't used their product, and why I was even bothering applying to their company if I've never used it before. And these guys began getting super rude and annoyed with me. I ended up telling them that I didn't think this was going to be a good fit and hung up on them.
A few years later I was mass applying after a layoff and applied again. Same two guys, and the same exact conversation happened. I've seen that job rotating onto the job boards off and on for at least 7 years now and I've never applied again and I find it hilarious they can't keep people staffed.
Trophy Husband 1 year ago
I interviewed for a job once and my resume listed a technology I had manager, but only on occasion. Apparently it was the main thing they liked about my experience and they asked a number of questions about it. Unfortunately, I didn't remember the actual names for the parts of the interface. So while I could have passed a practical test (i.e. here's a system, fix this problem), I didn't know what about it it was called and they thought I had lied about my experience. I went back to my job and opened that program up and looked at the main screen, I had said that I didn't know how get to the first screen because I got confused about what it was called. They probably still joke about the guy who lied on his resume. Meanwhile, I would have rocked that job without trying.
Me. Just Me. 1 year ago
I have had a couple of terrible jobs in the last few years and my experience has been mostly the same job in the same industry. As a result, my job hunts have mostly been the same. I am amazed at how many of the same job with the same company keeps popping up on the job boards.
Danny Sauer 1 year ago
People don't realize that, as a sysadmin, one of my most useful skills is the ability to get dropped into a situation where I know little to nothing about the specific software and still proceed to quickly diagnose and fix whatever is wrong.
You stole that from Robocop 1 year ago (edited)
Been for an interview for the same company twice, first time they brought in a pencil and pad of paper and asked me to develop a specific program with it. I hadn't done that since I was a child, it's hard to do because you're always adding in lines of code and rewriting others and it rapidly becomes a mess. Second time they'd moved offices but I had a feeling it was the same place, had to wait 20 minutes for them to turn up and then get led to an office, given a pencil and paper and told to write a specific piece of code. It's a mess but it works, the technical architect comes in, spends 20 minutes telling me how wonderful he is and then asks me why he thinks I'm better than him, I want out at this point as he's a snivelling narcissist, he then starts dissecting my CV telling me how he's done the same things but far, far better. Eventually I just thank him and leave.
Sven Horlemann 1 year ago
I wonder why they cannot keep people staffed. I'm sure, there is a story in there somewhere 🙃
#9
I was going for my first job change as I was sick of working in fast food and thought a liquor store would be a good option. In the interview I was asked to tell a story and the interviewer said: "It doesn't have to be related to the job or anything, just tell me a story that you find interesting".
That is NOT something I prepared for in the slightest.
Adam Belaire 1 year ago
I recall the story of Old McDonald, who apparently had a farm, called EIEIO. As he was a farmer, he had several animals. On this farm, he had a pig named EIEIO...
Hey! 1 year ago
At least you're not saying the story of Mary and her little lamb...
Load More Replies... Hey! 1 year ago
Here I am wondering how it will help them choose you. Depends on what you think is interesting and it shows your morals or something?
Lotekguy 1 year ago
Questions like that help the interviewer keep from going nuts due to the boredom of repetition.
Load More Replies... Panda Kicki 1 year ago
Oh, I have plenty of TIL stuff from Bored Panda to share. And facts about frogs and cows.
Amanda Cruz 1 year ago
So when my daughter was little she understood that coffee was hot and she didn't like the taste either way. So I started calling every drink that I don't want to share "coffee". So my friend is throwing a party and I'm bringing beer I go with my daughter to pick up the beer and she's dancing around my legs in line singing "mommy's buying her coffee!" I was mortified! I dont even drink often. Boom! Random a*s story
Michael Largey 1 year ago
It would be a better question if he’d been applying for a job as a bartender.
Finally, Margaret pointed out that unusual interview questions play a significant role in assessing a candidate's skills beyond the standard qualifications listed on their resume.
“These questions can assess a candidate's critical thinking abilities, problem-solving skills, creativity, and cultural fit within the organization. By presenting candidates with unexpected challenges, interviewers can observe how they approach unfamiliar situations, communicate their thought processes, and adapt to new scenarios.”
“So while unusual interview questions can be valuable tools for assessing candidates, it's essential to use them thoughtfully and in conjunction with more traditional interview techniques to ensure a fair and comprehensive evaluation process,” she noted.
And of course, don’t forget to check out Margaret’s website where you can find a useful information how to get hired, promoted and earn more!
#10
Not in-person, but recently applied for an entry-level zookeepers position.
The zoo had a *very* long online application process, which included these three questions:
- Do you have experience dealing with intense, persistent, and varied unpleasant odors, in the workplace or while volunteering, and continuing to complete your assigned tasks in spite of them? If so, give examples
- On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you in your ability to deal with even the worst animal odors without interruption to your assigned tasks? (**Caution** - those who answer with a high number may be required to demonstrate this ability in their practical interview).
__________
Sounded kind of ominous. I'm just a recently college grad but I just talked about my experience volunteering at a farm and a doggy day care, and put "10" for the second answer, but I'm not sure if that's what they wanted or not.
I did get called for a practical interview next week, so...hopefully that goes well?
- 1 year ago
Someone who runs a monkey sanctuary cheerfully said in an short documentary: "I used to design handbags, now I clean up monkey poop!" That's a great attitude. Not-so-good attitude: a self-proclaimed dog-lover who offered to walk a dog - but said "forget it" when handed a poop bag. I'm glad they didn't have kids!
Hey! 1 year ago
Your kids' poop and someone else's poop is not the same. I love my children; I just don't love any other kids around me.
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Jeevesssssss 1 year ago
I used to clean kennels for my next door neighbour who bred champion King Charles cavaliers for pocket money. I learned to mouth-breath at a young age! Useful when I had an an abdominal drain for 5 months that was hideously infected and reeked.
Stannous Flouride 1 year ago
The same questions would also be appropriate for a pre-school teacher.
Phil 1 year ago
I interned at a zoo for a semester in high school. Wasn't interested in working in zoos but I WAS interested in one of my fellow students who was doing it. I ended up learning a lot. Including that penguins, while cute, have the WORST smelling enclosure. Think about it, you're smelling wet, used fish.
Frances Mooney 1 year ago
Where do I apply? I lost my sense of smell from Covid and I love animals....
#11
Interviewer: Lets swap roles. Take this resume (my resume) and assume you have to interview me. Make sure you ask tough questions.
Me: (As I know my weak points, proceeds to ask tough questions)
Interviewer: Good, now answer these questions
(I was shaking during the interview)
Hey! 1 year ago
I had a friend who would ask her children what would be the appropriate punishment. Seems the same to me. I don't like either.
WindySwede 1 year ago
A candybar in my room to think about what I have done? /jk
Load More Replies... Me. Just Me. 1 year ago
Here, do my entire job while I sit back watching and listening. Get used to it because that's what the job will be - you doing my work.
Angrykitten 1 year ago
These are all great interview questions if your goal is to find extrovert people with good bs skills
Additionally, we got in touch with Connie J. Clace, CPC, a professional career coach, and she kindly agreed to share her insights regarding interview questions.
“Interview questions, whether they are unconventional or not, should only be asked if they are providing valuable information to the interview in relation to the right fit of the candidate to do the job,” she emphasized.
“The conventional question of ‘Tell me a bit about yourself?’ doesn't really provide enough of a parameter to help the candidate know what the interviewer is looking for,” Connie pointed out.
#12
I was interviewing as a graphic designer for a company that produced ads for cars that would go on Facebook, newspapers, banners at airports and the like. The interviewer went over the regular sort of graphic designer questions, we went over past work that I had done and I thought I done pretty well. Then I was taken to another office and sat with a woman who only asked me:
“how would you describe the color orange to a blind person?”
I remember stumbling for an answer while thinking of the Voight-kampf test from Blade Runner. I think I finally said something about how it feels when you go outside on a frosty morning and walk into the sunlight and feel its warmth immediately.
Ended up not getting the job. Pretty sure I’m not a replicant in any case.
aashi chaudhari 1 year ago
i would've said have you ever had an orange it looks exactly how it tastes
UnapologeticCanadian 1 year ago
Does the company typically sell a lot of cars to blind people?
C Hendrix 1 year ago
I once took a class where we had to describe various colors by what they smelled, sounded, felt, and tasted like. My answers for orange were: Orange: feels like getting into a hot bath on a cold day. Smells like cinnamon. Sounds like distant sirens. Tastes like chili powder.
rorschach-penguin 1 year ago
For a graphic design job it kind of does make sense.
Load More Replies... #13
I recently had an interviewer ask me why manhole covers are round. He framed it as a critical thinking question, but he wasn't prepared for me to know the actual answer, let alone answer nearly immediately.
I managed to turn it around and convince him that my random knowledge is earned through the preparation I've done over the years for various projects.
Didn't get that role, but he recommended me for a different one!
Victor Botha 1 year ago
You cannot drop a round manhole cover through the opening. A square or rectangular one can be dropped through the opening.
Jeffrey Crawley 1 year ago
For the most part round covers are lightweight ones. heavy duty or covers that YOU DO NOT WANT RANDOM PEOPLE TO OPEN are rectangular and much heavier. Certainly in Europe there are different classes of cover for footways, lightly tracked paths, main roads and express highways. The biggest cover I ever designed was 800mm wide and 3600mm long and consisted of 10 individual triangular sections (it was over a pumping plant) - retired civil engineer here! Did see an oval shaped cover drop down a shaft once but that was an old Victorian one and we were being careless ;o)
Devin Schmitt 1 year ago
Another random question - Why are there braille keypads on drive up teller machines?
ColorEd 1 year ago
Why would they make different keypads for drive up machines?
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Jackson Sharpe 1 year ago
Why aren't manhole covers square? It would make it harder to fit with a cover. You'd have to rotate the cover exactly the right way. Therefore, many manhole covers are round so they don't need to be rotated.
Toothless Feline 1 year ago
The real answer to why manhole covers are round is because manholes are round. Both are round because they can’t be dropped in, but that’s a slightly different question.
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
That's because it's a common question that's asked by idiots who 1. can't think of good questions, or doubt their ability to do so, and 2. are too stupid to realize that a significant portion of job candidates have already heard the question.
Load More Replies... #14
It was a pretty stupid one, but it was when I was interviewing to be a server at a restaurant while I was in college. The proprietor asked me all of the standard questions you'd expect, then said "Sell me a coke".
I get that he wanted to see my ability to sell things to the customer, but a coke was a hard one for me. Seemed to me like a non-alcoholic beverage is not normally something you'd have to talk a customer into - it's something they'd already know they wanted or not. I would have had an easier time if he wanted me to upsell him on a side dish or dessert. Bumbled my way through it by talking about how refreshing an ice cold coke would be with his steak.
Luckily it got the proprietor laughing and he liked me enough to hire me. Hated that question though and I felt like an idiot trying to do it.
Michelle my Belle. 1 year ago
Yeah, that would definitely do it. No thank you it's not ok. 🤮
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ofcrjackson 1 year ago
Can I interest you folks in a twisted coke? Then they ask what a twisted coke is and that's when you offer it with a wedge of bar fruit (lemon, lime, orange, cherry, etc...). Or upsell a dirty coke, which is just coke with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. I used to sell desserts as appetizers.
She added that an unconventional question like "How do you see yourself fitting into the company's long-term goals" is much more valuable. It can show if the candidate has done their research on the company and has thought about their contribution.
Now, speaking about interview questions that are better avoided, she shared that she has never been a fan of generic questions like listing strengths and weaknesses, but there is also not really much of a value in asking questions like "If you could only have dinner with one more person, who would it be?"
#15
I had a pretty rigorous interview for a legal role (I got the job and was promoted - still here). I like to shoot the s**t and ask people about their hobbies and come off as a pretty personable and knowledgeable person.
However, I was asked whether I was an animal person.
I was facing a conundrum - I am a cat person. I like dogs (in theory) but have never had one. I was worried if I said I was a cat person the dog people on the panel wouldn't hire me. If I said "oh yeah I like animals" or "yeah I like dogs" they might think I'm bulls**tting. I ended up telling the truth and now I am the lone cat person in an office full of dog people.
It scares me that this might have been the determining factor in their hiring decision lol.
#16
"what type of music do you think your work style is most like" I was completely taken by surprise, so in a moment of panic I said ska and had to awkwardly try to justify why my work style is like a ska song.
Some guy 1 year ago
Exactly! I'd probably hate listening to whatever music my working style resembled.
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Peter Trudell Jr 1 year ago
Jazz... starts slow and easy and then a lot of made-up s**t that works and it's all tied together at the end.
Kate 1 year ago
Because if you drop something you have to pick it up pick it up pick it up!
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#17
My boss uses “why is a tennis ball fuzzy” to gauge what type of thinker the person is. He sat on an interview panel for a position I was hiring for and the various answers were amazing.
Blue Bunny of Happiness 1 year ago
So, obviously I had to google it…. The fuzzy covering on a tennis ball is known as the nap. It not only changes the speed of the ball, but also imparts spin to it as the ball travels through the air.
Deborah B 1 year ago
I'd ask "Are you asking if I know, how I would find out, or how I'd go about working out the reason independently? Being able to think through a problem and make an educated guess at the answer is an important skill. Recognising when the problem will already have been solved elsewhere, or that there are resources available with better information than I currently have, is also a valuable skill, and results in increased efficiency, a more nimble business, and often a better answer. Why are tennis balls fuzzy? I could google that. I could ask the people with institutional or practical knowlege - talk to a tennis player, or several, and/or a manufacturer. I could look for an expert - ask about the physics of tennisball fluff. Or I could break down the problem logicly, and see what conclusion I came to, basicly make a prediction or an estimated guess."
George Hylands 1 year ago
I would love to know what the relevance is to getting a job. The answer you give to this question also depends on the way interviewer interprets it. You may give the correct answer, then the interviewer decides you're a clever clogs and decides not to hire you. If you want to know what i think, ask me , don't guess.
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
The relevance is that most employers want people who know how to think. One way to find out could be to ask prospective candidates, "Why would it make sense for me to ask you why tennis balls are fuzzy?".
Load More Replies...“There are a number of unusual interview questions that can assess skills,” Connie noted. “But keep in mind that skills don't just mean technical. It also means those soft skills that are important for a team to be effective.”
She added that a good question to assess one of the soft skills would be "What kind of environment do you enjoy working in, and what would you do to contribute to this?"
"The bottom line, with any interview, the goal is to find out if the candidate is the right fit for the position, and the organization," Connie pointed out.
So, guys, what is the trickiest question that you have heard during a job interview? Share your thoughts below!
#18
Asked me if I would rather wrong a co worker or a client and there was no wrong answer. I thought about for a minute and explained why I would choose client because a co worker I would still need to work with everyday and clients come and go. The younger of the 2 managers she looked at me like wtf! The older gentleman asked if I could start next week. 10 years later still with the same company and she was demoted 3 months later and then quit. Had no business being there in the first place.
Michael Largey 1 year ago (edited)
Some people would go for the two-fer - wrong the client but blame it on the co-worker.
Scott Rackley 1 year ago
Nonsense zero sum game, you can choose to "wrong" neither, and/or wrong the boss who asks dipshit questions.
PFD 1 year ago
"Wrong" is a very morally freighted word but there are plenty of times when you might face such a choice for real. For example, if a client suddenly has a revised timing demand with real consequences for them if the deadline is not met, while meeting it would mean a colleague working overtime at a bad time for them. Lots of people would see that as a no-brainer but would disagree over which was the obvious priority.
Load More Replies... #19
A friend of mine was asked to solve riddles. He's a programmer.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Then, in the middle of the game, you run out of riddles. "What has it got in its pocketses, Precious?"
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
That's sensible. The most important part of programming and data processing is being a problem solver, more so than any experience with code.
Marnie 1 year ago
Solving riddles is not really a good way to test for problem-solving skills. It's more about language play than truly solving problems. I say this as a programmer. A much better and more applicable exercise is to give them a design problem to solve.
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#20
"In the 1980s, AT&T had a set of payphones in Grand Central Terminal train station in New York City. They had a problem where they were getting complaints that the lines for the payphones were getting too long, because people were spending too much time hogging the phones.
AT&T came up with a solution to reduce the problem and make the lines shorter; what do you think it was? Note: the answer cannot be to add more phones to the phone bank, and it cannot be something overly expensive."
Allegedly, this was based on a real problem AT&T had to solve in the 80s, though I can't find any proof of it off-hand. They explained that the idea was to see if interviewees could problem-solve creatively. They liked the solution I proposed (make the train announcements louder, so that it would be harder for people to have long & unnecessary phone conversations), though according to them, the solution IRL was to >!make the phone handsets weigh more, so people's hands got tired of holding them for long stretches!<.
^(EDIT: Also, just for clarity's sake, this job interview was not with AT&T, so don't take this as an insider scoop on their hiring process.)
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
Anyone who though that making the announcements louder is too stupid to be in a position of authority. Making it harder to communicate is a s****y way to treat your customers (and AT&T wouldn't control the announcements, anyway), and making it hard for people to hear what's being said on the phone is just as likely to increase the length of calls.
Stephanie Goadsby 1 year ago
Solution to payphone line ups... remove all payphones. Problem solved. 😉
Jerry 1 year ago
Shorten the amount of time that you have for a conversation. Essentially a pay-for-time system. People will only use the phones for essential messages and get to the point quickly because they'll have to pay more. As a result only people who really need the phone will use it, and more people will have access due to shorter calls.
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
I'm going to go ahead and assume you're too young to have used payphones. Maybe even too young to have paid for a cell phone plan that didn't have unlimited text and talk.
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Peter Trudell Jr 1 year ago
I'd have made the cord shorter. The point is to make it uncomfortable to use for any length of time but still usable for short calls.
George Hylands 1 year ago
If people are hogging the phones, that's a problem for the Station, not AT&T. AT&T would WANT people to hog the payphone to create more money.
rn42 1 year ago
Not if the call is flat fee or first minute is more expensive.
Load More Replies... #21
My friend was being interviewed to get into Med. After a grueling hour of rapid-fire questions from various interviews, his heart is racing, and they tell him this is the last question. The pressure rises.
"What's your favorite fruit! Why?" He wanted to say banana because he has one with breakfast all the time, but then felt it was too phallic and freaked. Ended up saying "grapes" because "they're juicy and refreshing." LOL. He was embarrassed. They started mocking him for giving a stupid answer, asking if he was sure that was it. He wanted to cry. He was so fed up, tired from the get-go being a student with a part-time job AND a volunteering position, working like 60-70 hours a week. The adrenaline was crashing.
But he kept it together just long enough (tears came later), and he passed! They basically roast people to see how they handle stress and confrontation.
Lotekguy 1 year ago
It makes sense for working in a highly stressful environment, but I'd be leery of those who enjoy doing it too much.
Max Fox 1 year ago
There is a difference between stress and being mocked. If they instead had just bombarded him with questions about why, and whether he's sure, and so forth, that would have been one thing. However, if they feel that being mocked is a normal part of job, I would consider the place to be a toxic hellhole and avoid it like the plague.
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Comedy Clumbers 1 year ago (edited)
And this, my Pandaeee Pandas, is how the Unabomber was created. I'll try to find a quick (& short) reference source and edit it in. ETA: Perhaps not the greatest source, but quick! https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/impromptu-man/201205/harvards-experiment-the-unabomber-class-62 Yes, seriously.
#22
Had a hospitality job question once:
I'm the host at a bar/restaurant. In walks, at exactly the same time, a regular and and a well dressed newcomer. Who do I seat first?
I totally blanked, because the question is set up to essentially be equal, just what do you value more- showing the regular he's valued, or potentially making a good impression on a (potentially) new customer. Looking back, I'd choose 'new guy' because I could always comp a drink or dessert for regular customer. But at the moment, I blanked.
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
Yup. "Glad to see you again. I'll seat you as soon as I take care of this gentleman." And nobody should be comped for waiting a minute when they weren't bumped from the front of the line. A regular who comes in often should get a freebie now and then as a way of saying thanks for being a regular.
Load More Replies... Rahul Pawa 1 year ago
I think the premise is flawed. One has to have walked through the door in front of the other.
roddy 1 year ago
No, the regular is the most important and the person you don't want to offend. The other person might never come back anyway. Never neglect your regulars, they are the backbone of the business, and they can be touchy.
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
Well if you know your regulars well you should have a good idea of whether they're touchy or not. So you could take that into account too.
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#23
"What role would you be in a circus?"
Jill Rhodry 1 year ago
Oooh, that's actually a good answer - you hold everything together.
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#24
“Teach me something new in less than 120 seconds” *starts timer*
Lotekguy 1 year ago
Tell the interviewer the names of all the pets you've had. No way they knew that before, and easy to do within the time limit.
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
The names of your pets aren't new, so you don't get the job. I suspect the intent was to tell them something they don't know (and the OP got it wrong), but if they ask about something new I'll figure that's what they meant. To cover both bases (at this moment) I might tell them that researchers studying the behavior of molecules in glass think they may have seen time go backwards on a microscopic scale, and I'm waiting for follow up studies.
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Catharina Geerts 1 year ago
This seems an impossible question or sheer luck. You can't know what's new or not for the other person.
#25
The trickiest I've been asked: "Do you tend to follow your heart or your brain more?" This was for a children's theatre, and both answers seemed simultaneously to be good and bad responses.
I've never been asked this, but I actually kind of like it for the variety of ways a candidate can choose to answer: "Describe step by step how you would make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."
Blue Bunny of Happiness 1 year ago (edited)
Never ask an occupational therapist the sandwich one. Activity analysis is a core skill. Still traumatised by the 3,500 word essay on how you clean your teeth and the 7 page appendix of breaking down all the skills needed eg bilateral integration, form constancy, stereognosis, kinaesthesia etc etc. There’s good reason why we asses people making a cup of tea in hospital.
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
I never follow my heart, it has no decision making capacity it's always the brain. A better question would be do you make emotional or rational decisions.
Sven Horlemann 1 year ago
My brain. Because my brain knows that in all important decisions, to listen to the heart.
BarkingSpider 1 year ago
It depends on whether the situation requires and emotional or logical response.
Hey! 1 year ago
Go to my cupboard and take out the white bread (the other ones don't taste as great with PB) and PB jar. Go to the fridge to get the jelly. Open the bread bag and take two slices out, then place on a plate. Close the bag. Open PB jar and scoop out tons of PB out with a knife, spread onto one slice, then the other, scoop more if you need to. Close the jar. Lick the knife. Repeat steps for jam. Replace the food where they belong. Enjoy sandwich. PS I'm the only one eating that stuff so I'm allowed to lick.
#26
"Tell me about your best friend."
It seems that this question would gauge a few things: (1) who you are, as you are who you hang out with, and (2) how you talk about other people.
Trophy Husband 1 year ago (edited)
No it doesn't, if I asked that and you talked about a dog, I would love that. If you talked about an AI, I would not.
Load More Replies... BarkingSpider 1 year ago
I would win this one because my best friends is like the best person ever.
Steve Hall 1 year ago
He died, it was a terrible Zamboni accident. Would you like to see the pictures?
Susan Reid Smith 1 year ago
That question seems intrusive to me. Telling the interviewer where you met or what you have in common or what you do when you're together could tell the interviewer things about your lifestyle that they wouldn't like.
#27
Would you still interview with us if I was a worm?
Deborah B 1 year ago
A worm would not possess the (necessary skills) for (interviewers role). When (company) was recruiting for that role, they would have had to go with a different candidate. So, if you were a worm, someone else would be giving this interview, and I'd still be an excellent candiate for (advertised role), so yes - I'd still interview.
Steve Hall 1 year ago
Worms don't pay good wages, therefore, no, I would not be interviewing with you.
#28
If you were a hiring manager and had 2 candidates for the same job. 1 is very young with no experience and the other is older with 20 years experience. Which one do you hire? I answered the older one. Nope! The answer was younger guy because they work for less money and you can train them how you want the company to run.
Trophy Husband 1 year ago
In reality, This depends on the job. But legally you can't take age into account in the US. You can take experience though, so now it's two people the same age and one has experience in this job while the other is an unknown!
Michael Largey 1 year ago
Yes. Is the job grocery bagging or brain surgery?
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#29
Where will you be standing at the office holiday party?
aashi chaudhari 1 year ago
i'll be in nepal where i intend to live as a goat
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#30
My most recent boss threw me the curveball of “what do you think of the word ‘should’”?
RaisedByCats 1 year ago (edited)
Its a real no in technical communication and also in work orders or quotes. You are either confident and say "will" or you go the expectation is that blah will work, it might not because of x and your will mitigate it doing this. You also should be able to give a decent odds of each outcome.
Flora Porter 1 year ago
Good one. 'Should' usually suggests something that's different from what's actually happening and that's someone else's agenda, not your own.
Phil Green 1 year ago
The word "should" is not the right word. The correct word to use is "ought".
Michael Largey 1 year ago (edited)
“You mean should as in ‘You should be giving me more productive tasks.’?”
#31
I applied for a promotion, and my supervisor was really adamant that I was unqualified for it. Anyway, at one point she asked me "How would you make sure the people under you will trust you?"
I was so baffled, because like, the job was really just calling instructors to ask if they were available for certain classes. I was just thinking, why the hell do they need to "trust" me?!? And I said something awkward about how the question threw me off and I didn't have a good answer.
She rolled her eyes at me and said, "I find that interesting, because, you see for me, you'll notice that the instructors all consider me to be a friend." Like, ok, that's nice?
#32
I had a interviewer once ask me what do you do if you're in the elevator with a stranger. I'm a huge introvert so I said just wait for my stop. The elevator isnt really a place to strike up a conversation. He asked me to try again and I said maybe compliment something about the other person and he likes that answer. It wasn't for a customer service role so I don't know why he asked it.
Hey! 1 year ago (edited)
Why is it so important to extravert that we talk to someone we don't know when we don't have to? Edit: A job where you need to speak with strangers all the time is not the same as talking to a complete stranger in an elevator where you don't even have to, mostly you'll annoy that person.
User# 6 1 year ago
Their heads are so devoid of thought, they fear silence.
Load More Replies... Max Fox 1 year ago (edited)
Again - people do not actually seem to know what "introvert" means. It does not mean "having social anxiety". Being an introvert is a normal personality trait, while social anxiety is a neurosis that should be treated. If being with a moderate number of people for a couple of hours tires you out, that is introverted. If you freak out at the thought of talking to a stranger one on one on an elevator, you should see a professional, because yes, that is anxiety and is a condition that can and should be treated.
Toby 1 year ago
I have no wish to talk to a stranger in an elevator. Not because I have social anxiety, but because I'm English. I'm not sure a professional can fix that.
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Stacy Parker 1 year ago
So many follow up questions. Were we on the same floor at the same time waiting for the elevator? In that case, I'd come across as odd if I waited until the doors closed to say something. Were they in the elevator and I joined in? In which case I'd nod hello. Was I in the elevator when they joined in? In which case, I would ask which floor and push the button for them.
#33
Not a requirement or on job description: ‘How are you with Microsoft Excel?’
A girl 1 year ago
Quite good. In fact, good enough that I can import it into a database and run a proper query.
Trophy Husband 1 year ago
I was asked this years ago. I told them they should see the sheet I designed to prepare for my wedding, it should have won an award. That job never required Excel, so I'm not sure why they asked. That job was also really boring!
#34
"Did you make your bed this morning?"
#35
What activities and efforts do you work on daily to help improve your organization’s DEI standing/investment? I paused, and answered realistically. “I presently work for a company with 300 employees, of which 293 are men, 7 are women, where sexism and racism are rampant. Efforts to call out those practicing either have been swept under the table from everyone from my immediate supervisor to HR to the company owner.” One employee even went as far as to advocate for working on MLK day because “he’d never celebrate a n-word” “So I desperately want to be a part of a workplace that embraces the true buildup of the surrounding community, not an echo chamber of deeply disturbing hatred fueled by a homogenous white conservative workplace.”
Shelby Moonheart 1 year ago
In 2017 I was asked to explain my definition of Diversity. This was way before DEI. I explained that I was used to working/studying with various groups/nationalities/socio-economic strata. I felt diversity was dependent on the situation. I did not get the job. Probably for other reasons.
Pyla 1 year ago (edited)
I've worked in orgs where the top down diversity policy is pretty much the only think making the local bigots behave themselves. I've also worked in businesses where the guy at the next desk tried to fucck with my by have pp0rn on his laptop. No recourse. So unless leadership does the smack down, you get the incel comment section on instagram, tiktok or discord irl.
#36
''If you were the one conducting the interview, what question you would have asked me?''
That was a bit of a curve ball for me because I didn't manage to understand the intentions behind it at that moment, so I just went:
''Do you have any vices?''
Followed by a 20 minutes b******t explanation on why is relevant to fully know the person you're intending to hire, because if today I'm doing something that could end up damaging my business, tomorrow I can do the same for you.
This was an Executive Assistant interview.
#37
I ask this, “you can only choose one - what’s more important, process or outcome?”
Max Fox 1 year ago (edited)
This is obviously written for the next question "What was the most unexpected compliment someone gave you and why?", and is a great answer for that one.
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South Monk 1 year ago
Lol depends on several factors. Is it something a customer needs and they need it's to be guaranteed? Then it's outcome. But if it was a trial run, process, to learn as much as possible and to improve on it. Teaching kids how to do something? Process Cooking edible food for when you're hungry, outcome Trying to cook new food, process.
#38
What was the most unexpected compliment someone gave you and why?
ispeak catanese 1 year ago
The new employee I'm training told me I was kind. So simple, but it meant so much to me!
#39
“How have you turned a problem into an opportunity?”
I had no answer. I didn’t get the job. Then later after the person they went with flaked out they called me again and I got the job. I work in procurement in ecommerce and every single day it’s turning problems into opportunities. It’s been an amazing lesson and I feel fortunate I was at least their second choice.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
There are always some people who won’t like you. But if you listen to them, you will hear facts about yourself that your friends won’t tell you.
#40
Back in 2011, I interviewed for a marketing position and was given a riddle to solve after my first in-person interview with my would-be boss. Now, I just don't have a brain to do riddles quickly. I'm just not wired that way and this riddle stumped me. I tried Googling it and found nothing.
That is, until I Googled a less specific phrase (I think it was "This process continues until a proposal succeeds") and found that the riddle was actually The Pirate Game.
So, I whipped up three pages of explanations with illustrations and sent if off. Soon, I was told that I solved the riddle and would be meeting with the CEO.
A few days later, I meet with the CEO and he's got a print out of the goddamn riddle. He spent the interview asking me about the goddamn riddle and, obviously, I did not get the job.
So, despite me figuring out the riddle and finding the correct answer, I was not offered the marketing position.
Lotekguy 1 year ago
The boss was too insecure to hire anyone who might be smart enough to be promoted above him.
Load More Replies... What do you think ?
Some guy 1 year ago
The most shocking (in a way) interview question I got (for a lunch-cart job on a university campus in the late '80s) was: "If my order comes to $2.49 and i give you a five-dollar bill, how much change do you owe me?". I answered $2.51 right away, but the interviewer said I'd be surprised how many people struggled with that one. And I'm assuming most of the applicants would have been college students.
Data1001 1 year ago
Typically, the hiring manager, HR person, or whoever is conducting the interview will follow a set of questions that are either the same copy/paste questions the company has asked for ages, or are ones that they found online, and thought to be clever. I've heard so many of the same questions in job interviews, it gets annoying. Other times, they will ask you things meant to throw you off balance, to see how you respond. The thing is, the more desperate you are to get the job, the more you will give an answer that you think they want to hear. But a few times in my life, I've had the opportunity to interview for a job when I wasn't desperate in the slightest -- and so, I was able to give more honest answers. Brutally honest, in some cases, which would make their eyebrows raise. But that's when I felt the best about my interviews afterward -- because they saw my true self. If only all interviews could be like that... I think that interviewers would come to appreciate the raw honesty.
Some guy 1 year ago
The most shocking (in a way) interview question I got (for a lunch-cart job on a university campus in the late '80s) was: "If my order comes to $2.49 and i give you a five-dollar bill, how much change do you owe me?". I answered $2.51 right away, but the interviewer said I'd be surprised how many people struggled with that one. And I'm assuming most of the applicants would have been college students.
Data1001 1 year ago
Typically, the hiring manager, HR person, or whoever is conducting the interview will follow a set of questions that are either the same copy/paste questions the company has asked for ages, or are ones that they found online, and thought to be clever. I've heard so many of the same questions in job interviews, it gets annoying. Other times, they will ask you things meant to throw you off balance, to see how you respond. The thing is, the more desperate you are to get the job, the more you will give an answer that you think they want to hear. But a few times in my life, I've had the opportunity to interview for a job when I wasn't desperate in the slightest -- and so, I was able to give more honest answers. Brutally honest, in some cases, which would make their eyebrows raise. But that's when I felt the best about my interviews afterward -- because they saw my true self. If only all interviews could be like that... I think that interviewers would come to appreciate the raw honesty.
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