Two Interview Questions that Threw Me

paralysed

What interview questions have come upon over the years, that threw you? I'm not sure how common a one this is, but it caught me off guard.

How would your family and friends describe you?

I went through me head and... nothing! It's very hard to lie to a question like that. What makes it harder, is that I sort of have two or more lives, and I know that what my friends think of me would me very different to what my family think of me. I'm not even sure what they'd say if I imagined the question to be what they'd say about my alter ego. It might be best to give a cliche answer without thinking at all.

Mysterious, cynical, stubborn, that I like to be right, introverted, that I don't trust many, that I keep my cards close to my chest, manipulative, persistent, outspoken.

Okay so only two good ones that I eventually could think of. But what's the answer they're looking for here? What if I said "persistent and kind-hearted"? Next question was:

What's the one thing you think you're family or friends would like change about you?

Ah no, I said to myself. Another good one that liars can't escape from. I said "that I should get out more." Well, it's better than some of the things they'd say.

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Donald Trump

paralysed wrote: »

How would your family and friends describe you?

You should have just said

Mammy says that I'm the best boy in the whole wide world

Outlaw Pete

What's the one thing you think you're family would like change about you?

You should have just said:

My incestuous desires.

Jayop

I detest bull****e hr questions like that and I work in recruitment.

moc moc a moc

paralysed wrote: »

How would your family and friends describe you?

I'm great in the sack

bogwalrus

They are particular test questions that get marked on a chart and determine if you are a psycholigical fit for a particular role. Usually seen with industrial jobs and in pharma industry.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Depending on how prepared you are, those questions are quite basic and easy to answer OP.

One question I was asked before was "how many computers are in Ireland?", which was asked out of the blue. Interviewer wanted to know the thought process behind the answer.

paralysed

Bogwalrus wrote - They are particular test questions that get marked on a chart and determine if you are a psycholigical fit for a particular role. Usually seen with industrial jobs and in pharma industry.

Well if you know that much, do you know anything about appropriate answers?

Spanish Eyes

Soooo glad I don't have to do interviews no more.

But if I were asked the above questions, I would honestly say that no person sees themselves as others do. But we get on grand.

Next.

And of course that's the job gone.

It's a plan by the psychologists, so I'm off the scale.

Clarebelly

paralysed wrote: »

How would your family and friends describe you?

Hugh Mungus.

bogwalrus

paralysed wrote: »

Bogwalrus wrote - They are particular test questions that get marked on a chart and determine if you are a psycholigical fit for a particular role. Usually seen with industrial jobs and in pharma industry.

Well if you know that much, do you know anything about appropriate answers?

It depends on the role. If a particular role suits a very energetic person then answers that support this would be correct. Its also not just about the question. They mark you on how chatty you are and general phone mannerism.

I went for a role as product builder for a pharma company. They did a sprint test which is pretty much the psychoanalysis test. I was supposed to have a very quiet and boring phone mannerism and answer questions that support obedience and intravertedness.

So basically its very hard to prepare for. You are better off being yourself and if you pass then you know you are suited to the role.

learn_more

I would get internally annoyed at that type of question and I would deliberate dismiss it with an answer like...

"'pff have't a clue , haven't a clue. wish I knew."

The Backwards Man

I'm a bastard.

But they wouldn't change me, I'm a fair bastard

_Tombstone_

Jayop wrote: »

I detest bull****e hr questions like that and I work in recruitment.

You do it aswell, you all do it.

B.A._Baracus

A lot of interview questions are bloody stupid.
Like I get the ones that relate to the job in question. An interview is to find the most suitable person after all. But when you step back and think about it you are also being judged on your BS answers to such questions like:


Why do you want to work here?
BS Answer: Well [insert company name] appears to be a good place to work for and I think it would be good for my career.
Honest answer: Because I want money. I need money to live.


Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Bs answer: Well I guess I could separate that answer into two sections. The first being personal and I see myself settling down and having my own house. Secondly, which would be professionally, I would like to progress myself. I am the type of person who believes you should never stop learning or striving to be better.

Honest answer: I have't got a feckin clue mate. Never mind 5 years, in 5 days time you could offer me this job or not give me this job.

Bonus answer: To be sitting right where you are asking some git the same question.


Whats your best quality?
Honest (delusional) answer: I like to think I am god's gift to women....
BS answer: Friendly.


How would you describe yourself?
Bs answer: Honest, compassionate, hard-working and reliable.
Honest (again delusional) answer: I think i'm great. In fact I think I am so great that if I were on a plane and there was only two parachutes left...I think I should be given both in case the first one doesn't open...

Shint0

I'm familiar with all the inane sounding interview questions. They are usually to test for problem solving and analytical skills.

One I heard just recently - What would you do if you came into your living room one morning and saw an elephant there? It's possible the interviewers were having a giraffe. The candidate said they replied they would just laugh. Wrong answer. You would need to first think how the hell it got in there and how the f*ck you were going to get it out.

biko

I'm just here for the clickbait title

biko

biko wrote: »

I'm just here for the clickbait title

"Let Me Tell You My Thoughts About Myself"

It would have been a more honest title, but I like how he worked in some topic...

Ally Dick

Did an interview for a job in a bank when I was 17. First question - do you get on with your parents?

Esel

Shint0 wrote: »

What would you do if you came into your living room one morning and saw an elephant there?

I would quickly exit the room and then put the elephant on 'ignore'.

I can haz job now?

Turtyturd

Got asked 'How would your co-workers describe you?' before.

Was also asked 'Do you have common sense?'

Aglomerado

For an internal civil service promotion:

"If you came into work and had a magic wand what would you change?"

BS answer example: "Provide continuous professional development for everyone and appeal to their intrinsic motivations rather than extrinsic ones."

Answer I wanted to give: "Vapourise all the twunts with made up jobs who come up with shít questions like this, prune all the dead wood onto the dole queue and garotte the fúcker who shat on the jacks floor last week."

Utah

I interviewed for a company not too long ago.

They explained a problem they were having between two systems and asked how would I fix it. I understand they wanted to see what logic or methodology I would use at a high level to solve the problem but all I could think of was that they really had this issue and they were interviewing people, gathering their ideas and trying to solve the problem with them!

pickarooney

Shint0 wrote: »

I'm familiar with all the inane sounding interview questions. They are usually to test for problem solving and analytical skills.

One I heard just recently - What would you do if you came into your living room one morning and saw an elephant there? It's possible the interviewers were having a giraffe. The candidate said they replied they would just laugh. Wrong answer. You would need to first think how the hell it got in there and how the f*ck you were going to get it out.

You'd ask the interviewer if it was an Indian or an African elephant. Show your calm analytical approach to an unexpected problem.

seamus

Shint0 wrote: »

I'm familiar with all the inane sounding interview questions. They are usually to test for problem solving and analytical skills.

One I heard just recently - What would you do if you came into your living room one morning and saw an elephant there? It's possible the interviewers were having a giraffe. The candidate said they replied they would just laugh. Wrong answer. You would need to first think how the hell it got in there and how the f*ck you were going to get it out.

Lateral thinking or problem-solving questions which have just one right answer are stupid. They tell you basically nothing about a person except for the fact that they cannot read your mind inside 30 seconds and haven't heard your question before.

A problem-solving question should be a real-world issue for which there are multiple possible solutions (and no one "right" solution) which draws upon the actual skills and knowledge that would be required in the role. The aim is to have the candidate demonstrate their knowledge and problem-solving process in real time. Whether the solution would ultimately work is less important than how they got to it.

So unless you're interviewing someone to be a zookeeper, asking about elephants is moronic.

It's in fact been demonstrated many times that traditional interviewing basically doesn't work. Aside from simple filters that rule out complete idiots, the vast majority of interviewers tend towards candidates who are most like themselves, competency for the job comes second.

There is also a "rite of passage" phenomenon where interviewers continue to ask the same questions in an interview (like your elephant one) out of some perceived idea that everyone else in here had to answer the question to get the job, so it wouldn't be fair for them to get the job without answering it.

This infects the entire interviewing process such that some companies continue to do a whole lateral-thinking-based interview process, or a 12-hours-10-interviews process, even though these processes have been proven to be pointless and cause you to lose the best candidates. Companies and people continue to use them because they had to suffer through it and they feel hard done by if new recruits don't have to.

Shint0

Esel wrote: »

I would quickly exit the room and then put the elephant on 'ignore'.

I can haz job now?

Hmm...interesting reply if somewhat ambiguous.

It may or may not be the right answer because as well as their rather large size they are wise, playful, intelligent and with an excellent memory so pretty difficult to ignore.

It's possible you will hear back from us in due course to set up a trial run. Probation period is six months with a view to permanency. The company doesn't offer temporary/once off contracts.

Have a good day and thanks for stopping by.

pickarooney wrote: »

You'd ask the interviewer if it was an Indian or an African elephant. Show your calm analytical approach to an unexpected problem.

In my case I wouldn't need to ask the interviewer the nationality. There's already one of those two in my living room every morning living in the elephant's ear. Easy to get in and hard to get out.....

Winterlong

I have not done an interview in over a decade. Reading thru this thread tells me that I am best staying away from the job market for another while.

Riskymove

"How do you manifest your drive?"

Shint0

Winterlong wrote: »

I have not done an interview in over a decade. Reading thru this thread tells me that I am best staying away from the job market for another while.

I thought you would be the one asking the elephant type questions. Certain large IT companies still seem to favour them.

Winterlong

Shint0 wrote: »

I thought you would be the one asking the elephant type questions. Certain large IT companies still seem to favour them.

Its a long time since I interviewed someone. But I was terrible at it. No elephant nonsense questions.

People tell interviewees that if they are nervous in an interview to picture the interviewer naked.
Well, when I was interviewing people I was completely freaked out that they were imagining me naked.

DeanAustin

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Bs answer: Well I guess I could separate that answer into two sections. The first being personal and I see myself settling down and having my own house. Secondly, which would be professionally, I would like to progress myself. I am the type of person who believes you should never stop learning or striving to be better.

Honest answer: I have't got a feckin clue mate. Never mind 5 years, in 5 days time you could offer me this job or not give me this job.

Bonus answer: To be sitting right where you are asking some git the same question.

I gave this answer a few years back purely for a laugh because I hate that question. The HR lady burst her hole laughing to be fair to her.

pickarooney

Riskymove wrote: »

"How do you manifest your drive?"

Tarmac

Jayop

_Tombstone_ wrote: »

You do it aswell, you all do it.

Nope, I'm in recruitment, not Hr. There's a big big difference. Ever since I was asked the atypical bs question asking for my three weaknesses I swore I'd never ask questions like that in an interview. You're literally encouraging people to lie to you in a job interview, it's pointless and counter productive.

weldoninhio

pickarooney wrote: »

You'd ask the interviewer if it was an Indian or an African elephant. Show your calm analytical approach to an unexpected problem.

You'd also be showing your ignorance of pachyderms. There's no such breed as an Indian Elephant.

paralysed

paralysed wrote: »

How would your family and friends describe you?[/B]

My Granny calls me Giddypants, and my friends call me Speedy because I can get hyper.

Conscientious and determined, with a side order of diligent.

What's the one thing you think you're family or friends would like change about you?

My propensity to tunelessly sing along with songs on the car radio and make up the words when I don't know them.

My tendency to give everything to what I'm doing, and remain focused to the exclusion of everything else even if it puts me under great personal stress. I just can't stop until I have a job done.

It's just the way I am, I'm a giver.

__>>>
<<<__

Try too hard and you might just get the job...nightmare....a dab of speed is just the ticket...

Contains NSFW language...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVp9rKF3hag