Last week, I reached out to my Facebook friends and asked them to tell me the strangest interview question they have ever been asked. As long as the interview questions aren’t inappropriate, strange interview questions are asked to see how quick you are on your toes, ultimately explaining more about your personality, and if you would make a good fit in the organization. Below are some of the questions that were asked of my Facebook friends, and my professional feelings on why these types of questions are asked.
Julie was asked, “What are your greatest regrets?”
This is a very common interview question that has quite a few people stumble for an example. Why would we want to tell a potential future employer something we regret? According to Monster, “Employers want to see if you blame others for your regrets, or if you follow a reasonable, logical process to learn and move on from a mistake.” So, take a professional regret, describe how you handled the regret, and then wrap up with how it made you stronger moving forward.
Windy was asked, “Would you turn in or refuse to do certain work for the VP you directly reported to if it was not part of my job duties?”
In this situation Windy asked, “Can you give me an example?” and the interviewer said, “Like washing a car…” These are questions you shouldn’t have to answer because they are inappropriate and shouldn’t be asked in the first place. On the contrary, if you ask, “can you give me an example?” and the interviewer says, “helping with project in a different department”, then your answer should be “No I would not refuse to do work, I am open to to anything that will help the company succeed.”
Megan was asked, “How do you eat your Thanksgiving meal?”
If this question was asked right before Thanksgiving you might think this interviewer had an obsession with food or has the holiday on their brain, but in a nutshell, they are asking you how you multitask. Are you the type that eats one thing at a time? Or do you skip around or mix things up? Megan said, “I skip around from squash to green bean bake to turkey.” She got the job!
Several of my friends were asked the “what would you be, and why?” questions. Here are some that came up, Nancy was asked, “what kind of a tree would you want to be?” Joel was asked, “what kind of animal would you be?” Angie was asked, “If you had to be described as a color, which color would you choose and why?” and finally “What kitchen appliance best describes you?”
When answering these ‘what would you be?’ type questions think in a broad way about the qualities of the position. Whatever you decide to pick, you will need to explain your choice. What character or personality traits would be useful for someone in the role?
Emily said her friend was asked, “What superpower would you have?”
I love this question because I love Marvel comics. However, this question isn’t to find out that Chis Hemsworth is your man crush, it is to see how well you think on your feet, and ultimately how creative you can be. These kinds of questions are also used to see if a candidate has a good sense of humor, you should use this opportunity to showcase your personality and make yourself stand out from other candidates.
Tonya was asked, “Would you rather have a talking monkey or a flying carpet?
This is clearly an Aladdin reference, and I believe this is an “ice breaker” type question because there isn’t a clear logical answer. Having a sense of humor, or starting off an interview with a laugh is always a great way to get acquainted (if the question is not inappropriate). Some may say this question has a deeper meaning of working better with people or products. In Aladdin, Abu was Aladdin’s best friend and a great teammate in their kleptomaniac schemes. Although I don’t believe the employer would be thinking that you would be a kleptomaniac if your answer was a “talking monkey”; however, I would be careful how you answer the question. On the other hand, if you prefer to work with things that respond the exact way they are supposed to, the flying carpet may be your choice. Whatever you choose, make sure to have a reason other than, “A talking monkey because Abu was adorable in Aladdin.”
Janna was asked, “Which celebrity would play you in a movie about your life?”
When asked a question like this, an employer is trying to indirectly ask you what your interests are. Do you like Lady Gaga? Vin Diesel? Jennifer Aniston? The celebrity you chose to star in your own movie will show the personality you have throughout your own life. I would suggest if you want the job, to not choose Lady Gaga.
Denise was asked, “If you could have dinner with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be? And why?
There is no wrong answer here. The employer wants to learn more about you and what your likes and dislikes are. Be honest! You don’t need to impress them here with a tailored answered.
Karen was asked, “Would you rather have your project done on time or done perfectly?”
This is a tough question because well, it depends. There’s a classic three-part tradeoff between time, cost, and quality. How you balance the three should be defined from the beginning on any big project.
I would hope that is a project needs to be completed by a specific date and that date is coming up and the project isn’t complete that you communicate that with your boss. I would suggest reading the company values if any one of the keywords (time, cost, quality) are mentioned, that is probably most important.
Kallie was asked, “If we were to go to your car right now, how clean is it?
Some may think this is a way to ask “do you have a car?” without asking the question directly. However, I believe this question referring to the statement “you can tell a lot about a person by their car”. Possessions can say a lot about a person, and that includes what’s stored in their car.
Although behavioral interview questions are becoming more popular, questions like these and other common interview questions are still asked. What are some strange questions you have been asked? Comment below!
