Tweet 353 272Our client Angela went on a job interview. "It's supposed to be a Marketing Manager job, but they sure talk a lot about graphic design in the job ad," said Angie. "And the job's been posted on the company website for six months." Angie went to the interview and sat in a lobby for half an hour. A nice woman came to get her and deposited her in a small interviewing room. A not-as-nice lady came in and started grilling Angie with questions, taking notes as Angie spoke (no eye contact - all business!). "Tell me about your experience with Adobe Illustrator." "Tell me how much you know about InDesign." "Tell me what you know about search engines." Wait a second, thought Angie. Something is off - this lady is just reading questions from a script. She doesn't know how the pieces fit together. She doesn't know anything about this job! Angie is a marketer, not a graphic designer. She knows tons about search engines, but none of what she knows would have impressed her interviewer, who kept her eyes glued to her notepad and scribbled furiously throughout the interview. "May I ask a question?" asked Angie finally. "Sure," said the lady. Liz's Recent Posts I Hate My Job, But I Need the Money March 6, 2014 How to Get a Job -- No Matter What! March 3, 2014 Top Posts Liz Ryan How to Answer Stupid Job Interview Questions 167,225 views Don Norman Stupid Smart Stuff 22,594 views Jeff Weiner Random Acts of Kindness? There Should be an App for That 11,761 views Nicholas Fang The High Cost of Singapore Living? 11,517 views Nancy Lublin My 9 Year Old Daughter Went to School Without a Shirt. 4,289 views 96 Posts 139,921 followers Follow Liz Ryan CEO and Founder, Human Workplace How to Answer Stupid Job Interview Questions March 08, 2014 167,225 2,712 818 1.5k Like Share 8,046 See all Today This Week All See more More Influencers Follow Dan Sanker President & CEO at CaseStack, Inc. Home Profile Network Jobs Interests Business Services Upgrade 2 Search articles... "This job has been open for a while," said Angie. "What would you say is the reason it's taken some time to find the right person?" "I'm choosy," said the interviewer, and that was that. Angie never heard from the company again, but she hadn't waited around after the interview, either. She could see in a flash that no one with spark and self-esteem would thrive in that company. As far as I know, that job is still open. A job search is a test of your fortitude. The struggling economy doesn't make it easy, and an even bigger challenge is the dysfunctional recruiting process used by nearly every medium-sized and large employer. I want you to keep in mind that it's not you - the system itself is broken beyond repair. You are fine. It's the combination of talent- repelling job ads, Black Hole application systems, and thoughtless, soul-crushing interview processes that make a job search so hard on your emotions. The good news is that slowly, the tide is turning. I've been writing about putting a human voice in business for twenty years, but since we put a name and mission to the the Human Workplace cause in 2012, the pace of change toward a mojo-fueled work world has accelerated dramatically. These days, we get as many inquiries in our office from employers looking to boost the mojo level in their organizations as we do from job-seekers looking for Human Workplaces to join. Still, you can't assume that when you go on a job interview, your interviewers will be as Human Workplace-aware as you are. They may be just the opposite, like Miss Choosy in our story above. They may ask you idiotic interview questions and work hard to make the relationship "I'm in charge - you're dogmeat" abundantly clear throughout your interview conversation. When you're asked a foolish, irrelevant question on a job interview, it's hard to know how to respond. Do you answer the question sincerely, ironically, or a mix or the two? Is it best to play the part of the The Good Little Interviewee and give no sign that your time is being wasted and your IQ is seeping out through your ears? If you play that part too well, you may get hired into a job that will suck your life force away. So what do you do, when the brainless interview questions start flying? Here's our guide to stupid interview questions, to bookmark and pull out before your next job interview. 1. If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be? This question is so pointless and by extension, insulting (Do you have a job opening to fill or not? Why would you use our precious time together asking me fanciful kindergarten questions?) that it's a red flag. Either this firm lets its interviewers ask any random questions they want on a job interview, or they've actually talked about it and decided this question is worth asking. Either way, if a fresh-faced baby interviewer or HR screener asks you this question, I'd hate for you to get up and leave before you've made it to the hiring manager, the person who has the Business Pain we came to learn about. (If your hiring manager asks you this question, you have my permission to get up and leave. Just say "Oh, look at the time! So sorry, I forgot that I have an appointment in eight minutes. Lovely to meet you, though!") Hit the road, and go get yourself a nice gelato. You might want to answer this way: "I'd be an ebola virus, and infect your competitors!" but I fear your interviewer wouldn't pick up on the satire. Better to answer the question with a short answer and then ask your own question, like this: INTERVIEWER: If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be? YOU: Hmmm, probably some kind of wild cat, like a jaguar - I enjoy the hunt. Can I ask you a question about that? INTERVIEWER: Er- sure! YOU: I'm always interested in the interview questions that companies ask. Is that your own addition to the company's interview script, or does everyone here use that question? I'll bet you hear some fascinating answers! A human being in the chair across from you will enjoy telling you about all the wild and domestic animals s/he's met on past interviews. If your interviewer can't handle unscripted conversation and looks panicked at your question, you can just say "That's okay! We can talk about that later." During your job search, you'll decide whether and how far to push the frame "I'm the interviewer -- I ask the questions, and you answer them!" over and over again. I encourage you, if you haven't done it already, to try a meta-question like "I'm curious how that question helps you make better hires?" if you can ask it with a smile on your face. I understand that if you've recently endured a string of interviews studded with stupid interview questions, that smile could be hard to maintain. 2. With all the talented candidates, why should we hire you? This interview question comes from the genre called "How badly do you want it?" that still plagues corporations and institutions decades after we all realized that the most-grovelly applicants don't make the best hires. We still love to test job-seekers on their DESIRE for the job, asking insulting questions like this. I hate this interview question, because it asks a job-seeker to do two awful things. First, the question asks a job-seeker to assume a supplicant position and beg for the job. Secondly, it asks a person to compare him- or herself to people s/he's never met and likely never will. Here's how you can handle this one: INTERVIEWER: With all the talented candidates, why should we hire you? YOU: Great question, and I think that's really the point of our conversation today -- to determine whether I'm the person for the job and whether this is the job for me. It might be that you should hire me. I love this field and I'm excited to keep growing muscles in it. That being said, I haven't met the other candidates and I'm sure there are smart and capable people in that group. That's going to be your challenge, to consider what's ahead for you and which person can best fill that role. I have total faith that if we're supposed to be working together, we'll figure that out. 3. What's your greatest weakness? This question comes down from our Puritan forefathers, who saw life as a joyless quest to surmount personal deficiencies and weaknesses. Cheery vision, right? I reject the view that people have weaknesses. People come in a fascinating array of types, and part of the fun of being alive is that we get to figure out where we shine and maneuver ourselves into that spot. The old idea of weaknesses-to-correct is giving way to the new idea 'figure out what you love to do, and do it all the time.' Who has time to work and work to get slightly better at things we'll never love and never be great at? I recommend that you handle this horrendous question this way: INTERVIEWER: What's your greatest weakness? YOU: Great question! I used to obsess about my weaknesses when I was younger. I took classes and read books like you wouldn't believe, and then over time it occurred to me that I should be focusing on the things I do well, like designing financial reports. Other things -- graphic design, for instance - aren't for me, so I steer myself toward the work that jazzes me and where I can make the biggest impact. 4. Where do you see yourself in five years? Really, are people still hearing this ancient interview question in 2014? Yep, interviewers still pull out this lame Mad Men era question and ask it, so you've got to be prepared. The truth is that no one can make a five-year-horizon career plan in 2014 (maybe the Pope - and maybe not even him). This may have been a great question to ask when The Beverly Hillbillies was filming new episodes. Today, it's a waste of interview airtime, but you still have to answer it. Try this approach: INTERVIEWER: Where do you see yourself in five years? YOU: I love Finance, and I don't have plans to move out of it but then again you never know what influences will hit you. I'm interested in getting my MBA, so five years from now I could be one year out of school and I may think totally differently at that point than I do now. The things I can say for sure are that if I'm alive five years from now, I'll be working hard at something I love and supporting the people around me. For me, the team is as important as the work. What interview questions should replace these stupid, old ones? When you get into your new job and start interviewing people yourself, what questions will you ask them? When you adopt the Interviewing with a Human Voice approach, you won't ask lame interview questions like the ones on our list. You'll ask job-seekers to bring their questions to the job interview instead, and invite them to go first, asking questions of you to start the interview. You'll learn much more about your candidates from the questions they ask you than you ever would from their answers! Once the applicant's questions are exhausted, here are some questions an interviewer can pose: 1) Given what you know about our company and this role so far -- and this is your chance to ask me anything you want to know, by the way -- what would you see as the most likely goals for the new hire in this position, over the next six months? 2) Here's what we're dealing with in Tech Support. (Explain your situation.) What would your approach to that set of conditions be? What would be your attack plan, if you got this job? 3) How does this job mesh with your career plan for yourself? How will it grow your flame? Job interviews can be fun and enriching for everyone involved -- and they should be! When we interview folks at Human Workplace, we tell them "This is a job interview, and potentially a coaching session. We have an opening to fill and you might be interested in that job, but that is just our starting point. If this isn't the right job for you, let's talk about you and your career instead." Sometimes, candidates say "I'm not sure I want this job, but I wanted to meet you guys." We say "Cool! We had booked the time anyway. It's great to meet you." Fifty percent of our interviews veer into career coaching and that's absolutely wonderful. After all, a job is just a job. Your flame is everything! Our company is called Human Workplace. Our mission is to reinvent work for people! We help job-seekers grow their flames and get great jobs with employers that deserve their talents. We help employers brand themselves and reinvent their recruiting processes to snag and keep smart and capable people and we help them grow the Team Mojo on their teams. We invite everyone to step into the Human Workplace. We launched in November 2012 and have over 200,000 members already. You can join us, too! Here is Liz Ryan's podcast "I Hate This Job, But I Need the Money!" Send our CEO Liz Ryan a LinkedIn invitation: use this email address -- Posted by: Follow Liz Ryan (139,921) See all Liz's posts
[email protected]. Please FOLLOW us on LinkedIn! Our Get a Job No Matter What Starter Kit includes four of our most popular job-search ebooks in a special discounted bundle ($40.84 of eBooks for $6.89)! Or Get a Job No Matter What MEGA Package has a massive amount of job-search advice and instruction (including a 65-page online course, Put a Human Voice in Your Resume) that we sell individually for $298, on sale for $99! Our new 12-week virtual coaching groups beginning March 22, 2014 are: Get a Job No Matter What Boot Camp Interviewing with MOJO Launch Your Consulting Business Job Search after Fifty Reinvention Roadmap, and Grow Your Thought Leadership Flame Our 12-week virtual coaching groups are super-popular, flame-growing guided self-study programs. Each week in one our 12-week virtual coaching groups, you'll receive a new lesson with exercises (like the exercise "Your So-Called Weakness" above) to work on as it suits your schedule throughout the week. You'll ask questions of the Human Workplace coaches and your fellow participants and share your "Ahas!" as you go. Got a question for us? Reach us here! Featured on: Recruiting & Hiring People who read this post also read: 1-4 of 20 Newest Oldest Popular 818 comments + 2,707 You Get The Boss You Deserve: Manage Up! Should Companies Ban Facebook at Work? 6 Things Successful People Do On... 11 Habits of Remarkable Leaders Add your comment... Gary Clarke CEO & Startup Leader | Software | SaaS | CleanTech I once had the animal question tossed at me. My reply? "I'm a Chetah. Watch how fast I leave. I stood up. Collected my pen and left. Like(750) Reply(28) 1 day ago Donna Natalie Bodden, stefan lee, Eric Nguyen Duc Hieu, +747 28 Replies Andy Roy Sian Manager, Business Intelligence and Data Management Unit at Commercial Services Division, Malaysia Airports Gotta teach them some lessons once in a while right Gary? :-D Like 31 minutes ago Wedad Taher Supervisora del departamento de Reservas en Cairo Marriott Hotel Very smart and quick reaction :) Like 31 minutes ago Show More Sarah Stout Talent Acquisition Manager at Raising Canes Ohio Limited There is a point to asking someone what kind if animal they would be and why. It throws them off. You can see how someone responds to a non-job question. How quickly someone gets upset. I find the people that get upset by this question have a hard time thinking quickly and aren't as good with people when they have a "bigger" task at hand. I interview people in customer service that get asked "stupid" questions every day while under pressure. How long it takes someone to respond. How creative they answer and if they can have fun with it. We have fun at work and managers need to be creative problem solvers. Maybe it depends on the job. Now, this hasn't and never will be a go to question. It only comes out every now and then when needed. Plus, I wouldn't be thrown off by a follow up question by an interviewee. I invite them. Like(74) Reply(33) 1 day ago Benjamin Samson, Renee Mastalerz - CHRP, John R. Peck, +71 33 Replies Michael Estoy Exploring strategic roles leading to Product Owner / Consultant | Nonprofit Boards and Management I was asked this question for an internship. I responded with, "I'd be a human being since the job description states I'll be working with people from different departments. Has the job description changed?" My answer stunned the hiring manager as she sat there in silence for a few seconds and then said, "I'm sorry, it's one of the questions I'm used to asking." I replied, "Well, what exactly are you trying to learn by asking me what kind of animal I would be?" From there, the interview went off script and snapped her out of that nonsense. She was tentative in her questions, but I helped her by asking her leading questions. She offered me the internship at the end of the interview and we had a great working relationship. She's told me she's revamped her interviewing techniques and questions so that she can see the potential intern as a person rather than "a pawn in a chess match." Like(4) 47 minutes ago Suzanna Kiraly, Joe C., Stephen Dunn, PMP, +1 Doug Robertson Key Account Manager at TFB & Associates Limited Seriously?? Like(1) 48 minutes ago Gracie M. Show More Geoff Dench ☆LION☆ IT Test Manager UAT and Live Proving/Live Confidence Test Manager at Barclaycard Interviewer "so what is your greatest weakness?" Candidate "honesty" Interviewer "I don't think that's a weakness is it?" Candidate " I don't give a $#%€ what you think!" Like(179) Reply(8) 1 day ago Shehd A., Mohamad Shahrizal Mohd Ismail, Peter Caffin, +176 8 Replies Jennifer Sporer Administrative Assistant at University of Michigan Health System, Comprehensive Cancer Center Too funny! I have to share that one with my MIL who retired from HR. Like 2 hours ago Philip H. West, LCSW Substance Abuse Clinician at Southwest Community Health Center HA HA HA! Like 3 hours ago Show More Jane Emerson (Walker) Owner, Emerson House, How very true and interesting. This is why I have never in my long self employed career placed an advert to find someone. I knew that this worked for me and my business. I try to meet people if they write to ask if they can come and work with me and yes, mainly if they sound as if they would fit in! My interview style is come along for coffee and have a chat. It has worked for me because I have built a successful business that way. Be brave, try it! Like(102) Reply(10) 1 day ago Gracie M., Jordan Vallis, Irene Dalene, +99 10 Replies Kashif Shahzad ERP Technical Consultant That is a great approach! A casual interview setting gives you a better idea of who the other person really is. Like(1) 2 hours ago K. Clark (DJ OhSoKool) Isabel O. Management Excelent way to put things! Like(1) 4 hours ago Gracie M. Show More Kenneth Merchant Director of Technology at Alverno High School I've been waiting for the day to bust this line out: Them: "So what is your biggest weakness?" Me: "Kryptonite" Like(96) Reply(5) 20 hours ago Tam Conway, Anthony Caccavale, Gracie M., +93 5 Replies Russell Bau Healthcare Professional at ASA Nice..! Like 3 hours ago Mihai-Adrian Crainic Senior Risk Consultant/ Quantitative Risk Analysis, PFA Better still...."Kryptonian Thinking"..., instead of just Kryptonite... This way, one can, at least, be given the chance to develop further the whole concept, in such a way that emphasis its core values and (dis)beliefs, with a personal touch. Like(1) 7 hours ago Gracie M. Show More Joshua Jordison (JJ) Entrepreneur / Music Industry Aficionado / Writer Awesome article Liz! This one made me laugh. This (stupid questions in interviews) is one of the reasons why I decided to stop being an employee, years ago. It's a reflection of bigger problems within a company. I don't have the patience (nor should I) to put up with ridiculous questions like "What kind of animal would you be". I'd probably ask the interviewer if that really is a question, then reach across and bend their paper down to see if it is on the paper. One of the questions I most hated being asked during job interviews was one that didn't come up in this article... "What do you expect to be paid here?" That question is a trick. Never, ever answer it the first time you are asked. The interviewer isn’t interested in establishing what you want to be paid. They are interesting in establishing their dominance over the conversation. When you’re asked what you expect to be paid, instead of giving a number, say something like this: “Let’s defer that until later. Right now, I just want to figure out if this is a good fit for myself and your company”. If they persist, don’t give in. After you’ve talked with the interviewer for a while longer, you can either ask them what their budget is or give them a figure of what you want to be paid. Make sure you do your homework. Use websites that let you see what other people are paid for similar positions. I think the best one is Glass Door: http://www.glassdoor.com If you decide to give them your figure, make sure you are at the higher end of the market. You want to be the premium option. Always ask for at least 10% above what you would like to make. This gives you some room for negotiation. If pressed, I'd recommend more like 25% - but's that's me. If you go the route of asking them for the budget, they may deflect back to you. That’s okay. Don’t stress it. Give them your number. Be prepared to walk away. If the interviewer can’t come up to the amount you expect to be paid, ask about other forms of compensation, like: stock options/equity, commission, bonus etc. Never let them talk you down below your number without getting some extra incentives on the table. It’s possible that the interviewer won’t have the authority to give you these extra incentives. In that case, you need to walk away, temporarily. Say something like: “I enjoyed talking with you; and, I’m glad I was able to take the time to come down for the interview. Let’s circle back on this in a couple of days. That’ll give you time to talk with your boss about closing the gap. I’ll also see if I can come up with any additional creative solutions to do the same. That’s it. Stand up, shake their hand and walk out the door. If the interviewer really liked you, he/she will go to their boss and try to make some concessions. If you don’t get the job, it wan’t the right one for you anyway. Move on to the next one. Now, here's some of the language I used, decoded: 1. WHAT YOU ARE SAYING: “I enjoyed talking with you; and, I’m glad I was able to take the time to come down for the interview." WHAT IT REALLY MEANS: This was fun. My time is valuable; and, I'm glass this wasn't a total waste of it. I am not here to impress you. 1. WHAT YOU ARE SAYING: "Let’s circle back on this in a couple of days. That’ll give you time to talk with your boss about closing the gap. I’ll also see if I can come up with any additional creative solutions to do the same." WHAT IT REALLY MEANS: You aren't going to control me. I'm going to leave now, because I don't need this job as much as your company needs me. To win me back, you need to go to your boss and give me what I asked for. I will only give if you give. This way of handling interviews is not for the faint of heart; but, it's works. Like(61) Reply(13) 1 day ago Michael Estoy, Gracie M., Ronald Pai, +58 13 Replies Tanuj Kumar Student at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak Wow thats a good article it must help me in future but I want to ask one question over the question that you mentioned here. If the interviewer say that I can only give you ₹10,000 or ₹15,000 then what would I have to say knowing that I can't servive with such a bad renumeration. Should I leave ? Like 43 minutes ago Joshua Jordison (JJ) Entrepreneur / Music Industry Aficionado / Writer Kevin: While I think experience can help with self confidence, it isn't required. I had no experience, when I was hired for a job that entailed helping to manage a 60+ person orchestra and do production work for events that saw 5,000+ attendees. I did have self confidence, passion and belief in what I was capable of. I had worked at a couple other places but nothing close the job I was applying for. Certain professions do require experience, like: physicians, professors, dentists etc. The vast majority, however, require the employer to have some faith in the applicant. Like(2) 3 hours ago Jacqueline Bidwell and K. Clark (DJ OhSoKool) Show More Lise T. Payroll | Human Resources | Finance | Accounting Best article I have read in a long time. Wake up recruiters. Like(39) Reply(2) 1 day ago Irene Dalene, Reuel Lewis, Dahir Adani, +36 2 Replies John Yoo VP of International Sales at Tomok Korea Co. Ltd. Payroll | Human Resources | Finance | Accounting...Wow Lise...is there anything you don't do? Like(4) 10 hours ago Niral Vora, MSc, Dahir Adani, Amit Joshi, +1 Suzanna Kiraly Inventive Spirit Yes. My best interviews are always those where the interviewer and I have a friendly discussion rather than them asking me a list of questions. It allows me to be myself and give them all the answers they need at the same time. But I think it takes a talented recruiter to be able to get all the answers they need from someone without asking them a laundry list of questions. Like(16) 19 hours ago Niral Vora, MSc, K. Clark (DJ OhSoKool), Fiona Hitchins, +13 Michael M. Obradovitch II, Esq. USPTO Registered Patent Attorney & Chemical Engineer; Realtor ™ I think I found a kindered spirit in Liz Ryan. This article hits on a number of my pet peeves albeit I've never had to sit through a dumb interview. Stupid questions aside, Liz points points to another interesting issue. Over the past year, I've noticed that a number of recruiters on LinkedIn keep advertising the very same job opening/opportunity months on end. Not a single word is changed. Just as Angie (in the article) asks: "What would you say is the reason it's taken some time to find the right person?", I am similarly curious why these people are having the such a difficult time filling the position or is there really a position that needs to be filled? LinkedIn search capabilities are presumably quite good. So I keep wondering: (1) Are some of these recruiters terminally lazy and/or merely "trolling"? and (2) Do these reported jobs openings "really suck"? Anyone have a clue? Like(24) Reply(6) 1 day ago Irene Dalene, Reuel Lewis, Laura West, +21 6 Replies Alan Toner Self Employed Writer It's like these employment agencies who advertise fake jobs on jobs boards week after week. It is a horrible tactic, and is only exacerbating the plight of the jobless. Like(6) 12 hours ago Deborah Paris-Evans, David Johnston, Peter Hulley, +3 Richard Ellis Commercial/Contractor Sales Manager, Menards, Salina, KS As the late, great Johnny Carson said, "Never stay in a Motel that has the VACANCY sign painted on the side of the building." Like(12) 15 hours ago Irene Dalene, Liba Ronge, Tim Carpenter, +9 Show More Phillip Sharkey Consulting Scientific Program Manager What's your greatest weakness? Chocolate. Like(32) Reply(3) 20 hours ago Tom Froelich, Viviane Bouché, Lisa Onorato, +29 3 Replies Olga Driz IT Manager - Looking for long term challenging career opportunity Hahaha! Great answer. Like 2 hours ago Dana George Human Resources Leader & Business Partner In Transition I love this answer! I am using it. Thanks! Like(4) 16 hours ago Reuel Lewis, Anthony Permal, David Johnston, +1 Show More Nick Kossovan Bilingual (French / English) Call Center Management with Flair | Customer Service | Sales | Social Media Samurai Great article, however the advice given only applies to those who can afford to not play the interviewer's questions to get the job. I would render a guess that the vast majority of those being interviewed need to work to pay the rent, bills, etc. Therefore the interviewer is in control. The reason these irrelevant questions still get asked, and will continue to be asked, is because most people cannot afford not to answer them and therefore do so. It's common knowledge that the hiring process is broken so why is nothing being done to fix it? Until it's an employee market, which will not be happening for the foreseeable future, the process will remain broken. Like(30) Reply(5) 17 hours ago Luz Collado, Stephen Dunn, PMP, Valerie Wilkinson, +27 5 Replies Eric Moody Supply Chain & Team Leader You raise a valid point, but all the article's recommended responses appear to leave the door open for the recruitment to continue, which I agree the candidate may need. I would adopt a wait-and-see approach. You need to know if you’re facing: 1) A dumb holdover question that just hasn’t been eliminated from the company’s interview script (best case). 2) An individual interviewer’s misguided question (may be OK, unless it’s from the hiring manager/potential boss). 3) A question that reflects a clueless and/or Type X management culture (worst case, run away). If you’re certain it’s (3) you can switch to some of the awesome comebacks given here in the Comments. Like 37 minutes ago Fiona Hitchins Executive Personal Assistant Totally agree Nick. It is awful to be in a position where you have to take a job out of necessity but start the job with a bad taste in your mouth because of the attitude of the company during the interview process. The question is how I, as the interviewee, help to influence change? Like 3 hours ago Show More Carmen Santa Cruz,PhD Quality manager EMEA at MarkMonitor, A division of Thomson Reuters IP Solutions I like the silly question about "what are your weaknesses", my take is " i dont believe in weaknesses, but in contextually innapropiate strengths". :) I think a much better question would be "what are you strengths?" or even " in which direction you would like to grow?" or " what is your passion?" You learn so much more from a person when you ask a question that lights them from inside! Like(37) Reply(5) 1 day ago Mike Gorski, Irene Cvetkovski-Dukic, Reuel Lewis, +34 5 Replies Sean Yu IT Executive at NTUC Foodfare Co-operative Ltd "i don't believe in weaknesses, but in contextually inappropriate strengths" -> always thought of this answer but was never able to word it this well. Thanks for this one Ms Carmen. Will be planning to use it next time. Like 2 hours ago n v nathan Sr Executive at Tea Business House You are absolutely correct. Like 4 hours ago Show More Anna Gray Highly accomplished international attorney with over 12 years of legal experience in multiple areas of law. I treat life as a game, where basically if you don't jump high enough, trolls are gonna get you. I treat job search and interviews basically same way, believing that it is better to collect and sell empty bottles and cans than to be a slave in some strange company. I also believe in telling the truth. Having been asked questions like this, some of the answers were: 1. If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be? - I would be Homo sapiens. 2. With all the talented candidates, why should we hire you? - If you don't, your competitors will. 3. What's your greatest weakness? - You are not my friend yet, so it wouldn't be wise to tell you. 4. Where do you see yourself in five years? - On top of the world, living in a penthouse, and running your company. Think I never got a job answering them like this? I did, many times. Some recruiters still do have a common sense, as well as sense of humor. Keep your chin up and don't despair! Like(33) Reply(2) 18 hours ago Rodolfo Cereghino, Ronald Pai, Gwyneth Wesley Rolph, +30 2 Replies Fiona Hitchins Executive Personal Assistant You are my hero Anna Gray! You inspire me to come up with my own individual answers to these silly questions. Like(1) 3 hours ago Reuel Lewis Aliki Charalambidou Arestis Contract Engineer at Petroleum Development Oman at WIPRO TECHNOLOGIES I like your approach Anna :) Like 6 hours ago Lisa Doorly Global Talent Acquisition Manager - Danaher Sensors & Controls & Portescap Paul M - I love that response about the pigeon. I hate the "trick" questions - looking for a job is difficult enough why does it need to be a "trick" Like(13) Reply(3) 22 hours ago Johanna Sjöblom, Jenni Jensen, Fiona Hitchins, +10 3 Replies Alan Toner Self Employed Writer Yes, Lisa, I totally agree with you. Why DOES it have to be "trick"? Heaven's above, it's hard enough for a jobseeker to gain employment as it is without having to face these barmy interviewing techniques of employers. Like 12 hours ago Allen Weston MBA | Problem Solving | Leadership | Data Analysis | Strategic Planning I agree with Cheryl. Such frivolous questions only scratch basic assumptions and nothing about the candidates goals, aspirations or soft skills. Why waste my time with generic questions that only take the generic answers to be right. Instead of playing interview Scrabble with me, boring me, and sucking the excitement out of the process, why not train recruiters or anyone that works in the same position being hired for and ask some questions that will define me, differentiate me, and make it seem you're interested in my presence today. If you want to hire "value" as Cheryl correctly labels the processes end result, ask me VALUABLE questions. The time should equal the effort and level of questions should show that. Life is hard, the process should not be. Like(11) 21 hours ago Reuel Lewis, Dahir Adani, Maria F., +8 Show More Kat Ford [LION 10k+] Kat Ford - SEO Certified Professional | Social Media Certified Professional | SEM | Inbound Marketing | Lead Generation What animal am I? I'm a Kat, obviously! ;-) Like(28) Reply(3) 22 hours ago Nikola Stokic, Reuel Lewis, Benjamin Ross, +25 3 Replies Steve Cook Projektledare at Västra Götalandsregionen ... and yet it says Lion 10k+ next to your name in your profile ;-) Though I guess a lion is a kat too! Like(1) 8 hours ago Eddy Chaar John C Barrett Pharmacy Accreditation Reviewer at URAC Great answer! Like 9 hours ago Show More Steve Patterson Director of Operations - Manufacturing Management No one wants to overly indulge the incompetent or unaware interviewer, but some bizarre questions are being asked at even some of the premier employers. Sometimes it is just to see how you react, sometimes it is because the interviewer has been asking the same questions for years, and made successful hires. They believe their interview style and questions work for them. If you were applying to Google and they asked you what kind of animal you were, you would respond in some manner, might even be "How the heck is that relevant", right? But you would answer it. Zombie questions are the current fad, you might even be requested to play a video game. If this all crosses your tolerance threshold, then end the interview. If all candidates refused to put up with intolerable interviews, then the process would change, but enough candidates will "jump through the hoops" to land a job, that candidate behavior alone cannot drive employer change. Just remember, if you are treated poorly as a recruit, the behavior will NOT improve once you are an employee. It may not be reflective of the direct hiring manager, but the H.R. department is very reflective of the organizational culture. Like(16) Reply(6) 21 hours ago Johanna Sjöblom, Viviane Bouché, Reuel Lewis, +13 6 Replies Fiona Hitchins Executive Personal Assistant I agree, these type of questions make me question the intelligence of the people I would be working with! Like 3 hours ago Alan Toner Self Employed Writer Well said. Like 12 hours ago Show More Jan Creager National Account Executive at Safilo USA During an interview, an HR person held up a glass jar and asked me how many jelly beans would fit inside. I answered, but was perplexed when the rest of the interview consisted mostly of 3 of the 4 questions listed in the article. She talked very little about the skill set pertaining to the job, even though I tried to bring this into the discussion. I was prepared to answer questions like, what has your experience at company xyz done to prepare you for this position? Or, tell me about a time you had a conflict with an account, and how did you resolve it? Or, how can you contribute to our growth? Instead, it was sort of a verbal ink blot test. Interview questions should focus on the skills needed for the job, peppered with a few offbeat questions to gauge reactionary skills. However, the 4 questions listed in the article are now so cliché, that candidates have rehearsed answers that do not give any indication of how qualified they are for the job. Like(5) Reply(3) 20 hours ago Reuel Lewis, Fiona Hitchins, Francoise Lou, +2 3 Replies Suzanna Kiraly Inventive Spirit These questions seem more like IQ test questions and make you feel like you should be a genius, but most jobs don't require a genius. Like(3) 14 hours ago David Gault, Alan Toner, and Jan Creager Mike Doria Knowledge Communication Consultant (independent professional) I was onced asked this question: "How many batteries are there in the Philippines?". At first, I was stumped. After the interview, I felt violent. lol Like(10) 19 hours ago Reuel Lewis, Fiona Hitchins, David Gault, +7 Show More Kenneth Gray Managing Partner at Alliance Law Firm International PLLC I think this article raises some important issues and the comment thread is filled with some really excellent points.Liz Ryan did an excellent job authoring this, thank you! As an employer and as a job seeker I have asked and been asked the "where do you see yourself in 5 years" question too many times to count. My frustration with that line of questioning was not with the question but with interviewers who evaluate based on a firm answer to the question. "Where do you see yourself in 5 years" is unanswerable. However, as an employer, I still ask this question. The difference with me is that the question isn't a test of organization, ambition, ... it is a test of honesty. People who have a concrete answer are often lying. I don't hire liars. People who answer with a version of "I don't know" or "it's impossible to say" get more consideration. The reality of interviewing is that companies do need to temper their expectations. The past 5 years have given employers the luxury of thinking they can pick and choose among perfect candidates. This is an ephemeral state and will hurt companies that adhere to this dogma more than help. Realistically, employers need to find people who are the best _adaptable_ to what needs to be done (not the best at what to do at some fixed time). When the labor market gets tight again, retainability will matter more than initial qualification. Like(6) Reply(1) 17 hours ago Don Atkinson, Khalis Razzak Kamel, Janne Jääskeläinen, +3 1 Reply Nick Kossovan Bilingual (French / English) Call Center Management with Flair | Customer Service | Sales | Social Media Samurai RE: "People who have a concrete answer are often lying. I don't hire liars. People who answer with a version of "I don't know" or "it's impossible to say" get more consideration." Obviously you enjoy playing head games. What would make you ever say that someone is a liar because they have a concrete answer as to where they see themselves in years? Many people do plan ahead and have a clear vision of where they would like to be in 5 years. I believe it's called "Planning". Like(17) 17 hours ago Ronald Pai, Valerie Wilkinson, Reuel Lewis, +14 Peter Wright Executive Chef. Currently Seeking New Opportunities People tend to forget that there are actually two interviews taking place, as an interviewee is this the right employer for you? What they say and what you ask will help determine that Like(17) Reply(2) 1 day ago Reuel Lewis, Stewart Desson, Denise Gerdes, +14 2 Replies Bryce Adams Technical Sales Professional. Looking for new opportunities. Unfortunately you're usually dealing with the recruiting company and/or the HR department before getting to talk to the actual people you'll be working with. Like(4) 20 hours ago Frank Light, Petr Mareš, Reuel Lewis, +1 Cheryl Swanson CMO/VP Marketing & Sales 4Hire: Strategy I Social Media I CRM I Sales Process & Communications Mgmt I Brand Experience True. My career path and self-respect are far more important to me and my family's goals. Your first-line HR reps indicate how you value candidates and your company's projected brand experience--or not. If they are incompetent at their job of "courting all candidates" with whom they have bothered to have a face to face meeting with, they should be working toward a discussion that makes them a viable contender for the position as soon as possible for the company's productivity goal. Give your HR clarity of purpose: "Your objective is to provide me 3-5 ranked candidates in our price range within 90 days." Like 21 hours ago Nick Thomas Business Improvement Professional (Think, Plan, Act) Here are my answers to these questions: 1. What kind of animal? A dragon, since it is a fantasy question conjured up from some Help Center About Press Blog Careers Advertising Talent Solutions Tools Mobile Developers Publishers Language Upgrade Your Account LinkedIn Corporation © 2014 User Agreement Privacy Policy Community Guidelines Cookie Policy Copyright Policy Send Feedback mystical source, I might as well have fun with it too. 2. Talents? An ability to sit through painful experiences without getting offended. 3. Weakness? An ability to sit through painful experiences without getting offended. 4. Five years? In a better place personally and professionally to be determined by circumstances. This is not untrue, yet it is optimistic, and un-offensive. When facing seemingly irrelevant questions during an interview, we shouldn't be too quick to get offended by the questioning, since WE are the ones looking for a job, and what does it hurt to just answer the questions without getting cynical, critical, or put off. A positive attitude is VERY important, and it cannot be taught or learned, rather it is something you either have or not. Have some FUN...and get the job! Once hired, IF you want to come back and ask what all those questions were about...fine. But, who really cares what you think about the hiring process? GETTING THE JOB you applied for should be your ONLY priority. Like(13) Reply(5) 17 hours ago Zreen Ishrt, Tim Rank, David Gault, +10 5 Replies Michael Braum Estate Manager at Nazareth House Well put! I agree, it is unlikely that the interviewer would even recognise a good answer as the IQ required for thinking up questions like that is not as high as the IQ required to understand any level of answer. The most important point is that that interviewer is going to report back on whether you should or should not be hired and any form of smart-ass answer isn't going to achieve the desired effect. Like 25 minutes ago Debra Feuerbacher Healthcare CPA I love this response! When I was younger with only a few years' experience - before HR folks started using these techniques - finding a job was easy-peasy. Now that I am older and am faced with these weird hurdles, I do believe it is important to have positive communication skills in combination with all this experience. Like 10 hours ago Show More Cindy Campbell Multi-Unit Operations Supervisor/Exceptional Team Builder Too funny and so true. These questions are asked all the time and reveal nothing about one's ability to do the job. I was headhunted once for a GM position and went to the interview. It was for a new start up franchise. The two Owners asked me if I had experience with children. Curious, I asked why. Reply "You will basically be a babysitter. What is your salary requirement?" I replied "60k." Straight face. Needless to say...that ended that interview rather quickly. Like(16) Reply 1 day ago Liba Ronge, Rashad Hanibal, David Gault, +13 Show More