I came across a Fast Company article that listed some odd questions that job candidates have been asked in interviews. I thought I would pass them on here. You never know when you might get one of these…
- “When a hot dog expands, in which direction does it split and why?”—SpaceX propulsion structural analyst job candidate (New York)
- “Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?”—Whole Foods Market meat cutter job candidate (Lexington-Fayette, KY)
- “If you’re the CEO, what are the first three things you check about the business when you wake up?”—Dropbox Rotation Program job candidate (San Francisco)
- “What would the name of your debut album be?”—Urban Outfitters sales associate job candidate (New York)
- “How would you sell hot cocoa in Florida?”—J.W. Business Acquisitions Human Resources Recruiter job candidate (Atlanta)
- “If I gave you $40,000 to start a business, what would you start?”—Hubspot account manager job candidate (San Francisco)
- “What would you do if you found a penguin in the freezer?”—Trader Joe’s job candidate (Orange, CA)
- “If you were a brand, what would be your motto?”—Boston Consulting Group Consultant job candidate (Washington, D.C.)
- “How many basketballs would fit in this room?”—Delta Airlines Revenue Management Co-op job candidate (Cincinnati)
- “If you had $2,000, how would you double it in 24 hours?” —Uniqlo Management Trainee job candidate (Los Angeles)
Even though you prepare well for an interview, you might get a curveball question. When this happens, stay cool and think through your answer. The interviewer will be expecting you take a minute to get your thoughts together, so it’s OK to take a minute to think. And, don’t let questions like this throw you off stride. Do the best you can with them, and move on to the next question with confidence.
And, for the record, I’d rather fight one horse-sized duck than 100 duck-sized horses. It’s easier to concentrate on one opponent (no matter how big) than 100.
Your career mentor,
Bud
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