Not all job interviews are the same. Depending on the job you’re applying to and the kind of hiring manager making the decisions, you may be hit with some weird interview questions that will throw you for a loop. Luckily, AMI is ready with some interview prep to help you see what some curveball questions are actually trying to address.
If you were at a business lunch and you ordered a rare steak and they brought it to you well done, what would you do?
While this question may seem ridiculous at the surface, it’s actually a way for hiring managers to gauge how you deal with conflict. Are you the kind of person who isn’t afraid to speak up to get what they want, or do you roll over when people don’t deliver what you asked for? This question also serves as a way for candidates to be evaluated on how they treat people from a position of power.
What’s the last book you read?
This may seem like a non-sequitur, but the books that a person reads speaks volumes about their personality. There is a big difference between someone who has just finished 50 Shades of Gray vs. someone who has just wrapped up Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. However, no matter what books you enjoy reading, almost any answer is better than “I don’t read.”
If you were an animal, which one would you want to be?
While it may be tempting to answer this question off the cuff with something silly and spontaneous, you should actually put some careful thought into all of the traits of the animal you most identify with, as you may inadvertently cast yourself in a negative light by making an unwanted comparison. This question helps interviewers measure this person’s level of self-awareness and confidence.
How many tennis balls can you fit into a limousine?
This is one of the stranger questions that probably wasn’t in your interview prep. This question doesn’t have a correct answer but gives hiring managers insight on what your analytical thinking skills are like and how you communicate when given a task. It would be entirely reasonable to answer this question by asking several questions of your own to clarify the parameters of this situation.
Would you rather fight 1 horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?
As silly as this question may seem, the choice you make actually says a lot about the kind of problem-solver you are. Do you prefer to face one big problem, or are you the kind of person who would rather deal with 100 little ones? Different jobs need different kinds of problem solvers.
There’s no telling what kind of questions interviewers are going to throw your way in the job interview. That’s why when you’re preparing for your interview you need to stay on your toes and be ready for any kind of weird questions.
