- How honest are you? …
- If you were a breakfast cereal, which one would you be and why? …
- How many square feet of pizza are eaten in the UK every year? …
- Are you a lucky person? …
- What is your least favourite thing about humanity?
Have you ever sat in an interview and wondered why somebody was asking you a slightly left field question?
Although you probably don’t realise it, there may well be a good reason why you are being asked something that seems completely irrelevant at the time.
6 MOST Difficult Interview Questions And How To Answer Them
Describe yourself in one word
As it turns out, it’s actually pretty hard to summarize your entire person in one single adjective. Especially when you’re put on the spot.
This question is particularly ideal for those Gen Z candidates with limited work experience, says Craig Myers, director of talent acquisition at Cadence Design Systems. “There is no right answer to this question,” Craig explains. “We just want to see how new grads think on their feet and outside their comfort zone.”
For a challenging follow-up question, consider asking them to name one negative adjective that describes them. It’s easy to boast of positive traits, but if your candidate can admit a flaw, it shows that they’re self-aware and always looking to improve.
Tell me about an interesting experience or encounter you’ve had recently
The best recruits come equipped with insatiable curiosity and a creative edge — two key traits that make an employee ready to contribute to a company looking to stand out in an ever-changing, competitive consumer landscape. As Nancy Brown, CEO of The American Heart Association, wrote for Fortune, “Creative thinking serves as a catalyst; it inspires us to engage in conversation and analysis, and to assess all that might be possible.”
You’ll also get a sense of their perspective and person: what they like, dislike, and value.
As the head of Square’s seller and developer business units, Alyssa Henry has her hands full, so the ability to quickly uncover alignment — or misalignment — in the hiring process is critical. Rather than asking directly about a candidate’s interest in a particular role, she’s found it helpful to abstract out to their ideal next role, a scenario that captures what they’re really after.
As an angel investor, product lead for Slack’s growth and monetization team and co-founder of CodePath.org, Walter stays busy pursuing the causes he cares about — and he’s interested in learning more about the values that drive folks who want to join his team.
“Asking this question in interviews tells me two different things,” says Blount. “First, I learn what someone loves and values — whats important to them. Second, they nearly always follow up with a qualifier,” she says. “They’ll often say something like ‘But that doesnt make up for…’ and so they’re also telling me something they dont love. I find that second piece to be very instructive. It helps me understand where they feel uncomfortable, unsupported, or generally unhappy.”
“I also can often pick up on what interests them about our company specifically, and get a sense for how much research they’ve done. Finally, it gets into motivations — if they bring up how they’re looking for a more challenging opportunity, you can probe how they want to make an impact or the types of problems they’d love working on,” he says.
“We’re looking for people that know that careers have lots of ups and downs,” he says. “Can you handle those with aplomb, working through the downs with your team and the upswing that hopefully follows? Candidates that have experience with this rollercoaster can often ride out startups better than others.
Interviews are the dumps. Sweaty palms, outfit dilemmas, perpetual fear of lateness â they’re all part and parcel of the job hunting process.
Whilst we can’t help you with the sweaty palms and fashion faux pas, we have taken the stress out of one part of it for you – interview questions.
Youâve heard the horror stories of the weird and wonderful questions people have been asked at interview. Here are our top hardest interview questions and our advice on how to answer them.
FAQ
What are 3 things you should avoid in an interview?
- How many basketballs can fit on a bus?
- What two things, aside from food and water, would you want on a deserted island?
- How many pizzas are ordered every night in the United States?
- What would you do if you won the lottery?
- Blue or green?
What are the 5 star questions in an interview?
- Arriving late. Poor time management decreases your ability to be punctual due to unpredictable delays. …
- Unexcused absence. …
- Too casual at greeting. …
- A lack of interest in the employer. …
- Questionable documents? …
- Overtired appearance. …
- Lack of care. …
- Inappropriate clothing.
What are tricky interview questions?
- Tell me about a time when you were faced with a challenging situation. …
- Do you usually set goals at work? …
- Give me an example of a time you made a mistake at work.
- Have you ever faced conflict with a coworker? …
- Tell me about a time when you handled the pressure well.
