Dumb Job Interview Questions? Maybe not.

Recently on our “Win the Job War” blog we’ve been getting a number of comments and complaints about job interviewers asking questions that seem (to the candidate) to be pointless, silly, inane or downright offensive. In addition I recently read an article about “stupid” job interview questions and everyone seems to agree that questions like the ones listed below serve no productive purpose:

• If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?
• What is your greatest weakness?
• If you had to choose, would you rather be the bully, or the person being bullied?
• Why should I choose you for this job?
• Describe who you were in a previous life. If you don;t believe in reincarnation, just pretend for a moment that you do – who would you like to have been?

I have to admit that at first glance I also found these questions to be strange and a bit off-putting. I even forwarded them to a few of my friends who interview a lot of job candidates with a “can you believe this?” sort of comment. I was surprised to hear back from some of them defending many of the questions. No one had anything positive to say about the reincarnation question, but the others generated some interesting comments which I have summarized below.

I don’t necessarily share all of these perspectives, but I found them interesting and thought provoking.

– If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?

“Yes this can feel odd and unexpected, but sometimes that’s the point. So many interview questions are perfectly predictable and all you get is the candidate’s perfectly practiced answer. A question like this can shake things up a bit.”

“I hate to admit it but I have asked this question, and I am fascinated by the range of answers.

 

– What is your greatest weakness?

“Yes this is a common question that almost every interviewer asks and every candidate has a well-prepared answer for, but I still find it helpful.”

“It tells me how deeply they think about themselves and/or how open they are willing to be with me.”

 

– If you had to choose, would you rather be the bully, or the person being bullied.

“What I like is that there is no clear right or wrong answer. And I follow up with the ‘why’ question which often tells me a lot about them.”

“I’ve never asked this question, but now that I’ve seen it, I might in the future.”

 

– Why should I choose you for this job?

“Yes this is unfair, but I ask it anyway. It help me see how well they are able to succinctly summarize their best qualifications for the job.”

“The best answer to this question is to ask a series of good questions to more deeply understand the requirements of the job, and THEN advocate for your hiring.”

 

– Describe who you were in a previous life. If you don;t believe in reincarnation, just pretend for a moment that you do – who would you like to have been?

“Seriously…?”

“Hmm… I think I was a pirate. Is that the wrong answer?”

 

If you’re wondering how others are winning the battle for the best jobs, you can learn more at our Win the Job War blog