What was the most interesting interview question you’ve ever been asked? Why did you find it interesting? Was it effective at identifying you as a good candidate? What do you think was the purpose of the question?
Here are Glassdoor’s Top 10 Oddball Interview Questions for 2015, and the companies that asked them:
- "What would you do if you were the one survivor in a plane crash?" - Airbnb
- "What's your favorite 90s jam?" – Squarespace
- "If you woke up and had 2,000 unread emails and could only answer 300 of them, how would you choose which ones to answer?" – Dropbox
- Who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman?" – Stanford University
- "If you had a machine that produced $100 for life, what would you be willing to pay for it today?" – Aksia
- "What did you have for breakfast?" – Banana Republic
- "Describe the color yellow to somebody who's blind." – Spirit Airlines
- "If you were asked to unload a 747 full of jelly beans, what would you do?" – Bose
- "How many people flew out of Chicago last year?" – Redbox
- "What's your favorite Disney Princess?" – Cold Stone Creamery
What is accomplished by asking questions such as these? Does it give insight into the prospective employee? Does it put a company in the right light in the candidate’s eyes?
Many companies don’t understand the full importance of the on-site interview. If CEOs actually considered what is at stake, I believe many would have a better plan for the candidate's visit.
An interview should:
- Sell the value of the company
- Qualify the candidate
- Communicate the culture of the company
- Show the caliber of people the candidate will work with
- Convey a typical day of working at the company
- Identify if the candidate is a good fit for the company and the position.
One the oddest interview questions I’ve heard is, “What’s the first thing you know?” It was used multiple times in the early 90s by a Regional Manager in Dallas. This question stumped many people. It can be the start of a “stress interview” or it can be an ice breaker, depending on how long the interviewer allows the candidate to struggle.
Does your company have a plan for who asks which interview questions? Is it a well-choreographed endeavor? If it isn’t, your company may not only be missing a great opportunity, but it may also be missing out on hiring the best candidates for the company.
To hire the best workers, the in-person or on-site interview should be 70% interview and 30% selling.
Great candidates, A Players, will not be there to just get the job. A Players want to work with other A Players at a great company. You will not attract A Players with B Players, so put your best and brightest on the interview team. Selling the company is not a sales pitch, but should be done by your A Players talking about why they work there – what keeps your top talent motivated? Your A Players should either be asking behavioral interviewing questions, answering questions, or injecting why they work there. Otherwise, the candidate should be talking.
A great interview question might be, “What did you do to prepare for this interview today?” This uncovers how the candidate prepares for something important (or if she thinks the opportunity is important). This should be asked by only one interviewer. ALL questions should be asked by only one interviewer. This is not only more efficient, but also more effective. Savvy candidates will learn from the first time a question is asked. The second time, she may answer it the way she thinks the company wants it answered, and this will make her look like a better candidate.
Choreographing the on-site visit is very important, and the post-interview team debrief is also vital. The team needs to hear about the responses to key questions from the people who asked the questions.
While the in-person interview is critical to hiring the best people, it is only one piece of the puzzle. A research-based assessment will give much more insight into the candidate. A good assessment, like the one I use (TriMetrix HD), will allow the company to more fully understand if the candidate will be a good fit for the company and the job.
By the way, there is only one correct answer for “What’s the first thing you know?”, and I can almost guarantee that no millennial would get it. Baby boomers are more likely to get it, and even then, it's likely a small number. The answer is…"Ol' Jed’s a millionaire." If you still don’t get it, play the Beverly Hillbillies theme song in your head. When the answer was given, the candidate relaxed a bit.
For more on this topic, visit perfecthireblueprint.com