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Strategies for Answering Weird Interview Questions
Strategies for Answering
Weird Interview Questions
Career experts advise job applicants to rehearse answers to common questions ahead of the interview. But what's a job seeker to do when asked an oddball query like: "What is your perception of the painting in the lobby?" That question -- along with "Can you tell a joke?" and "What would you do with a million dollars?" -- were among some of the most bizarre questions posed by interviewers in the past year, according to a survey of 3,725 job hunters by Development Dimensions International (DDI) Inc. and Monster Worldwide Inc.
Marcus Gamo of San Francisco recalls being asked by a hiring manager: "If your alma mater was a cereal, what would it be?" Then a recent graduate of the University of Georgia, he says he paused for a moment and offered, "Fruit Loops," because it's "a little crazy, diverse and delicious."
Mr. Gamo didn't get the job. Today he's a director at a communications firm and says he makes a point of asking only conventional questions when interviewing candidates. "I don't want to put them in the same uncomfortable situation that I was in," he says.
Cathy Goodwin, a career consultant in Seattle, says some interviewers ask strange questions because it's company policy. "They don't know how to interpret them any more than you do," she says. The purpose is often to see how well job seekers think on their feet, so when posed an off-kilter question, it's best to not get rattled, she adds.
No matter how bizarre the question, offer a response, says Tom Gimbel, chief executive officer of The LaSalle Network, a recruiting firm based in Chicago. "Not answering doesn't accomplish anything," he says.
Find ways to address the job's requirements in your answers, advises Ms. Goodwin. In Mr. Gamo's case, she says a better response might have been Alpha Bits, the cereal shaped in letters. This way he could've reasoned that his school prepared him to be a great writer -- a skill required of most public-relations positions.
Beyond the goofy questions are the inappropriate ones. The DDI/Monster survey indicates that hiring managers also pose queries about personal matters. Some of the most offensive ones cited by respondents include: "Are you single?" "Is your hair color natural?" "Do you go to church?"
During an interview for a human-resources job two years ago, a recruiter pointed to Carrie McLemore's engagement ring and asked what her fiancé did for a living. After explaining he was an electrical engineer, she says the recruiter responded, "Well, why are you even interviewing? Aren't you just going to have a picket fence, kids and then quit work?" As a result, Ms. McLemore says she withdrew her candidacy for the position. "He wouldn't have been my boss, but if that's the kind of person they send out, it gives a bad vibe for the whole company," says the now 25-year-old in Memphis.
In fact, two-thirds of survey respondents reported that they have walked away from job opportunities after being turned off by an interviewer's questions. But, no matter how miffed you may feel, keep your cool, advises Mr. Gimbel. "Having an emotional reaction never is successful," he says. "You're creating more conflict."
You may be able to avoid giving a direct answer to an intrusive question by guessing the interviewer's motivation, says Scott Erker, a senior vice president at DDI, an executive-search consulting firm in Pittsburgh, Pa. For example, if an interviewer asks how many children you have, assume he or she wants to know if you'll be able to balance work and family, he explains. Answer by describing your ability to get the job done, says Mr. Erker.
Some job seekers consider it inappropriate for recruiters to ask how old they are in interviews. While it's unlawful for employers to discriminate against a candidate because of his or her age, it's not illegal for companies to request this information, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
To be sure, hiring managers aren't the only interview offenders. Mr. Gimbel says candidates have asked him questions such as: "Can I see the break room?" "How many sick days do I get?" "Do you have a bereavement policy?" "Do you track Internet traffic?" "How big is my expense account?" "Do you have free bagels on Fridays?"
While off-putting questions aren't necessarily candidacy killers, they can be damaging if a recruiter is on the fence about you.
-- Ms. Needleman is associate editor at CareerJournal.com
October 29, 2007