Every 18 month old knows a square doesn't fit a circle. The pat answer is so they don't fall in. Of course, no matter what shape they were, if the the cover is too small then someone is going to have to climb down and get it.
Posted on 08/09/2013 10:37:25 AM PDT by Perdogg
It's your worst nightmare: You're on a job interview, they ask you a question and you don't know the answer. Your heart races. Beads of sweat begin to form. C'mon, don't blow it — THINK!
Fun as it is to just show up and panic, it's better to be prepared for the worst. Well, job site Glassdoor.com is out with their annual list of the Top 25 most difficult companies to interview with.
It's like having an older brother who gives you pointers on what to expect from Miss Renkins' calculus exam.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
When I interview a potential employee I always ask the following:
Why are manhole covers round?
Good things I am looking for:
-Someone who doesn’t get flustered.
-Someone who can actually think their way through the question.
-Someone who admits they don’t know the answer, but they will get back to me.
Any of these will score high marks on the question.
Bad responses:
-People who get shaken and start yammering
-Candidates who start blowing smoke, acting authoritative, even when they obviously are tap dancing.
Either one of these two occur and I seriously consider sending their application back to HR with a no thanks.
Then there is the person who obviously saw the question on the internet and blurts out the answer before I can even finish. That gets a neutral mark.
The future of FB? Ha, down the tubes. There’s always something bigger or cooler coming down the road.
Olympic ticket sales? Ha, again. Did you not see all those empty seats that officials were begging people to take?
Would my friends recognize this as my resume? Ha, no. I fudged on it just like every other person who applied for this job.
Build an engine from scratch? First, I’d throw out all the bells, whistles and computer chips and go back with the basics.
How many people watched youtube? I don’t know and don’t care. Those people obviously don’t want or have jobs. I want to work and can promise you I won’t be hanging out watching moronic youtubes while I’m on the clock.
Type of people I dislike? People who enjoy playing mind games on others.
Teach you something? No, sorry, I’m not giving you any new ideas until I’m on the payroll.
Uses for a brick? What type of brick?
So they can't fall into the hole. But I come from an engineering background and the solution is obvious to me.
I’ve interviewed for engineering positions at three of the companies on this list and can confirm they are some of the most confounding interviews I’ve ever sat in on.
McKinsey, second year in a row at #1.
They should provide full disclosure though. Glassdoor.com is a site where people go specifically to b*tch about their bosses.
I used to ask these interview questions:
1. What is the most unethical thing you have witness or been a part of in either college or your profession?
2. What is the most important thing you have learned?
3. What is the most important mistake you have ever made? Why?
So they don’t fall in the holes.
“Why are manhole covers round?”
EZ. The longest distance on a square hole is the diagonal which is about 1.4 times the width of the square manhole cover.
Therefore....the square manhole would indeed fall into the hole.
QED
You’re hired.
Here’s the next question. What was the name of Dudley Doright’s Horse?
Didnt Chelsea Clinton end up with a sweet gig at McKinsey right out of college? I wonder whether she was put through the standard interview process?
(ok, not really wondering, just being rhetorical)
That's sexist, and misogynistic. Women hole covers are round too.
Did I get the job?
5.56mm
That's a fantastic question and I'm stealing it immediately.
Yes, but why is a manhole round?
Good answer: What the hell does the shape of the manhole cover have to do with the job I am to perform? Oh, by the way, Mr Interviewer, do you know what cliches are and what 'received wisdom' is? So long Louie... etc.
I remember an employment test had calculus on. I just skipped that part, moved on and got the job.
Every 18 month old knows a square doesn't fit a circle. The pat answer is so they don't fall in. Of course, no matter what shape they were, if the the cover is too small then someone is going to have to climb down and get it.
I had to take a personality test to see if I could work with the current group of employees.
I know an engineer who was once asked on an interview “If I told you to go out and wash all the windows in New York City, how would you go about it?”
The question was intended to provide a window on the candidate’s creativity, thought process and problem solving skills.
The one thing you could NOT answer is “It can’t be done!” That would immediately end the interview.
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