Posted on 09/01/2012 7:39:17 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Some companies are notorious for using interview processes that bring you back to the days of your college entrance exams wrought with riddles, written tests, bizarre questions, and multiple rounds of group or in-person interviews. So which companies have the toughest interview processes out there? Glassdoor dug through more than 80,000 interview reviews shared over the past year to uncover the Top 25 Most Difficult Companies to Interview.
| Company | Interview Difficulty Rating | Interview Experience: Positive | Interview Experience: Negative | Company Rating | Company Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKinsey |
3.9 | 62% | 13% | 4.1 | Very Satisfied |
| Boston Consulting |
3.8 | 70% | 10% | 4.1 | Very Satisfied |
| Oliver Wyman |
3.7 | 57% | 9% | 3.6 | Satisfied |
| A. T. Kearney |
3.7 | 64% | 12% | 3.4 | OK |
| ZS Associates |
3.7 | 65% | 6% | 3.4 | OK |
| Thoughtworks |
3.6 | 64% | 16% | 3.8 | Satisfied |
| Bain & Company |
3.6 | 73% | 2% | 4.2 | Very Satisfied |
| Shell Oil |
3.6 | 65% | 4% | 3.8 | Satisfied |
| Google |
3.5 | 45% | 18% | 4.1 | Very Satisfied |
| Unisys |
3.5 | 70% | 5% | 3.1 | OK |
| Rackspace |
3.4 | 72% | 11% | 3.9 | Satisfied |
| Cypress Semiconductor |
3.4 | 76% | 10% | 2.9 | OK |
| Susquehanna International Group |
3.4 | 58% | 7% | 3.7 | Satisfied |
| bazaarvoice |
3.4 | 38% | 13% | 3.2 | OK |
| Procter & Gamble |
3.4 | 63% | 7% | 3.8 | Satisfied |
| Teach for America |
3.4 | 65% | 6% | 3.7 | Satisfied |
| L.E.K. Consulting |
3.4 | 62% | 5% | 3.4 | OK |
| Juniper Networks |
3.4 | 67% | 8% | 3.3 | OK |
| Sapient |
3.4 | 75% | 6% | 3.3 | OK |
| Stryker |
3.4 | 31% | 19% | 3.2 | OK |
| General Mills |
3.3 | 49% | 15% | 3.8 | Satisfied |
| Progressive |
3.3 | 52% | 24% | 3.6 | Satisfied |
| Headstrong |
3.3 | 60% | 12% | 2.9 | OK |
| Facebook |
3.3 | 51% | 19% | 4.6 | Very Satisfied |
| Amazon |
3.3 | 44% | 18% | 3.3 | OK |
Veterans and Newcomers: For the second year in a row, McKinsey & Company (Interview difficulty 2012: 3.9; 2011: 3.9) tops the list, and several other companies on last year’s report have made it into the top 25 again, including Oliver Wyman (Interview difficulty 2012: 3.7; 2011: 3.4) and Teach for America (Interview difficulty 2012: 3.4; 2011: 3.5). Newcomers to this list include Shell Oil (Interview difficulty: 3.6), Google (Interview difficulty: 3.5), Rackspace (Interview difficulty: 3.4), Facebook (Interview difficulty: 3.3) and Progressive Corporation (Interview difficulty: 3.3).
Some of the most daunting questions candidates have recently been asked include:
“There are 3 products: tomatoes, luxury cars, t-shirts. What value added tax is applied to each product type?” – McKinsey & Company Junior Consultant Candidate (location n/a)
“How many people would use a drug that prevents baldness?” – Boston Consulting Group Associate Candidate (Boston, MA)
“What is the marginal cost of a gigabyte in gmail?” – Google Associate Product Manager Candidate (Mountain View, CA)
Think one of your job interviews was tough? Share your interview review and tell future job candidates what to expect, and how to prepare.
Could I bring a teleprompter?
Why are manhole covers round?
Another toughie:
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
If ifs and whats were cherries and nuts we’d all have a... what?
True or false if you had a big enough bath tub, the planet Saturn would float?
True, but it would leave a ring.
Actually, these are just three answers. There are more. But it’s not the point of the question.
Last real job interview I was invited for had a stupid test. Committee style interview where they asked questions, but they weren’t normal job interview type questions. They were questions on things normally done sitting at your computer and just doing them. Things like “how do you set a shares user access control in Win7”. Things I know how to do but I have never verbalized with people staring and waiting on an answer. On a written test or a computer based one I do just fine but that one I flubbed pretty much everything.
Didn’t you see that GEICO commercial that proved woodchucks could chuck wood?
The farmer can distinctly be heard admonishing the woodchucks saying, “Hey you woodchucks, stop chucking my wood!”
Yes ILS21R, woodchucks can chuck wood.
It was a trick question.
Congratulations... you’re hired.
While I know how to do it... I would answer with:
I call the help desk to find out the proper procedure for requesting administrative access and/or the administrative rights to execute the change and then ask them for the official and approved process to execute the change.
My former employer used both McKinsey and Boston Consulting to investigate big projects. The kids from these two companies were sharp, sharp.
It’s a trick question to see if you accept male centric naming conventions.
And that is probably the answer they were really looking for! :) Stupid SOX compliance
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