How to Answer Stupid Job Interview Questions

LinkedIn ^ | 08 March 2014 | Liz Ryan

[Secret Agent Man]

my greatest weakness?

i still find myself answering stupid interview questions.

[IronJack]

Some years ago, I interviewed with a massive retail chain. I had recently left a job that had made me miserable for more than ten years, and I swore I'd never get trapped in such a nightmare again. One of the interviewers seized on my recent departure and asked me about it. I answered that the organization had changed radically from what it was when I had first joined, and that I was being overworked and underappreciated and that I had finally had enough. He responded by asking me why I thought he should inherit some other company's troubles by hiring a guy who apparently couldn't get along with the management. After I explained that I had been with the company for almost 20 years and that I had exhausted every option for a satisfactory outcome before I left, I answered his question directly: "Maybe you shouldn't."

With that, I got up and left the interview. The other interviewer (it was a team) ran after me and said "Don't pay any attention to him. He's just that way." To which I replied "Save the good cop/bad cop routine for someone else. If you have to play games with your candidate, I wouldn't want to work here anyway."

There were 10 candidates for three positions. I came in fourth. The lesson? Sometimes honesty may hurt your chances, but you have to weigh the risks of not getting the job against the risk of GETTING it!

[LambSlave]

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

A yellow jacket. I would fly inside of your mouth and sting your tongue until you stopped asking me stupid questions. Did you know that yellow jackets can sting many, many times before they die? :-)

[Night Hides Not]

If you’re asked what is 1+1 your answer should be “whatever you want it to be”

My answer? By the time I get to the bottom of a tax return, that "1+1" will have turned into a tax loss.

My interviews end when the HR person remarks, "your resume is too strong for this position." Rather than say, "why'd you bring me in the first place?", I ask for their assistance in "dumbing down" my resume.

HR personnel can burn in hell, as far as I'm concerned.

[right way right]

Yesterday I told a potential employer that they were going to have to find an “extra stupid Mexican” to do what he was proposing to me.

(The job would have been a financial wash)

[dmz]

I’ve been a job seeker, and I’ve been a recruiter in 10+ billion dollar organization.

There are aholes everywheres, you cannot avoid them. Deal with them.

Your point is key, by posting an opening a company is saying they have a need, and by interviewing you they tacitly agree that you might be a good fit for the job. Recruiters dont waste time on meaningless interviews (save the courtesy interviews their bosses make them do).

A interviewee needs to be confident and ready to explain how their experience fits with the organization they are interviewing (do your homework).

Also, do some research on behavioral interviewing. If so, you’’ll have a pretty good idea of what questions are coming.

[Oatka]

YEARS ago, Readers Digest printed some college-grad responses to these stupid questions:

“What are your greatest stengths?”
“I am prompt, loyal, polite, caring, etc.”
And what are your weaknesses?”
“Sometime I am not prompt, loyal, polite, caring, etc.”

“What is the greatest improvement you have seen in yourself?”
“The sight of blood no longer excites me.”

My buddy and I, fresh out of computer school in the late ‘60s were pounding the bricks to no avail, and being constantly exposed to this drivel. Many times it wasn’t even face to face, but over the phone. One time, at Collins Radio, my buddy got fed up and when he was asked why he want’t to work there, he replied, “So I can feed my family in the manner to which they have become accustomed to.”
CLICK.

[Mr. K]

I dint like rath of kahn so much in that it reminded me of a TV episode, not a big screen movie

First Contact I like a lot, and the new ones with the young Kirk and Spock were great!

The first MOVIE star trek still is great to watch.

I guess that is my criteria- would I watch it again (and again) I must have watched First Contact the most of all about a dozen times at least

[dmz]

HR personnel can burn in hell, as far as I’m concerned.

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And if you think your interviewer doesn’t get that from you and your body language, you’re kidding yourself. There’s a pretty wide gulf between self assured and arrogant. Evaluating the best fit for the job absolutely includes attitude. I’ve shown my share of hotshots the door for just that reason. Because I know I have an interview later that day with someone just as strong. Thank God I don’t do that job anymore.

But you’re absolutely right that under and over qualified people should not be brought in for time wasting interviews.

[discostu]

First Contact is actually pretty good on the little screen. It’s unwatchable on the big screen though because Frakes was so addicted to the Trek TV directing style of nothing but closeups and extreme closeups. The biggest thing I remember from watching it on the big screen is the cracks in the Borg makeup, years later seeing it on the little screen I actually could watch a pretty good story, but I’ll always hate it for that first viewing.

I watched the first movie again last weekend, I swear it gets worse every time. So plodding and slow and self important, it feels like a so-so episode of the show they added an hour and a half to. Not to mention the incredibly awful FX. My “favorite” 2 scenes are the cardboard cutouts (at least that’s what they look like) of Kirk and Scotty in the shuttle pod docking with the Enterprise, and the 4 minutes of V’Ger making noise (near the end when they’ve figured out what V’Ger) that’s nothing but cuts between the set with lights flashing in and on it and reaction shots of the crew looking confused (pretty sure they weren’t acting, they were just confused). And we were so in love with that thing when it came out too, wasn’t until years later when the VHS came out that we realized it stank on ice.

[Starstruck]

"Why are manhole covers round?"

I know the answer but would be tempted to say "because the manhole is round."

[mdmathis6]

“The kind of animal that embezzles company funds, and who is a serial sexual harasser”

Well, well... the social Darwinist version of a hyena! ;)

[wbill]

90% of the interview takes place at the handshake and the first words out of your mouth

You got that right.

I can tell if I'm *NOT* going to hire someone in the first 30 seconds of an interview.

Do I want to hire them? That's a harder question. But the very first bit is the key, always.

[Night Hides Not]

There was a time a few years ago, that my body language screamed "desperation" more than assurance or arrogance.

Fortunately, I've had a few good things fall for me the past four years. When my current contract ends in November, I'll have only the mortgage and utilities to worry about, as my other debts will have been paid off.

Your points are well taken. We all should strive to be more self assured than arrogant.

[mdmathis6]

“get a book on NLP”

The only issue with NLP is that the Dem’s use such techniques to push agendas on the weak and foolish that are destroying this country. Car Dealers and most politicians use that crap!

[EQAndyBuzz]

And managers, and sales reps and instructors and........

Got me my job.

[TexasRepublic]

Some of the job application forms are as stupid as the interview itself. No one in HR will answer any preliminary questions before you fill one out:

Job Hunter: “Does your company have any openings for xyz?”
HR: “Fill out these forms”

So you fill out 4 or 5 pages of inane questions. Who designs those things? They cram so many fields onto a page that you need a magnifying glass and an ultra-fine pen to read and fill them in. “List your accomplishments:” and they give you a linear inch of space to write.

[mdmathis6]

It had great music though...as did wrath of Khan. Those music directors must have been listening to Vaughn Williams’ Sea Symphony for inspiration.

[wbill]

you have to weigh the risks of not getting the job against the risk of GETTING it!

Yep.

Setting this snarky article aside (I can't believe that it's actually serious.....) an interview cuts two ways. You're interviewing the company as much as the company is interviewing you.

For critical (usually senior) hires, I like to take the people out to lunch. You learn a lot about a person by what they do in an informal setting.....more often than not, people are on their best behavior in the office, then change completely once they're at the restaurant.

How they choose where to go - setting allergies/restrictions aside, the correct answer to what's suggested is "Sure", particularly since I'm going to suggest something tasty and fairly generic to begin with.

How do they treat the server? That's the fastest way to strike out, right there. What do they order? If they grill the waitress harder than an overdone steak about the menu......Forget it. I don't want to work with a PITA who likes his water "Tepid, with lemon, and light on the ice" and so on.

Also, if they can't make a choice (I've sat across from people who dithered over a choice of sandwiches for 8-10 minutes. It's a SANDWICH for pete's sake! Order it, and deal with it....) then that that's strike three, as well.

And so on. That's just my $0.02.

[NorthMountain]

"How many golf balls would it take to fill a 747 ?"

One million, Seven hundred seventy one thousand, Five hundred sixty one.