Interview Questions That Will Make You Cringe

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around unconventional and cringe-worthy interview questions and scenarios experienced by participants during job interviews. It includes a mix of personal anecdotes and shared lists of bizarre questions, highlighting the often absurd nature of some interview practices.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants share lists of unusual interview questions, such as "Do you sparkle?" and "Where would you hide an elephant?"
  • One participant recounts an interview experience where they were asked to sell a pencil, expressing disdain for the scenario.
  • Another participant humorously suggests a confrontational response to the pencil-selling scenario, framing it as a weapon.
  • A participant reflects on being judged for their attire during an interview, indicating a mismatch in corporate culture values.
  • There is mention of using absurd scenarios as a way to gauge candidates, with one participant noting a past practice of asking candidates to sell unappealing items.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the absurdity of certain interview questions and practices, but there is no consensus on the appropriateness or effectiveness of these methods. Multiple competing views on interview etiquette and expectations remain evident.

Contextual Notes

Some comments reflect personal preferences regarding corporate culture and individuality, indicating that experiences may vary widely based on industry and company values.

AlephZero
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A selection published in the UK Financial Times recruitment supplement, 12 April 2011:

1 Do you sparkle?

2 (Asked by "mature" maile interviewer) So, Miss Williams, tell me what excites you?

3. We have a lot of young girls on the staff. Will this be a problem for you?

4. What's your Facebook status?

5. Your'e not a vegetarian or anything, are you?

6. Where would you hide an elephant?

7. Are you decisive?

8. I see you ride a motorcycle. That's unusual for a woman. Are you going to grow out of it?

9. Do you have any children? Follow-up question: Does your husband have any children?

10 What would you like inscribed on your gravestone?

Feel free to add answers (or more questions...)
 
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I was called in for an interview with a department head that I had not sent a resume to. (I found out later that she had a friend in HR and they had forwarded my resume to her instead of the department it was intended for.) I went anyway to see what she had to offer. We were sitting at a conference room table and she throws a pencil in front of me and tells me to "sell it to her". :rolleyes:

I turned her job offer down and got my resume to the right person.
 
As I have no interest in working for any company that presents such moronic scenarios, I would simply reply as follows:

“The pencil you have just placed in my possession may be used as a weapon. If you purchase the pencil from me, I guarantee that I will surrender the pencil to you peacefully and then YOU will have the weapon. Now; are you inclined to purchase the pencil from me, or would you prefer to see where I jam it next?”
 
When I was interviewing for college, I was asked "If you were an inanimate object, what would you be?"
 
AlephZero said:
A selection published in the UK Financial Times recruitment supplement, 12 April 2011:

1 Do you sparkle?

2 (Asked by "mature" maile interviewer) So, Miss Williams, tell me what excites you?

3. We have a lot of young girls on the staff. Will this be a problem for you?

4. What's your Facebook status?

5. Your'e not a vegetarian or anything, are you?

6. Where would you hide an elephant?

7. Are you decisive?

8. I see you ride a motorcycle. That's unusual for a woman. Are you going to grow out of it?

9. Do you have any children? Follow-up question: Does your husband have any children?

10 What would you like inscribed on your gravestone?

Feel free to add answers (or more questions...)

Sorry, interview threads are no longer allowed on the PF. Thread closed.



Oh wait...:blushing:
 
I was informed in one of my very first 'software developer' interview that I was "obviously" not serious because of my tie. (It was narrow and magenta). People in this line of business take themselves more seriously than that.

I kept my tongue but spent the rest of the interview assuring him that he'd convinced me this was not the place I wanted to work, as there were places out there that welcome individuality and have some corporate culture.

A mere half hour of biting my tongue led to a life lesson wherein I learned that choosing where I don't want to work is as important as choosing where I do want to work.
 
Evo said:
We were sitting at a conference room table and she throws a pencil in front of me and tells me to "sell it to her". :rolleyes:

Hmm... we use that one as a put-down for job applicants with engineering degrees who say they want to move into sales and marketing.

Before anti-smoking legislation came in, sometimes we asked them to sell us the dregs of a cup of vending-machine coffee, with a couple of cigarette butts floating in it. Interviewers have their seccret siignals for "OK, we agree this one's a reject, so let's have some fun making hiim/her earn his/her travel expenses before we let him/her out of jail..."
 

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