The weird and wacky world of interview questions

Expect the unexpected

You’re almost there. The interview is scheduled, your suit has been laundered and your shirt starched. Your head is throbbing and you’ve got double vision from all the hours glued to the computer researching the company that is going to launch your career. You know it has 3789 employees, the MD’s middle name is Cederick and Shirley the receptionist is actually a man. But what you don’t know is exactly what you’ll be asked when you’re locked in a small stuffy office which smells of dustbins with a panel of employers who are well versed in the art of interviews and have pulverized many like you before…

The basics

• If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
  Avoid answers like “A koala, because I think they’re cute”. Think about the characteristics associated with different animals and what image you want to project and the specific requirements of the job.
• What was the last book you read?
  If you haven’t read a book in ages you might struggle to think of a title or appropriate response so be prepared.
• You are hosting a dinner party and must invite 3 famous people. Who would you choose and why?
  This type of question is asked to reveal your personality traits and demonstrates how quickly you think on your feet. Don’t just plump for pop stars and actors. Think about political figures, artists, authors, Nobel Prize winners!
• How do you carry out research?
  Do not say “With a highlighter’, or “I use other people’s notes”. Think about methods you have used and examples of when you have used them. Books, the internet, questionnaires, experiments, surveys, observations, existing data. All of these are valid research tools.
• What is the worst decision you have ever made?
  Think about a time when you wish you had handled things differently and learned from your experience. Don’t worry, it is OK to have areas of weakness (see article on interviews).
• What would I find in your refrigerator?
  A bit leftfield but this is just the sort of question thrown in to catch you off guard! Probably best not to say mouldy cheese and half a jar of gherkins.
• How would your friends describe you in 3 words?
  Not such a wacky question but quite common. Ask your friends if you cannot rustle up some ideas on your own.
• How would you deal with someone who was rude to you?
  Another way to see how diplomatic you are and how you cope with tricky situations.
• What did you do last weekend?
  It is amazing how many people struggle to answer this. Don’t say you slept until lunch time, ate pizza and watched back to back episodes of the Office. This might be true but it is a good idea to have a couple of interesting activities up your sleeve, just make sure you can follow through. Don’t pretend to have seen a film or gone skydiving if you haven’t!
• Is a Jaffa cake a biscuit or cake?
  It might seem a pointless, petty question but the sort of thing you might be asked to see how you think on your feet and justify the answer you give!