Today I got an e-mail from GlassDoor which highlighted 25 Oddball interview questions. I always find these types of questions amusing. I'm curious to know what types of answers the interviewers actually receive. I certainly would not be able to answer math-related questions on the fly without a pen, paper and time to think. Logic questions are interesting too because I always think there's a catch. For example the famous question "Why are manhole covers round?" which certainly doesn't have one right answer. I originally thought the logical answer is because it is the only shape that doesn't fall into the hole but after doing a bit of research there are other shapes that meet that criteria and there are tons of other answers.
When preparing for an interview it is easy to prepare yourself for the anticipated questions but just as important to be able to think on your feet. Essentially your reputation and abilities are being tested and screened throughout the entire process. The last thing you want to happen is leave a bad impression by not being able to respond to a question. It doesn't make sense to "prepare" for unpredictable or oddball questions but you should be able to react quickly and at the very least try to create an interesting or memorable conversation!
The funniest answer on the site was when Google had asked "How many basketball[s] can you fit in this room?" and a person responded "Google it." This could be taken as a joke but since it was Google I think it would have made an interesting conversation to then discuss how people who grew up with Google use that term on a regular basis and heavily rely on the site for knowledge and answers. Then some people actually did the math assuming the volume of the room, the basketball and how many times the ball might fit. Then someone said 2 because that would fit nicely and that there is no right answer. Overall, I found reading the answers extremely interesting and insightful. I could only imagine people's responses in a real interview!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
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I think I'd prefer the oddball questions to the same old, expected questions. Those tend to get boring and mechanical. I will say the "google it" answer was pretty inspired.
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