Most idiotic question you have been asked at a job interview?

[ReadyForSeason]

Inspired by another thread.

I have been asked what car would I be and what would I be if I could be anything?
I fell for the first one and answered. With the second one, years later I was mature enough to answer “Housewife” - all the manager was interested about is telling how he would be a helicopter pilot…

90s for me : (

I started a new job when I had just moved to the area and for the first few weeks I drove to the office in DHs quite nice new VW Golf, then he started his new job which was 20 miles in the opposite direction so we bought me a cheap runaround to get to work, bearing in mind the job paid just above minimum wage it was a small oldish car, and the office manager got quite annoyed with me that I had ‘lied’ about the Golf being my car, I had never said it was my car at the interview she had asked if I had a car and I’d said yes. It was so weird how irrationally angry she was about it, I clearly would never have been able to afford a new Golf on what they were paying.

Do you always wear your hair like that?

What would you do if you split up with your boyfriend?

These were during the same interview for a job in an art gallery.

Well that’s wrong. While VLOOKUP is MY favourite, I know there are superior lookups like INDEX and MATCH and XLOOKUP - I just don’t know how to use them.

Simeone asked me what animal I'd like to be and why for a really basic job I wanted part time to fund my university degree. I said a cat because they are the perfect killing machine and can survive anywhere. I thought that was a really good answer. I didn't get that job. Maybe I should have been a fluffy rabbit or an elephant.

I was asked at my third interview with a recruitment agent why my fingers kept clicking and could I stop it.

I have clicky joints I really can't help it

A question I asked him though was why they asked me back for three interviews when they told me at the third they wouldn't hire me anyway because I lived too far away. I was absolutely furious. Never mind I'd said in my FIRST interview that I lived in Liverpool but was willing to relocate (and had literally looked at two flats before the interview!), never mind that info was obviously on my CV, never mind that I'd told them I had been out of work since I graduated (a matter of months but clearly no money is no money!) and I'd had to borrow money for a smart interview outfit. I told him thanks for wasting my time as I stalked out.

Not as amusing as some of the other I know, but that was 18 years ago and I'm still annoyed!

How do you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

how do you tie your shoes?

I didn’t get the job 😂

I used to keep a print out of a spreadsheet with all the column letters and corresponding numbers tapes to my screen.
I always enjoyed concaternating personally.

I genuinely don't understand why this makes them on the ball. Could you explain?

To me it alienates a large swathe of applicants who now think you - as in both the interviewer and the company - are idiotic.

There is no psychology behind asking someone about a biscuit or animal they would be, beyond seeing if someone is quick thinking enough to answer with something nonsensical or witty.

I'd far rather see something job related thrown in as a curve ball than bullshit about how being a gingernut represents my flowing red hair and my burning desire to see the world become a better place or some such tripe.

I quite like hlookup too.
At a university interview DC1 was asked how do you make a cup of tea. DH said did you say 'ask Mum'?

was my mother proud of my GCSE results? It was a PGCE interview when I was 21 (5 years after my GCSEs) one interviewer was checking my documents whilst the other was asking me normal questions like my experience with kids. The first man stopped, interrupted his colleague to gush over my admittedly good GCSE results for a good few mins. The only reason I’d brought them was because they had to verify I’d passed English and Maths. It was just so bizarre and really turned me off the uni! Also this was 2019 so really not long ago. And yes my mum was proud of 16 year old me but she had gotten over it 5 years down the line

Naaah... I reckon she was still proud of you.

Do you have a boyfriend, and how does he feel about you going for this job (it was a tattoo apprentice)
Urm, it has nothing to do with him 😑scarpered out of there sharpish! this was over a decade ago and it still makes me annoyed just thinking about it.

Do you sell stamps? I worked in the Post office!

Ah, just read op properly, questions in an interview, sorry, but it was the most bloody stupid question I’ve ever been asked😳

Late 2000s here.

I'm sure people are still asking it.

I got asked that in 1985 too. The other interviewer looked horrified and I asked the questioner if he had anyone in mind for me

Was the spaghetti dry, fresh or cooked?

@Svalberg dry spaghetti

I'd make the supports short & wide!

I love vlookup - so handy 😂

A colleague of mine used to say that his greatest strength was hard work and honesty. His greatest weakness was hard work and honesty.

It's an unimpeachable answer.

"You'll be the only female in management, in fact the majority of staff are male and a lot are ex military with strong personalities. How will you handle that?"

My response was "my ex boss used to refer to me as the office Rottweiler. I think I'll be fine."

@FrangipaniBlue funnily enough, I had similar in 2004! But it was almost worse....

"As a white female joining a predominantly white male police force, how do you expect to be treated?".

After I picked my jaw up off the floor and calmed myself down I was fairly cutting in my reply. Unfortunately I didn't pass that year! I passed the next year when the questions were much more sane and I joined up!

@Kurokurosuke , thank you - that did make me genuinely laugh , as it did my DH 😁