Make us laugh - applying for a job.

[SouthernNorthernGirl]

OK, so it's part of an application (yes, really!) that I will be sending via email.
I've been racking my brains, and I'm utterly stuck. I have a very dry sense of humour, and think that's mostly possible during conversations - not so easy as a one way thing.
Ignoring how this is, please help me!

For the post I was applying for, the sell-in-one-minute was not in any way appropriate. I can imagine it having some value in a different context perhaps.

I objected to the idea of 'selling' myself to them after a thorough interview for which I'd done extensive preparation. If they'd asked me to summarise in 1 minute what I thought my most useful skills would be for the role, or something like that, I'd have been happy to answer.

An interview process is a 2-way street, particularly at a senior level. I wasn't there to 'sell' myself, I was there to show them why I felt I was suitable and equally to see if the role was a good fit for me. I don't think that's arrogant, I think it's pretty standard.

My 'emotional judgement' and 'ability to read the room' were how I instantly knew that this one manager was going off-script. There was palpable discomfort amongst the other interviewers.

Set up a spoof twitter account under a name similar to the company name (but not too similar) and write a bunch of funny (but clean) tweets engaging with their client/public. Just link to it.

It is a terrible question from the applicant's point of view. How can you possibly make a joke when you don't know the audience? If the applicant submits an inappropriate joke it might be a deal breaker in terms of progressing to interview. I would go for a (possibly vaguely humerous) sidestepping of the answer.

Humorous even.

"He has eaten a fat ball" always makes me laugh.

Alternatively this joke:

"This Irishman went for a job on a building site and the foreman warned him that he'd have to answer some difficult questions.

"'That's OK,' said the Irishman.

"'You're absolutely sure?' asked the foreman.

"'Absolutely,' said the Irishman.

"'Right,' said the foreman. 'What's the difference between a joist and a girder. Think carefully.'

"'Well,' said the Irishman, 'Didn't Joyce write Ulysses and Goethe write Faust?'"

I like the Milton Jones style of joke for this. E.g.
Crime in multi-storey car parks. That's wrong on so many levels.
I've just finished my book, I wrote it on penguins. Come to think of it, paper would have been better.
My [sister?]... its difficult to say what she does... she sells seashells on the sea shore

I wonder if they're asking this not to care if the joke is funny etc but to weed out people who put inappropriate jokes / racist / non pc things.

Similar to how we often ask for a moral dilemma in interviews - it doesn't really matter what you say as long as you don't drop yourself in it for having no morals (people often seem to!).

Badtasteflump

HeartsTrumpDiamonds That made me howl with laughter
I am dyslexic and can so relate to it

Could The Viz help out in a job interview? That would be a first!!

Try this Top Tip for size:

COMMUTERS - Get more value for money by sitting on the top of the bus. Considering the circumference of the earth, you will travel 0.0000000013% further than your fellow passengers downstairs who have paid the same fare.

I'm going to be the grumpy boring mcjudgy pants here and say that the employer is completely out of order. It's a brilliant way for them to try and sort the native English speakers from those with a different first language or culture and thus could lead to claims of discrimination. Even if that wasn't the reason for this question it'd be hard to prove it.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=ezrJHau7dzU

Is it illegal to discriminate against non native speakers?

A guy walks into a bar. Says "owch".

OP go with @Doublevodkaredbull on the knock knock joke, it's relevant and non offensive