AIBU to ask the toughest interview question

[Livingonachair]

What is the toughest interview question you've faced?

Mine was for a job at our sister company where I was asked what didn't I like about the company in terms of process. As I hadn't worked for that part of the company before it was basically impossible to answer as I didn't know the processes!

I once got asked

‘If you get this job, what will you do differently in the role to improve efficiency?’

Which felt impossible because I obviously didn’t have an in-depth knowledge of the role from the job description and hadn’t had an opportunity to ask my own questions yet. It also felt like a trick question for me to suggest what about the role/company was inefficient (how would I know anyway??).

First ever job, handed a pen - "sell this to me".

Current job - "talk me through a tour of the site. What do you see?"

Questions like these are not about the 'right' answer per se, they just want to see what you can come up with.

I was asked why I hadn't done better in my degree in an interview for my first "proper" job. I was speechless as I tried to work out whether the better answer was "I didn't work hard enough" or "I'm really not very clever".

@FindMeInTheSunshine oh my goodness. I wouldn't know what to say to that at all

AS PP said - there's no 'right' or 'wrong' answer. They just want to see how you deal with being put on the spot.

If you can remember that, it becomes easier to deal with.

Years ago in an interview for a job one of the directors said, you seem too nice, it tends to be real arseholes who do well in this type of role (!)

So I was left to either concede that I really am as nice as I seem or argue that I’m actually rather a c*, he just hadn’t seen it yet.

I was asked what would i say to the CEO if he walked into the room right now. I just remebered being confused as to how i would know the person was the CEO znd asking How do i know? The intervierwe said 'pretend he has a badge on' (pre widespread internet so i couldnt just google before the interview). I cant remember my answer but it was something stupid like 'oh are you the CEO, nice to meet you Im being interviewed' i didnt get the job obviously. The feedback was i didnt really sell myself.

Mine was “What would you do if I asked you to rebrand the NHS?”. Given that the NHS is the most recognised and loved brand in the UK, it was the most stupid thing I’d ever been asked. I managed to express that politely but I wasn’t appointed.

I got asked how my friends would describe me

I said punctual- oh yes that's what we all look for in a friend. No I didn't get the job.

Any interviewer who acts 'clever' in asking an extremely difficult question is on a power trip and it would signal to me I wouldn't want to work for them. They are putting the candidate at a severe disadvantage and won't get the best out of them, if they put them on the back foot.

FWIW, I've lost count of the interviews I've done, but deliberately avoid anything that would make the candidate uneasy or stressed. In my current public sector role, we are told to purposefully avoid the ambiguous and the tricky, and stick to facts to gain a good understanding of the person's skills and capabilities, and whether they'd be a good fit, not whether they come out with the wittiest answer to a dumb contrived question.

After an interview the guy was walking me out and casually said 'oh I forgot to ask, do you have children?' I replied that I have a stepdaughter who stayed with us on weekends, and his response? 'Oh brilliant, so nothing that will get in the way then?'
Clearly he was a very sympathetic manager when it came to working mothers, I soon changed my mind about wanting that job!

I got asked how my friends would describe me

I was asked what my best friend would say about me. For a moment all I could think was that she would say I can't hold my drink and I take ages to reply to text messages.

In the end I said something about being supportive and a good listener.

I remember a thread on MN where the OP was called into the interview room and asked to sit down on a chair that was obviously wet. I think she just walked out.

Interviews are so nerve-wracking. I would hope that the interviewer would ask relevant questions and do their best to put people at ease. I hate trick questions.

When I was much younger I applied for a job at pets at home. Their application form asked if you were an animal which one would you be.

I didnt get an interview but the feedback was they didn't think the animal I picked would be the best for their company!

I had a friend who applied to Pets at Home once and got that question, Livingonachair He said he would be a dog because he was loyal and hardworking.

Like you he didn't get the job and they said it was because of his choice of animal.

What’s your greatest achievement in terms of career...panicked and went on a rant about strengths, productivity and how my greatest achievement is yet to happen. By the time I’d finished the interviewer had forgotten her original question.

We need an insight into what the heck Pets at Home are after!! Gerbil? Rabbit? Can't be a cat because they don't give a shite...

@Bonzabaybee

Years ago in an interview for a job one of the directors said, you seem too nice, it tends to be real arseholes who do well in this type of role (!)

So I was left to either concede that I really am as nice as I seem or argue that I’m actually rather a c*, he just hadn’t seen it yet.

I've been given the "too nice" feedback for several roles I've applied for in the past. It's a tough one to do without sounding like an utter toughnut bitch

Shittiest question I had was is it better to produce something good that's one time or having something perfect that's late (words to that effect).

What does your husband do. Followed by are you thinking of starting a family. Circa 1992 .

I said I didn't think either question was relevant to the job and it was illegal to ask the second. They pressed re the first and I told them and they asked if he'd be able to provide advice foc if I worked there. I was polite and said it was highly unlikely.

Didn't get the pleasure of refusing to attend a second interview.

Bizarre outfit.

For Kitchen Chef job got asked ...
" What makes a good shift ? "
i answered
," there are three main things which make a good shift ...
1.No one dies
2.No one dies
3.No one dies "

i didn't get the job.
Otherwise i hate the standard
" why do you want the job "
as the true answer would be - " because i'm bored shitless being stuck in the house and there is a Waitrose close by to the job "

My husband once had an extreme logic puzzle involving a pirate ship sharing out their bounty. It was an IT job but still intense!

My worst was a fake phone call. Who doesnt seem like a complete tool saying "Ring ring!" In a job interview.

The logic puzzle. waitbutwhy.com/2016/06/pirate-booty-puzzle.html

I think it’s a real red flag if interviewers ask deliberate ambiguous questions to ‘trip up’ or test their candidates (or ‘clever’ tasks, like the wet chair from that famous MN thread). It can show a lack of recruitment experience or worse, that they are always trying to one up their staff or catch them out.

Hiring is meant to be about the find best candidate for the job. You want them to do well in the interview because you want to fully understand what the person is capable of and how they work. Equally though you want to sell the job and company to them, because chances are if they’re a strong candidate then they could have other offers or need a decent incentive to leave their current role. If you bollock about with tricks and games then they’re going to assume that is what it would be like to work there, which nobody wants.

I remember a thread on MN where the OP was called into the interview room and asked to sit down on a chair that was obviously wet. I think she just walked out.

Yes whenever interview threads come up, they make me think of that thread too. I think she did walk out, don't blame her, it was bloody weird.

@AntiSocialDistancer that would've been impossible for me 😂