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 got ask what my best friend would say my 3 best and 3 worst qualities are, then the same but what would my husband say...I said my best friend wouldn't ever say negative things about me to other people and my husband would say whatever I told him too. Luckily they laughed and I got the job!

I've been asked the why didn't you do better at uni...I told them the truth which was that my sister died the night I was due to move down to my uni and that grief probably got in the way of doing a German degree...hindsight I shouldn't have gone to uni.

And no I didn't get the job!

Slightly different as I'm a self employed childminder. But parents do act like they are interviewing me for a job sometimes. I was once asked how much notice I give if I am going to be off sick

First question I was asked in one interview was "when was the last time you cried"? I hadn't even sat down! Can't remember how I answered, but it just went on like that with quick fire random questions. Bizarre

I got asked why my university allowed me to take time out from my degree. I told them my brother had died, and still they couldn't believe that I would be allowed to take time out to grieve. Fuck you public sector job that I'm glad I never got.

I've been asked, "when was the last time you got angry, and what did you do?". This was for a warehouse job.

My friend once got the "sell me this pen" question and copied Wolf of Wall Street in asking the interviewer to write down his name. He had another pen which he used and friend was pretty stumped after that. She ended up saying
"Well think of all the places you could put it!"

I got awful feedback for my last interview..was told I was so nervous I made the interview panel uncomfortable but that I "excelled" at the other parts of the interview (full day with lots of tasks)...no actual advice either....

I went for a project manager job at a software company and the panel invited one of the team into the room halfway through the interview and announced that I had to role play with him. The brief was that a client didn't like the product the guy's team had delivered and I had to negotiate with him about timelines to get it redone.

I fucking hate roleplay.

I was given something to describe in 5 words! They really thought they got everyone, because it was an very unusual object except I knew what it was by a strange coincidence!
The job involves a lot of research... so the obvious answer would be "I don't know but I would look into xyz to find out."

Waitrose interview - "if you could be any product in our store what would you be and why?" or something to that effect.... 😑

Pre interview I was asked to do two online tests - one grammatical and one mathematical.

Maths has never been my strong point, nor is it a part of what I do for a living. Safe to say I failed the maths test miserably (got full marks for grammar though!)

I was told they still wanted to interview me, great news. Went along and had a normal interview with would be manager and head of department. After that they told me one of the directors wanted to meet me. Cool, no problem.

Went along and he gave me a full on maths test. Face to face. No calculator. No prep time

Thankfully I managed to pass it somehow and got the job, never did anything maths related though 😂

What my views were about medical care for illegal immigrants who were being processed out. Since that actually was the job I applied for of course I feel that everyone should have access to care. It's a bit like being asked what your views are about your job . Nobody is going to say that it is shit. Otherwise I wouldn't have applied. I was offered the job but turned it down because I could get more hours (and therefore more pay) somewhere else.

I was told I was so nervous I made the interview panel uncomfortable

Oh, gosh! How mortifying.

I had a flatmate who had had a job interview in the morning. There was something really odd about him that afternoon and his pupils were like pinpricks. He told me he had taken some speed to hep him with the interview. I was imaging Spud from Trainspotting, but to my shock he actually got offered the job.

@FindMeInTheSunshine

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".

I’ve had this and I laughed and said I was out drinking every night, luckily it went down well and they laughed too

I was asked what three words my line manager would use to describe me. Given that I was in the process of suing the organisation for sex discrimination the words 'pain in arse' sprung to mind and would not go away.... I think I said tenacious, ambitious, strong-willed Needless to say no job offer.

I was asked to lead a group discussion on a relatively obscure topic that I had spent the best part of a year collating all examples of best practice about. They didn't know this. I read 'lead a discussion' as facilitating a discussion and get people to share their ideas. I prepared a lot and the team talked loads. Yeah, they wanted me to do a presentation bringing my ideas so that lost me the job.

My interviews have generally been ok but I did once interview someone for a role and asked them why they would like to work for the company (expecting they would show some research had been done prior to interview) She answered 'Because it's only about £1 bus fare to get here which is better than the other job I've also applied for'
Coupled with the fact she replied to everything in a flat drone with no personality, I found it very hard to keep a straight face!

Publishing marketing job in the days when they all had printed catalogues. Was asked what I thought of the catalogue and what I would do with it. The catalogue in question was terrible. I didn't know whether to be polite or launch in and risk offending someone. I think I launched in politely, managed not to offend the person who put it together, and got the job.

@3cats speed would give you dilated pupils, wouldn't it?

Mine was "How would you disseminate information?" What information? And to whom? I asked her what she meant and she just repeated the question louder. I didn't get the job.

I was asked one of those long convoluted showing off type questions, involving the Stephen Lawrence case, institutional racism and the redefinition of racism. I had to ask for it to be repeated and the in the end I said that I was really sorry but I really didn't feel I could answer it, I had no ideas on it and didn't want to just say any old thing for the sake of it. Incredibly, I got the job.

speed would give you dilated pupils, wouldn't it?

Maybe. I have no idea. I just remember his eyes were freaky as fuck and he was all twitchy and acting strange. I was like what the hell is wrong with you? And he told me about the interview and the speed and I was so shocked because you could tell a mile off he was high on something.Then he told me they gave him the job. I just couldn't believe it.

The worst question I was asked was one of those long, convoluted question within a question type ones where you can’t really work out what they’re asking. I work in public sector and we are supposed to avoid those sort of questions. I had to ask them a couple of times to repeat and clarify the question, and I gave “feedback“ afterwards about the format of the questions as they were all a bit like that.

I still got the job tho! Have since learned it was a bit of a test and they wanted someone who would stand up to people!

Some of these are awful!!

I was in my mid-twenties and had just got engaged. The woman interviewer, around mid 40s, kept looking at my ring. (It was just a diamond ring, pretty low key, not at all flashy!) and said at thd end of the interview: "I noticed you're engaged, have you set a date yet?" I said not yet but we were hoping for next autumn (about 18 months away.) she asked if I'd thought about having children?! I didn't know what to say! I had but I hadn't put a time stamp on it at the time.

I know she was asking because obviously she didn't want me going off on maternity leave, so I didn't know what the right answer was! Lie and say no but then come unstuck when I possibly might want kids sometime in the next 3-5 years, or say yes and risk losing a job opportunity... I gave a sort of flustered answer that maybe I hadn't decided yet!

I actually got the job, but turned it down as I decided I didn't want to work there anyway.