Strangest question a recruiter has asked you?

[stickydancefloor]

Had an online meeting this week with a recruitment agency.

It was all the usual questions until she asked me about the role I held previous to my current one...

"So you were there for 7 years?"
"Yes that's right"
"Who do you keep in touch with from there?"
"Well, no-one nowadays"
"Why's that?"
"I think that's natural when you move onto a new employer that you gradually lose touch with your old colleagues"
But why don't you keep in touch with them?"
"Like I said, we drifted after I left, I think that's quite normal really"
"So you don't speak to any of them?"
"No, it was 7 years ago I left there"
"But why don't you speak to them anymore?"
"Because I'd moved on and things change when you move on and aren't at the same employer"
"So you don't keep in touch with anyone there?"
"NO!!!"

Round and round in a circle!!!!! It was most bizarre!!!!

What the strangest questions you've had from a recruiter?!

they asked my about my DH's job, and our childcare arrangements. and my age...... this was for a local mid-size company 5 years ago. I realised I didn't want to work with them.

I was asked if I would be comfortable taking my clothes off there and then ( to show confidence apparently). It was for film extra work.
I was young but managed to get out of the door.

Back in the 80s I had one interview where the recruiter seemed obsessed with my accent (or lack of one). I was born and raised in the North, but went to uni in the south and didn't have a distinct northern accent:

Recruiter: So you were born and grew up in [Northern City]

Me: Yes, and then I went to uni in [southern town]

R: But you haven't got a northern accent?

Me: Er, well, not a strong one, no . . .

R: So why is that? Have you deliberately tried to lose it?

Me: Not really, I guess I just don't have one.

R: But everyone from [Northern Town] has a XX accent, so why don't you?

Me: Well, I'm not sure that's true, it's just stronger in some people

R: What sort of school did you go to? Did they give you speech and elocution lessons?

Me: An inner city comprehensive, and no, I didn't have any speech lessons

R: So how do you explain your lack of a regional accent?

Me: Er, perhaps because my parents listened to Radio 4 sometimes?

It wasn't as if it was relevant to the job - it wasn't for a radio or TV host or a call centre or anything!

At an interview I got asked if I was planning on becoming pregnant and later on asked if I was going to have children soon as I was recently married. I didn’t get the job.

Interview for an HR Manager role at a small business. I was asked by the interviewer what an HR Manager did.

Lots of “Ooh, do they do that?” And “Oh, I’m not sure we need that here”

Turns out they had no idea what an HR Manager was but the directors friend told him he needed one

I was asked by a recruitment agency (big well known one) if there were any companies I didn't want to work for in my line of business.
I named previous employer bar one, specifically the part of the company I'd worked for as it was riddled with poor management and was one of the reasons I'd left.

Recruitment Agency rang and told me they had the ideal job, I was their best candidate and I had an interview in their branch offices 2-3 hours drive away. Got there to find interview was with the company I didn't want to work for (seems the team wanted me back). I walked out as soon as they confirmed who it was.

What a waste of a day!

Ha ha ha. Recruiters are generally speaking a funny bunch and unsurprisingly are often compared to Car Salesmen and Estate Agents! Only today I was asked what type of job I was looking for after seeing my profile on Reed. Well, if they'd looked at my CV, keywords and summary they'd know! I have over 15 years worth of experience in my field so that should give them a clue! Just started a new in-between job. It was only yesterday that I was looking up the lies that Recruiters tell. I'm just too honest and need to play their game.

@Ariela

I was asked by a recruitment agency (big well known one) if there were any companies I didn't want to work for in my line of business. I named previous employer bar one, specifically the part of the company I'd worked for as it was riddled with poor management and was one of the reasons I'd left.

Recruitment Agency rang and told me they had the ideal job, I was their best candidate and I had an interview in their branch offices 2-3 hours drive away. Got there to find interview was with the company I didn't want to work for (seems the team wanted me back). I walked out as soon as they confirmed who it was.

What a waste of a day!

This reminds me of when I signed up with a recruitment agency and specifically said that I didn't want a job which involved taking minutes of meetings. Guess where they kept sending me for interviews...

I was living abroad and travelled home specifically for the interview as I was planning on relocating if I got the job. It was for a position as a solicitor and I was told that the first round would be a presentation, topic provided on the day. I spent ages reading up on topical legal issues so that I would be ready. Got there and they asked me to give a presentation on 'My best friend'. I should have walked out then and there but went ahead as I had travelled so far. I don't actually have a best friend so as well as being a bloody irrelevant topic it made me feel bad. Needless to say I didn't get through to the next round.

I'm a teacher.

I was once told that all the teachers are required to go on the annual year 6 residential weekend on a rota basis. I was asked who would look after my children when it was my turn. I answered that husband would and i felt the whole tone of the interview immediately change.

Until that point, I'd felt i was in with a chance - they were smiling, nodding, engaging and seemed keen but they immediately changed and the interview felt like I was just going through the motions and I knew I was out of the running.

I didn't get it.

Not sure what my answer was supposed to be 🤷🏻‍♀️

Asked if I lived on my own and did I have a partner and plan to have kids. Absolutely furious I was!

@CardboardBoxInTheRain That's really weird. Some questions are designed to trip you up. Do you think they wanted you to be child-focused, even on your own and for you to say that you'd take your children with you?

Isn't the asking what your parents did for equality questionnaires? Your class is determined on those by your parents job, so if they hire someone who's parents were labourers they'll fill a diversity gap for working class hires.

In the early 2000’s 34yo me went for a job as a police analyst, armed with my stats and psychology degrees and 10 years relevant experience. The uniformed police officer member of the panel asked me what my dad did for a living . No wonder the crime rate in that town was so high

[quote RainbowBriteUk]@CardboardBoxInTheRain That's really weird. Some questions are designed to trip you up. Do you think they wanted you to be child-focused, even on your own and for you to say that you'd take your children with you?[/quote]
No. I've never heard of that happening.

Besides, my youngest was 2 (they'd also asked my children's ages). I kind of got the impression that, "My husband," wasn't an acceptable answer to them. Maybe they didn't trust that a husband would do it and I'd end up backing out at the last minute citing 'childcare issues'?

It seemed an odd question though when the majority of teachers are women and the majority of us have children.

"The last person who had this role went on maternity leave a short time after. So, how's your health?"

Female interviewer, small publishing company, 2011

I was given a random object, selected from a bookshelf behind them, and told to sell it in the style of QVC, specifically. It was excruciating. But I was offered the job. I think, because I really hammed it up and went for it.

It wasn't so much a question, but I was told it was unprofessional to go to a job interview with a broken wrist.

I'd rung them beforehand (no pun intended), said that I couldn't really write, but still wanted to come and was it ok? The person on the phone said not to worry, of course come if you are able, and that they'd give me a tablet/laptop for the written task.

I arrived, and the "unprofessional" comment was one of the first things they said. I could maybe understand if I had a bright cast, or one with writing all over, but it was plain and clean. And they made me write the written task by hand, so my writing was terrible and took ages.

I did not get offered the job. And I still don't know what is unprofessional about a broken wrist...

I genuinely don’t think I could put up with any of those wanky questions such as “if you were a colour, what colour would you be?”. My answer would be that I’m not a colour and don’t really understand the relevance of the question!

I used to be fantastic at interviews and a real people pleaser, I think as I’ve got older and grumpier I’ve lost my tolerance for bullshit and treat interviews as a way to see if they’re the right fit for me as well as the other way around. The last interview I moulded myself into ended up putting me into a nightmare job with awful people and with hindsight I should have realised my personality wouldn’t be a good fit with the bizarre questions that I was asked.

I was 18-19 and applying for job in a clothes shop.

Male interviewer: "What does your boyfriend do?"

Me: "I don't have a boyfriend."

Interviewer: "What's wrong with you?"

@wingsofsteel

Just to offer another possibility for the OP's bizarre interview question-

A while ago part of my job included recruiting for my company. They decided to change the interview format based on advice from some supposed experts. Instead of asking about candidates' relevant experiences etc we were supposed to ask questions to find out about their 'inner qualities'. Part of the scoring for the interview was how quickly they answered and there were very much right and wrong answers (apparently getting it right quickly showed authentic answers and leadership qualities). One 'quality' were were supposed to find out about was how focussed candidates were on building and maintaining wide, strong networks. Suggested questions included asking how many friends they have, how often they see friends from University, when they last spoke to their last but one employer. I wonder if OP encountered something similar?

We were also supposed to find out whether candidates are the sort of person who prefers to start projects or finish them (right answer is finish apparently). Suggested questions included 'Thinking about your Christmas shopping, do you prefer writing your list of gift ideas for loved ones, or wrapping the gifts' and a 'Starter or dessert?'

But whether you prefer a starter or dessert has nothing to do with whether you like to start projects or finish them but whether you prefer savoury or sweet!

I had almost forgotten this but I was asked where I would park if I got the job. I'm not sure why they were bothered, they didn't have staff parking but it was in the town centre with car parks, park and ride busses, ordinary busses and free parking in residential streets in easy walking distance! And I live three miles away so could have used any of these options.

‘Is that your real hair’

Turned out she thought it was extensions and she was looking for extensions, but I was baffled.

What is my favourite possession.

Absolutely baffled as to what that might have told them about my suitability for the job.

Former recruiter here.

They want to know who you're in touch with so they can have a friendly "in". The minute you speak to an agency, they will be looking at candidates (or just making up a CV) with the same skills set as yours and sending it to your line manager.

An agency will recruiter will want to know what your childcare plans are, especially if you've been a SAHM for a while. There have been numerous occasions where I've secured a role for a candidate and they've bailed at the last minute because their childcare has apparently fallen through. Obviously you don't have to answer this but it's much easier for everyone if you're all on the same page.

You may feel like you're getting a right grilling from an agency recruiter but that's only because their clients are paying them a hefty sum to ensure the only candidates they interview face to face are right for the job. They will want to know about employment gaps to ensure you haven't been in prison (I have been caught out here). Your recruiter will have spent a great deal of time finding out as much information about your future employer as possible, they've already worked out that some of these employers are arseholes (and likely have former employees on their books to back this up) and want to be sure that you'll be able to handle the work environment. Equally, they may be recruiting for an extremely chilled / set in their ways manager and sending in a candidate who wants to barge in and start making changes would not go down well.

There's a lot of hate on here for recruitment consultants and I get that, because some of them are cunts. Just remember that the good ones are genuinely happy when you get a job and not just because they're making a fee but because we really like making people happy!!