your hardest interview question!

[Sunnyday]

Okay, lay them on me. What questions have left you speechless?

otherwise

New outfit bought. check
Going through practice question not completely check
Research on company check
Plan route to interview site unchecked

[busymom]

I always hated the "what are your greatest strengths?" question.  And, the "what are your hobbies?"  Yeah right, with kids I've got time for lots of hobbies...   

[alabamagal]

Not quite a question, but one time I interviewed with a well-known candy company in their manufacturing plant.  They told me ahead of time that I would be given an "example problem" to solve and then would have to give a presentation to an interview panel.  Well that was a little odd.  The problem was very vague, I think I did decently and was a bit nervous.

But the worst part was when I first got there they put a large bowl of their candy products on the table (a bottle of water also) and told me to help myself while I was working on the presentation.  I didn't take any, I was too nervous about the presentation, didn't want to complicate it with any food issues.

I didn't get the job, always wondered if maybe I should have eaten a few of the samples.

[flamingo]

At a recent interview, I was asked by the team I'd be supervising, what 3 changes would you implement within your first month of working here. ? How should I know, I don't work here yet! Which is basically how I handled it. I said that my first month would be spent learning and observing how the office works, and then I would evaluate if changes needed to be made. 

I don't know that it was a hard interview question, but it certainly was odd.

[Sunnyday]

I<ve spent most of last night and this morning watching sample questions and answers on youtube.

If anyone is on the job hunt, I suggest that you watch some videos. They were very helpful.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

"If you were writing a book about your life, what would the titles of the chapters be and what would they be about?"

Kay. . .

[sesfw]

The one I hate is 'Where do you see yourself in another 5 years?'

I wonder what the correct answer is.

[swasat]

This one had me stumped.

"What are you bad at your job? Something you really suck at in your professional life."

 How does one answer that?!?! I am not going to share that with anyone, least of all a potential employer. You can never win with that question.

[Deleted]

"Why should we hire you for this job"

[Iggy aka IG]

"What are your weaknesses?"

[hoops902]

When I was applying internally I was asked who was the best and worst manager I've had within the company.

[Deleted]

Jun 5, 2014 11:32:09 GMT -5 sesfw said:

The one I hate is 'Where do you see yourself in another 5 years?'

I wonder what the correct answer is.

The other variations:

What are your short term goals? What are your long term goals?

[Abby Normal]

Jun 5, 2014 11:48:13 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

When I was applying internally I was asked who was the best and worst manager I've had within the company.

Ouch-  Hands down the winner of the worst question award. Unless you can name a "worst" manager who has left there is no good answer for that.

[Cass]

This wasn't a question, but I wonder if it was a test (?)

At an interview last week, they grilled me for over an hour.  After that, it was time for a 'computer' portion.  I was led to a room and left there alone with the door closed to type and the phone kept ringing- probably 5 or 6 calls 

(No, I didn't answer it)

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I had one job interview where I was given a test.

I pointed out 3 errors in their test, and was told I was overqualified. OOOPS! But in my defense, if they are trying to test that I know sufficient to be able to do the work, they should have found the mistakes themselves.

[hoops902]

Jun 5, 2014 12:07:19 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

Jun 5, 2014 11:48:13 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

When I was applying internally I was asked who was the best and worst manager I've had within the company.

Ouch-  Hands down the winner of the worst question award. Unless you can name a "worst" manager who has left there is no good answer for that.

I named someone who was universally hated at our company (and who I knew my interviewer didn't care for) who had already been fired.  It was the only time i was ever thankful to have worked for that person.

[Iggy aka IG]

Here's a test type question:

So, you arrive at the grocery store.  Do you take a shopping cart from the parking lot, or wait until you get inside?

[Chocolate Lover]

Jun 5, 2014 11:32:09 GMT -5 sesfw said:

The one I hate is 'Where do you see yourself in another 5 years?'

I wonder what the correct answer is.

I always wanted to be a smartass and say "being your boss's boss" or something. Instead I probably looked at them like they'd grown 2 heads and stuttered a lot. Or "um"d a lot....

[greeniis10]

See, these examples about "tests" make me want answers.  WERE they tests?  I.e. the candy samples offered, the ringing phone, etc.  And if so, what were the hiring managers looking for and why?  To me, knowing those things would be really helpful, not to mention interesting.

[Chocolate Lover]

Jun 5, 2014 7:40:52 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

Not quite a question, but one time I interviewed with a well-known candy company in their manufacturing plant.  They told me ahead of time that I would be given an "example problem" to solve and then would have to give a presentation to an interview panel.  Well that was a little odd.  The problem was very vague, I think I did decently and was a bit nervous.

But the worst part was when I first got there they put a large bowl of their candy products on the table (a bottle of water also) and told me to help myself while I was working on the presentation.  I didn't take any, I was too nervous about the presentation, didn't want to complicate it with any food issues.

I didn't get the job, always wondered if maybe I should have eaten a few of the samples.

You'd think they'd be happy you didn't eat a bunch of samples. You won't "sample" them out of business

[morrisr2d2]

The where do u see yourself in 5 years is code for you would probably be considered to move up for succession planning so they want to see if you are thinking ahead and offer the info that you want to take on higher leadership roles.

[Phoenix84]

The one I never liked was "What are your greatest weaknesses?"

Generally when I do an interview I try to anticipate common interview questions and prepare some responses with examples.  But I also try not to make it too robotic, like I'm reading it from a script in my mind.

If the job is important to me, I actually drive the route to the interview location beforehand.

[Abby Normal]

Jun 5, 2014 15:58:38 GMT -5 morrisr2d2 said:

The where do u see yourself in 5 years is code for you would probably be considered to move up for succession planning so they want to see if you are thinking ahead and offer the info that you want to take on higher leadership roles.

Or do you have a direction in life and what might that be?

We had one person say that she wanted to be independently wealthy.  Follow up question "How to you  plan on achieving that".  She said quite seriously " I'm going to win the lottery. I buy $100 in tickets every week, so it's just a matter of time.  I don't really want to work so I have to make it happen"

[Sunnyday]

I just got back from my interview. the question that stump me was " what does your ideal organizational chart look like?"

huh?

[thyme4change]

Jun 5, 2014 11:35:51 GMT -5 swasat said:

This one had me stumped.

"What are you bad at your job? Something you really suck at in your professional life."

 How does one answer that?!?! I am not going to share that with anyone, least of all a potential employer. You can never win with that question.

To this question and the "weakness" question I answer "The good news is that I learn from my mistakes, so what I have done wrong in the past is probably not going to repeat.  The bad news is I keep finding new, unexpected mistakes to make."  And if you have any leeway in searching for a job and you aren't desperate you can say "I find that I don't do well in {{such and such}} type of atmosphere"  Or working for a boss that {{say a real quality, not just an insult}} or whatever.  Then at the end you can say "Can you tell me about the daily culture of your department?"  (Or, "Can you tell me more about your style as a boss?")  It shows that you are self-aware and want to find out if it would be a likely situation for success.  Of course, it is risky, because if you describe the company and boss as something that would not work for you - your hosed - but really, would you want to work there anyway?

The other thing I have been told is to list a weakness and your solution.  When I was younger I said "My weakness is that I can have a little tunnel vision about my job.  I would like to be able to get the whole picture.  I decided to get my MBA to help me think through the problem from angles that are not my job.  So far, I have learned x, y, z and it helped me get through blah, blah situation at work by applying my new knowledge."  It worked great was I was in my mid-20's and had 3 or 4 years of experience in a low level position.  If I said that I couldn't get my head wrapped around the big picture now - I'd look like a fool.  So, I have to rethink that answer when I go back out onto the market.

[Deleted]

It's actually best to answer the negative with a technical weakness if possible... Would like to type faster, become more proficient at (some auxiliary software used but not essential),  ... Something that can be learned and mitigated easily... NOT anything that might signify a personality issue or issue with existing work environment.

[kent]

I had one of the gang-bang interviews (5 people) once. One of the idiots actually asked me if I ever committed a crime - wth? There's a group that hasn't got a clue as to what a legal vs. illegal question is.

[thyme4change]

Asking if you committed a crime is not an illegal question.  In reality, you can ask if they are married, have kids, their race - all the things that HR has told us not to ask.  It isn't illegal unless you use that information as your reason to not hire someone.  It is easier to not ask then to later prove that you found a better candidate that just happened to be a straight, white male.

It is completely legal to ask if you committed a crime, and the vast majority of employers run background checks that include a criminal record search.  Being a criminal is not a protected class either.  If I ask you if you committed a crime and you did - I could send you a letter in writing that said "I won't hire you because you stole a car when you were 19."  Totally legit.  But I can't write you a letter that said "I didn't hire you because I prefer to work with Asian men, and you are neither."  That will get you in hot water.

[Deleted]

Jun 5, 2014 17:07:00 GMT -5 Sunnyday said:

I just got back from my interview. the question that stump me was " what does your ideal organizational chart look like?"

huh?

Me at the top of it 

[midwestlily]

Jun 6, 2014 1:04:04 GMT -5 @lillylake said:

Jun 5, 2014 17:07:00 GMT -5 Sunnyday said:

I just got back from my interview. the question that stump me was " what does your ideal organizational chart look like?"

huh?

Me at the top of it 

I like that answer!

I'm guessing, just guessing, that they're trying to find out if you prefer a very hierarchical organization, clear chain of command, or something flatter, fewer managers, maybe people shifting around depending on the project.

But I do think it's a bizarre question.  And hard to guess what the "best" answer would be, unless you already know something about their organizational structure.