20 Random Questions An Interviewer Asked That Left People Perplexed
When we go for an interview, we sometimes forget that the person we are going to meet is just another, well.. person.
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Getting ready for a job interview can be a nerve-wracking time. You get all dressed up, arrive early and wait to be judged by your potential new colleagues. You have a few minutes in which to get to know these people, impress them with who you are as a person as well as highlight your specific skill set and how it could potentially help the company you are interviewing for. Fingers crossed, you hope for the best. In fact, we get so worked up that we tend to fill that moment with such intensity that we forget we are going to meet someone who is probably just another random weirdo in the world.
However, some folks did take note and recalled some incredibly weird encounters at these interviews that made them go, “huh”, at some of the strange questions put to them or some of the more revealing statements by interviewers that were almost borderline offensive or bizarre. Shared by Redditors online, these peculiar interactions will remind you that sometimes you're the one with the upper hand, and it's best to go in reminding yourself of that because, at the end of the day, people respond quite positively to confidence.
Image source: kitskill, Pixabay
"If you were a brick in a wall which one would you be?"
I'm sorry, I didn't know I was interviewing with Pink Floyd.
Edit: Maybe this is a good question after all. I'm learning so much about people.
Image source: ReptilianZen, Andrea Piacquadio
*"Can you provide proof that you are not 100 snakes inside of a hollowed out man?"*
Image source: blind30, Matthew Hurst
“You want a beer?” No lie, just like that. I hesitated because I was not expecting that, but he opened the fridge and it was filled with beer- half Budweiser, half coors light.
I passed on the beer, still have the job.
Image source: LookAtMeImAName, cottonbro studio
I was once asked in an interview, "Do you look at your s**t after you wipe?" Which they asked me to see if I would lie or not. Apparently it is a natural instinct that nearly EVERYONE does, which, back in our caveman days, used to be a way to see if you were getting sick or not via the color of your steaming dung. I laughed and said yes.
Image source: anon, Paola Aguilar
I was asked a question regarding my GPA during college.
"You finished with a 3.2, but had failed a bunch of classes your first year and a half, what the f**k was up with that?"
I was poor in the dorms and couldn't afford my books or Pearson™ Online Study Questions Portal Code™. They thought it was a suitable answer.
Got offered the job.
Image source: Crimsonlobelia
Not me but a friend was applying for a Christmas temp job and the last question was "Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?" Her reply was "No. It's a Christmas classic".
She got the job obviously.
Image source: Bumblebee_assassin, Andrea Piacquadio
I was being interviewed for a IT Helpdesk job at a bank a number of years ago and was asked "Why are manhole covers round?". I was later told after answering wrong that it was to see if the person would say "I don't know" (Correct answer) or just try and BS their way out of it.
Image source: Yog-Nigurath, Andrea Piacquadio
¿How old do you think I am?
Hmm.. I don't know... 40?
You have the job. I'm 60.
Wow...
Image source: anon, Sora Shimazaki
"So, I see that you're married. do you f**k around?"
I was interviewing for a supervisors position. The job was open because they had just fired a supervisor for having sex with a woman that worked under him and they were sued.
Image source: AleenaMorgan, Tima Miroshnichenko
I was being interviewed by a young guy and two older ladies. The guy just kind of stared at me the entire interview while the women asked all of the questions. After they were done questioning me one of them asked him if he had any questions for me and before she could finish the statement he blurted out 'are your boobs real? They look really good!' I was in shock.
The woman in charge asked me to please wait outside, and after a minute both ladies met me in the hallway and offered me the position I interviewed for at $2/hour more than what the position tops out at. I'm still here 3 and a half years later, and I've never seen that guy since the interview.
Image source: Happylittlepotatoes, Andrea Piacquadio
I was interviewing a potential employee with my supervisor and the last question he asked her was “How are you with dealing with....stupid people?” It was completely out of left field and informal based on the questions we were previously asking. You could tell the question threw her but she answered. And she ended up getting the job.
Image source: MTAlphawolf, Michael Lehet
"Do you believe in aliens?"
Obviously a super serious interview for the arcade I worked at in HS. They also asked me to be on their laser tag team in the tourney that night.
Image source: asphyxiationbysushi, ThisIsEngineering
Did you have a close relationship with your father? I'm a woman (engineer) and this was a totally out of left field question.
Edit: this was in the late 90's and people would be shocked by the s**t female engineers in very male dominated specialities had to go through.
Image source: Subfounder, Tima Miroshnichenko
"What's your name?"
Was only weird because I knew the guy already, and we were on a first name basis. I laughed, assuming he was joking. He didn't laugh. Apparently they are supposed to ask the exact same questions to everyone.
Image source: ntlslayer95, Leyla Kılıç
“If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?”
I was interviewing for an analyst position so I went for a “decision tree” Got the job
Image source: MunichRob, RODNAE Productions
Weird series of questions:
Interviewer (picks up phone): what’s your wife’s number.
Me: um, she’s in the US and it’s 2 am there. Why would you want to call my wife?
Interviewer: is your mother also in the US?
Me: yes. Why?
Interviewer: well, say I would call your wife or mother. What would would they say is your most annoying habit?
Image source: f_sick, Marion Pintaux
Wasn’t a question, just funny/weird. I was in high school looking for a part time job, so I went to a local Chinese restaurant and asked for an application. They’re response, “what’s that?” I said I would like to work for them. So the person behind the counter told me to hold on for a minute, went into the kitchen to talk to the owner, and came back out to hand me a pen and a sticky note. He told me to write down some information. I write my name and phone number and ask if that enough and he says that it is.
So, I get a call over the weekend asking me to come in Monday after school. I thought, cool, got an interview. I show up and they tell me to pull my car around back. When I do, they come out of the restaurant with a bag of food and a GPS and say, “Here. Go deliver this.” Needless to say I got the job and worked for them for the next 6.5 years.
#1
Image source: kitskill, Pixabay
"If you were a brick in a wall which one would you be?"
I'm sorry, I didn't know I was interviewing with Pink Floyd.
Edit: Maybe this is a good question after all. I'm learning so much about people.
#2
Image source: ReptilianZen, Andrea Piacquadio
*"Can you provide proof that you are not 100 snakes inside of a hollowed out man?"*
#3
If you were an animal, which would you be and why? I was applying for a cannabis shop, so I said I'd be a bald eagle because they get higher than any other animal on earth ? Image source: kxbrown#4
Image source: blind30, Matthew Hurst
“You want a beer?” No lie, just like that. I hesitated because I was not expecting that, but he opened the fridge and it was filled with beer- half Budweiser, half coors light.
I passed on the beer, still have the job.
#5
Image source: LookAtMeImAName, cottonbro studio
I was once asked in an interview, "Do you look at your s**t after you wipe?" Which they asked me to see if I would lie or not. Apparently it is a natural instinct that nearly EVERYONE does, which, back in our caveman days, used to be a way to see if you were getting sick or not via the color of your steaming dung. I laughed and said yes.
#6
Image source: anon, Paola Aguilar
I was asked a question regarding my GPA during college.
"You finished with a 3.2, but had failed a bunch of classes your first year and a half, what the f**k was up with that?"
I was poor in the dorms and couldn't afford my books or Pearson™ Online Study Questions Portal Code™. They thought it was a suitable answer.
Got offered the job.
#7
Image source: Crimsonlobelia
Not me but a friend was applying for a Christmas temp job and the last question was "Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?" Her reply was "No. It's a Christmas classic".
She got the job obviously.
#8
Image source: Bumblebee_assassin, Andrea Piacquadio
I was being interviewed for a IT Helpdesk job at a bank a number of years ago and was asked "Why are manhole covers round?". I was later told after answering wrong that it was to see if the person would say "I don't know" (Correct answer) or just try and BS their way out of it.
#9
Image source: Yog-Nigurath, Andrea Piacquadio
¿How old do you think I am?
Hmm.. I don't know... 40?
You have the job. I'm 60.
Wow...
#10
The boss’ “Where do I know you from?”. My wife and I had seen her at a swinger club and fooled around with her for a while. I didn’t know how to answer the question, so I just shrugged and moved along. She figured it out later. She was like “clothes threw me off...” and kept walking. Image source: naigung#11
Image source: anon, Sora Shimazaki
"So, I see that you're married. do you f**k around?"
I was interviewing for a supervisors position. The job was open because they had just fired a supervisor for having sex with a woman that worked under him and they were sued.
#12
Image source: AleenaMorgan, Tima Miroshnichenko
I was being interviewed by a young guy and two older ladies. The guy just kind of stared at me the entire interview while the women asked all of the questions. After they were done questioning me one of them asked him if he had any questions for me and before she could finish the statement he blurted out 'are your boobs real? They look really good!' I was in shock.
The woman in charge asked me to please wait outside, and after a minute both ladies met me in the hallway and offered me the position I interviewed for at $2/hour more than what the position tops out at. I'm still here 3 and a half years later, and I've never seen that guy since the interview.
#13
Image source: Happylittlepotatoes, Andrea Piacquadio
I was interviewing a potential employee with my supervisor and the last question he asked her was “How are you with dealing with....stupid people?” It was completely out of left field and informal based on the questions we were previously asking. You could tell the question threw her but she answered. And she ended up getting the job.
#14
Image source: MTAlphawolf, Michael Lehet
"Do you believe in aliens?"
Obviously a super serious interview for the arcade I worked at in HS. They also asked me to be on their laser tag team in the tourney that night.
#15
Image source: asphyxiationbysushi, ThisIsEngineering
Did you have a close relationship with your father? I'm a woman (engineer) and this was a totally out of left field question.
Edit: this was in the late 90's and people would be shocked by the s**t female engineers in very male dominated specialities had to go through.
#16
Image source: Subfounder, Tima Miroshnichenko
"What's your name?"
Was only weird because I knew the guy already, and we were on a first name basis. I laughed, assuming he was joking. He didn't laugh. Apparently they are supposed to ask the exact same questions to everyone.
#17
Image source: ntlslayer95, Leyla Kılıç
“If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?”
I was interviewing for an analyst position so I went for a “decision tree” Got the job
#18
Image source: MunichRob, RODNAE Productions
Weird series of questions:
Interviewer (picks up phone): what’s your wife’s number.
Me: um, she’s in the US and it’s 2 am there. Why would you want to call my wife?
Interviewer: is your mother also in the US?
Me: yes. Why?
Interviewer: well, say I would call your wife or mother. What would would they say is your most annoying habit?
#19
Image source: f_sick, Marion Pintaux
Wasn’t a question, just funny/weird. I was in high school looking for a part time job, so I went to a local Chinese restaurant and asked for an application. They’re response, “what’s that?” I said I would like to work for them. So the person behind the counter told me to hold on for a minute, went into the kitchen to talk to the owner, and came back out to hand me a pen and a sticky note. He told me to write down some information. I write my name and phone number and ask if that enough and he says that it is.
So, I get a call over the weekend asking me to come in Monday after school. I thought, cool, got an interview. I show up and they tell me to pull my car around back. When I do, they come out of the restaurant with a bag of food and a GPS and say, “Here. Go deliver this.” Needless to say I got the job and worked for them for the next 6.5 years.
#20
I was asked "Can you stay a few minutes and help me move some furniture?". It was for an IT job at an engineering firm, years later I was told that he was both trying to figure out whether I was a "No, that's not what I am being hired for" kinda guy or a "Sure, I'll do whatever needs doing" kinda guy. Also, he did have a couple of desks that he needed help moving. I did stay and help, and I did get the job. Image source: chessplodderDE
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