Do You Prefer Cats Or Dogs?
Yup, that is an actual question people have been asked during a job interview (and no, they weren't applying to work at PetSmart). We guess that, sometimes, employers have good reason to ask these out-of-left-field questions. But for most of these, we can't imagine what that reason could be. If you have any ideas, let us know in the comments. And just for fun: How would you answer these questions?
"If This Job Offered No Money, Would You Still Want To Work Here?"
Do they expect anyone to honestly answer "yes"?
"Why On Earth Are You Here Today?"
We thought the last one was the dumbest job question we'd ever heard. Until we hear this one.
"If I Were To Go Into Your Room Right Now, Would Your Bed Be Made?"
This is when making your bed every morning finally pays off.
"Sing A Song That Best Describes You."
Unless it was The Voice and the interviewer was Adam Levine...this one is bananas!
"If You Needed To Eat An Elephant, How Would You Go About It?"
We can't get past the "needed to" part. We wonder if there was a follow up, asking "When would you ever NEED to eat an elephant?"
"If Someone Wrote A Biography About You, What Do You Think The Title Should Be?"
They Were The Best Employee That [Insert Company Name Here] Ever Had
"Why Are Manhole Covers Round?"
Is there another answer besides, "because manholes are round?"
Nichizhenova Elena, Adobe Stock
"Using A Scale Of 1 To 10, Rate Yourself On How Weird You Are"
We want to work in a place where "10" is the right answer.
See If You Can Figure This One Out...
"You are given two eggs, you have access to a 100-story building. Eggs can be very hard or very fragile which means they may break if dropped from the first floor or may not even break if dropped from the 100th floor. Both eggs are identical. You need to figure out the highest floor of a 100-story building an egg can be dropped without breaking. The question is how many drops you need to make. You are allowed to break two eggs in the process".
"If Your Grandparents Visited, Clogged Your Toilet, And Left Without Telling You, Would You Call And Ask Them Why They Did That?"
We don't know what the right answer is—but we kinda love the question.
"If You Were A Salad, What Kind Of Dressing Would You Have?"
And while we're on the topic of salads...
"What Makes A Salad, A Salad?"
Hmmmmm. What does make a salad, a salad?
"Are You Sure You Want To Start At The Top Of The Salary Band? That Won't Give You Much Room For Growth".
They couldn't have been serious. Right?
"Can You Tell A Joke?"
Are they asking us if we are able to tell a joke, or do they want us to tell them a joke?
"Are You A Cat Person?"
No, I'm a human person. (See, I can tell a joke).
"If You Had No Clean Underwear, Would You Rather Wear A Dirty Pair Inside Out, Or Would You Rather Not Wear Underwear That Day?"
How dirty are they that inside out is an option and "wear them again normally" isn't?
"Explain Quantum Electrodynamics In Two Minutes, Starting Now".
We really hope this was for a job at a quantum electrodynamics company.
"Why Do You Think Only A Small Percentage Of The Population Makes Over 125,000 A Year?"
Are they implying you will, or won't be, part of that small percentage?
"How Many Balloons Would Fit In This Room?"
Inflated or not inflated?
"Who Do You Like The Best, Your Mom Or Your Dad?"
Even more awkward if you were applying for a job at your family's company.
"How Many Bricks Are There In Shanghai? Consider Only Residential Buildings".
Because if you include commercial buildings, it's too hard to figure it out.
"How Many Smartphones Are There In London?"
Wait—we don't get to remove business customers from consideration?
"What Would Be A Good Reason Not To Hire You For This Position?"
This one sounds like a take on the classic, "What are some of your weaknesses?" question.
Innovated Captures, Adobe Stock
"If You Could Get Away With It, Would You Steal From Us?"
Does anyone answer "yes" to this one?
"What Did You Want To Be When You Were 10 Years Old?"
Whatever the job you're interviewing for is, right?
"What Were The Causes Of The First World War?"
This is when bringing your high school history exam to every job interview finally pays off.
"Who Would Win A Battle Between A Ninja And A Pirate?"
Is this a job interview or the start of an argument between two third graders on the playground at recess?
"What Was The Last Book You Read?"
Not that crazy a question. It's good to always have an answer to this one in your back pocket. And make sure it's one you've actually read, as there's likely to be follow-up questions.
"Are Your Parents Disappointed With Your Career Aspirations?"
Hopefully you have a session with your therapist scheduled for right after this interview.
"If You Won The Lottery, What Would You Do With The Money?"
Are they trying to gauge whether you'd stick around if they paid you a lot of money?
C D/peopleimages.com, Adobe Stock
"Give Me One Good Reason Why I Should Give You This Job".
Is, "because I want it" a good answer?
"If I Put You In A Sealed Room With A Phone That Had No Dial Tone, How Would You Fix It?"
These days, how many people do you think would respond, "What's a dial tone?"
"Do You Believe In UFOs?"
WWFMD (What Would Fox Mulder Do?).
"What Was Your GPA In High School?"
College we understand, but high school?
"How Would You Measure 9 Minutes Using Only A 4-Minute And 7-Minute Hourglass?"
Quick. How would you do it?
"How Do I Rate As An Interviewer?"
Are they looking for an honest answer?
"What Is The Philosophy Of Martial Arts?"
What? Unless, of course, this was for a job as a martial arts instructor.
"What Would I Find In Your Fridge Right Now?"
Hopefully you went grocery shopping recently.
"What Car Make, Model, And Color Do You Drive, And Why Did You Choose It?"
Is, "because I could afford it" a good answer?
Lets End With A Long One...
"You have three boxes. One contains only apples, one contains only oranges, and one contains both apples and oranges. The boxes have been incorrectly labeled so that no label accurately identifies the contents of any of the boxes. Opening just one box, and without looking inside, you take out one piece of fruit. By looking at the fruit, how can you immediately label all of the boxes correctly?"
