7 Crazy Interview Questions And How To Answer Them

Interviewers, being (well…) interviewers, do not always need to struggle to get on your nerves, do they? It comes naturally with the territory. I am a human resource practitioner with a couple of years’ experience and I have heard many stories from the other side. To be honest, I am not oblivious of the fact that sometimes, we ask some weird questions that will leave a candidate dumbstruck and static for seconds like someone that has been struck by lightening. You begin to wonder what business we have asking the questions we ask and more importantly why.

Like I said before, I have been on both ends of the table and can relate to what job seekers face at interviews. You spend the few days drilling yourself and practicing several possible questions; under intense tension, sweating in the air-conditioned room and barely keeping your heart from beating out of your chest. You think you are doing great… until one interviewer who knows nothing about the struggle just asks one question that ends up derailing you and shaking your confidence. How do you answer the question, “Many people are coming from your right hand side and many more from your left, how many people are there altogether?”

Here are seven crazy questions interviewers ask candidates. I have given few suggestions on how to answer some of them. Please use the comment box to share weird questions you were asked during an interview. Also, you may provide some ideas on how to answer some of the questions given below. 

Question 1: If you were given a box of pencils, list 10 things you could do with them that are not their traditional use.

Question 2: Why shouldn’t we hire you?

Question 3: Tell me a joke.

Suggested Answer: The interviewer is interested in your sense of humour. It wouldn’t hurt to keep one or two jokes up your sleeve.

Question 4: Having an infinite supply of water and two containers, one for 3 litres and one for 5 litres, how would you measure 4 litres?

Suggested Answer: Fill both containers to half measure (will give you 1.5l and 2.5l respectively). Add the contents together to get 4 litres.

Question 5: In 1925, Sita said that her husband died in World War I. Prove that above statement is wrong.

Suggested Answer: WWI was fought between 1914 and 1918 and WWII 1939 to 1945. When she made this statement (1925), WWII had not taken place yet. So, it will be unthinkable to label the first war I, when there has not been a second.

Question 6: Interviewer breaks an empty glass of cup in front of candiadate. "Into how many pieces has this glass broken?" he asked

Suggested Answer: Ask for a glass of water, drown the content and drop the cup on the floor to break too. Answer, “The same number of pieces this glass has broken into”.

Question 7: You are on a desert island and all you have is a pair of dice. You know that a plane flies over the island on the 30th day of the month. Using the dice, how can you make a calendar that always tells you the day of the month?

Which can you provide answers to and what other other crazy questions have you been asked in an interview?

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