To get candidates thinking on their toes, some companies use oddball interview questions they couldn’t possibly have prepared for. Does it work, or just tick everyone off?
It’s the latest recruiting fad: weird, random questions that have nothing to do with the job (and often, nothing to do with much of anything at all). Google is famous for it. But does that make it a good idea?
There’s some interesting anecdotal evidence about the negative effects of these quirky tactics in this blog post here. There are some comments from job seekers about how questions like “How would you design a bike for the visually impaired?” and “How would you determine the weight of a Boeing 747?” let them know pretty quickly the job wasn’t for them.
A better way?
Interviewers can still try to avoid canned responses to questions candidates are expecting while still not straying too far from reality. There are plenty of uncommon questions that are still job-related. For example, if you’re interviewing for a management position, ask the candidate about a time her or she had to fire someone, or do some other difficult deed.
Also, asking how someone would handle a slightly far-fetched, but not out of the question, workplace scenario can let you know how people think on their feet.
But what do you think? Have you used these new interviewing tactics? Does it work? Let us know in the comments section.
