By Anastasia
This post previously appeared on Cleverism.
The interviewer wants to know your reasoning capabilities.
So, you’ve finally attended that interview you’ve been waiting for.
Your CV just looks so perfect, you have met the necessary qualifications, but your employer still wants to know the type of person you are.
Imagine if you were given the job, and it turns out that you eat a bird for lunch every day?
Well, that might have sounded weird, but, what if you are that person who goes to the kitchen and you don’t even offer any of your workmates a cup of tea?
That is the reason why renowned companies like Google are famous for their interview questions which tend to be out of the box. Most of these questions are not related to your CV or job, but they are designed to test your spontaneity, logic, personality, and creativity.
Besides, many employers use these questions to tease the interviewee and generate some discussion that does not focus on the job at hand – for example, “If I employed you as a pizza delivery person and gave you a pair of scissors, how can you benefit from them?”
That is one of the most common funny interview questions, and many interview candidates admitted coming across that question.
These type of interview questions have been documented, and some people give tips on how to navigate them.
An excellent way to handle any funny interview question is to answer the question using examples as they assist you to come up with a conclusion or convincing answer.
Whenever you attend an interview, you should always be prepared to face funny interview questions.
But, you should understand that an employer doesn’t ask ridiculous questions to catch you off-guard.
However, they use such questions to see how you handle problems and arrive at your conclusions.
The way you answer the questions tells your employer a lot, especially how your mind functions. Your employer wants to know whether you are a focused and deep thinker.
Also, they want to know whether your problem-solving skills match with the team.
When it comes to funny interview questions, you should understand that there is no correct or wrong answer. It all depends on how you answer the questions. You should realize that the more you continue to question the original question, there is a possibility that you will make the conversation flow.
This, will, in turn, make your answer look more convincing.
When an employer asks you funny questions during an interview, it’s always advisable to take the interviewer through your line of thought as this shows them how you arrived at your answer.
The following are three tips which can help you to assess and even answer any funny interview question you meet.
- Don’t rush but take your time and think about the question – you should never feel pressured to answer the question. Taking your time to answer the question shows your employer that you are considering different options, and you do not like jumping to conclusions quickly.
- Ask questions – always ensure that you understand the question before you answer it. So, how do you understand the question? It is always a good idea to ask the interviewer more questions if you did not get the question at the first time. At times, you will realize that the answers you get from the interviewer give you more insight and assist you in providing the best answer.
- Verbalize your thinking process – in case you do not have the answer to the question at hand; you can talk about the steps you take to answer the question. During that scenario, always stress on the approach you use, not the final answer.
15 FUNNY INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWERS
The following are the top 15 funny interview questions and their answers that you might probably come across next time you attend an interview.
- Let’s say you have a refrigerator in a small room. If you leave the refrigerator’s door open, will the room become cold or the fridge become warm? Why? Such kind of questions test your logic. Therefore, if you do not know the answer, it is always advisable to point out some contributing factors. For instance, if the fridge stops running while the door is left open for a while, then its temperature will definitely rise, just after it stops running. At first, the room temperature can increase insignificantly. However, it can stabilize when it reaches the equilibrium between the fridge and the room. But, this can take a considerable amount of time.
- If you were an animal or a tree, which kind of animal or tree would you be? If you decide to choose a tree, pick a tree that is strong and maybe adored by many people, like an oak, but not something weak. In case you choose an animal, select an animal that is intelligent and strong, like a lion or tiger. Never pick animals that are cuddly or fluffy.
- If you were a Star Wars or Star Trek character, who would you be? This question is straightforward, but also tricky at the same time since they want to test your personalities. Therefore, whenever such kind of question pops up, ensure that you select a character who is a leader and a risk taker. Characters like Captain Kirk, Spock, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Sarek and other related characters are the perfect answers for such kind questions.
- Which is your favorite drink? Your personality can be somehow related to what you drink. The answer you give to this question can tell your employer to be whether you take alcohol or not. You should know that the company wants to employ those who don’t take alcohol in order to improve productivity. Consequently, you should never choose an alcoholic drink as your answer.
- If aliens visited you and asked you for anything you wish for or gave you a position on their home planet, what can you choose? The answer you give tell your employer more about your professional goals as well as your creativity. Additionally, this is also a tricky question since you will be entertaining the idea that there is something you desire doing on the alien’s planet.
- Who is your favorite, your dad or mom? You should be careful when answering this question. NEVER give an answer which indicates the challenges in your family, preferential treatment or gender preference during the interview. Your answer should pinpoint what each parent has taught you, and how they have helped you to become the person you are now.
- Which type of people don’t you like? Also, this is another question which you should be very careful when giving your answer. You should understand that if you give a political party, minority groups or a sweeping generalization, there is a possibility that your employer will associate you with a hate group or even brand you as a bigot. To be on the safe side, you should tell your employer that you do not dislike any particular type of people, but there are some types of behaviors which annoy you. The answer you give should be related to the kind of job at hand.
- Do you have any close friends? If any, how many? It is not normal not to have many close friends and you should not tell your employer that you do not have any. Also, telling your employer that you have many close friends can make you look like a shallow person or a liar. A normal person should have very few close friends and many casual friends.
- If you were to trade places with someone else for one month, living or dead, famous or not, fictional or real, whom would you like that person to be? The answer you give show your creativity as well as interests. You should ensure that you give your answer a thought before giving it out since it gives your employer a clue of who you want to be as well as your true self.
- How many gas stations do you think there are in the US? This question tests your problem-solving skills, especially large problems. The question is all about doing estimations vs. doing actual calculations. But, you can do both, if it calls for it.
- Let’s say you were a type of food, which type would you be? This is also a personality-type question. It tells your employer the type of food you like, and whether you enjoy eating unhealthy food which can increase the company’s insurance rates.
- What angers you most? Be careful not to admit to losing your temper. Tell your employer that you handle issues as they arise to avoid them building up to the point that you are angry.
- Why are most manhole covers round? This question tests your logic and creativity. For example, a square or rectangle manhole cover might require extra precision to replace, but a round manhole cover does not.
- Do you think the Bigfoot exists? This question can throw you into a loop since it deals with your level of faith or beliefs. With these type of questions, the interviewer can see how much you believe in faith or science. Besides, the way in which you give your answer shows the interviewer how you use logic to answer something unknown. An interviewer can use this question to test your ability to think critically and how you react to touchy or unknown situations. Many interviewers agree that this is one of the strangest job interview questions and interviewees need to think before giving their answer critically. But the best way to answer the question is to make fun out of it, like, “yes, I am married to him.”
- Are you a hunter or gatherer? This question tests your ability to take risks and face new challenges as well as taking your time to do your job. For example, hunters like taking risks and facing different challenges when hunting. Gatherers on the other hand like to take their time when looking for what suits them.
You should know that these are real interview questions.
But the question is, can you answer them on the spot? As we saw earlier, there is no right or wrong, black or white answer.
It all depends on your reasoning.
CONCLUSION
Although most of these questions might appear to be amusing, you need to be prepared to answer them the same way you are preparing for a job interview them since they can determine whether you get the job or not.
An excellent way to handle any funny interview question is to answer the question using examples as they assist you to come up with a conclusion or convincing answer.
While answering such questions, it is good to know that the interviewer wants to know your reasoning capabilities.
