Olaina posted this article about craziest interview questions people were asked in 2011. I have never been asked anything crazy before, lucky me I guess.
I was asked once about what social media campaign I think was successful. And my answer was nothing I can think of. Why not? Because so far nothing grab my attention as brilliant just yet. So there, I might’ve just shot myself in the foot but seriously. If it’s good enough, it would have had ME, a social media nerd, all participating in it by now.
But anyways. I thought I’d take a crack at these 25 “crazy” questions to see how badly I’d do. And yes, I answered with the first thing that came to mind.
How many people are using Facebook in San Francisco at 2:30pm on a Friday? (asked at Google)
I don’t know. 42?
(The bit from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)
Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk. (Acosta)
Do you have a piano or a guitar? Or perhaps some paper (I can make origami with)?
If Germans were the tallest people in the world, how would you prove it? (Hewlett-Packard)
Have you asked the Chinese about that?
What do you think of garden gnomes? (Trader Joe’s … why am I not surprised)
I have a USC one named Theodore. He’s not in the garden, though. He sits inside our apartment by the front door. I also have one that holds salt and pepper shaker on my dining table, but he doesn’t have a name. Hm. How did I miss naming him?
Is your college GPA reflective of your potential? (The Advisory Board)
My parents seem to think so.
Would Mahatma Gandhi have made a good software engineer? (Deloitte)
Seriously?
If you could be #1 employee but have all your coworkers dislike you or you could be #15 employee and have all your coworkers like you, which would you choose? (ADP)
#15. Happily.
How would you cure world hunger? (Amazon.com)
Have you seen “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”? Yep. That.
Room, desk and car – which do you clean first? (Pinkberry)
Car. I mean, I have to see my room and you’ll see why.
Does life fascinate you? (Ernst & Young)
Everyday.
Given 20 ‘destructible’ light bulbs (which breaks at certain height), and a building with 100 floors, how do you determine the height that the light bulb breaks? (QUALCOMM)
Have you tried finding better bulbs?
Please spell ‘diverticulitis’. (MSI Engineering)
Can you repeat that? (Are you kidding me?)
Name 5 uses of a stapler without staple pins. (EvaluServe)
By staple pins, do you mean staples? Oh, okay then. A projectile weapon. A blunt weapon. A paper weight. A gag gift. A door stop.
How much money did residents of Dallas/Ft. Worth spend on gasoline in 2008? (American Airlines)
More than they should have.
How would you get an elephant into a refrigerator? (Horizon Group Properties)
You’re gonna need a bigger fridge.
You have a bouquet of flowers. All but two are roses, all but two are daisies, and all but two are tulips. How many flowers do you have? (Epic Systems)
3.
How many planes are currently flying over Kansas? (Best Buy)
42.
How many different ways can you get water from a lake at the foot of a mountain, up to the top of the mountain? (Disney Parks & Resorts)
As many as you can think up.
What is 37 times 37? (Jane Street Capital)
Er… / Can I have a piece of paper?
If you could be a superhero, what power would you possess? (Rain and Hail Insurance)
Super agility or super fast reflex.
If you were a Microsoft Office program, which one would you be? (Summit Racing Equipment)
Movie Maker. So easy to use for simple projects but nobody knows it’s there.
Pepsi or Coke? (United Health Group)
Neither, really. I don’t drink that much soda. But if I do, I’ll take a Dr. Pepper or Cherry Coke.
Are you exhaling warm air? (Walker Marketing)
Yes. (What the…?)
You’re in a row boat, which is in a large tank filled with water. You have an anchor on board, which you throw overboard (the chain is long enough so the anchor rests completely on the bottom of the tank). Does the water level in the tank rise or fall? (Tesla Motors)
It doesn’t change a thing. What does the anchor have to do with the water in the tank. And why are you in a row boat with a tank of water to begin with? Get a bigger boat.
How do you feel about those jokers at Congress? (Consolidated Electrical)
Has anyone called Batman?
…and those were 25 reasons why you should hire me. Right now. 😉
Very funny! I actually thought of you and the garden gnome when I first read that question.
And how did I know for sure I wasn’t cut out to work in advertising? When I was at OgilvyOne they had free soda in the break room. In a meeting of three people the boss asked why we were drinking Coke. I thought (and might have actually said aloud), “Because it’s free.” The correct answer was offered by my colleague, “It’s the brand I like. When I order a Coke if they ask if Pepsi is OK, I say no.”
Correct answer?! Pssshhh. Your colleague is full of it. LOL
I would’ve said “Because it’s free” too. Or, actually, “Because there was no Dr. Pepper.”