Job seekers everywhere are hoping 2012 will be the year they land a new job. But, to secure a job requires acing today’s competitive interview process — meaning job candidates must be prepared for any and all interview questions, from the most basic to the most bizarre. Glassdoor, a jobs and career community, has compiled its annual list of oddball interview questions based on the tens of thousands of interview questions shared by job candidates during the past year.
Click through for the top 25 oddball interview questions of 2011, as identified by Glassdoor.com.
“How many people are using Facebook in San Francisco at 2:30 p.m. on a Friday?” – Asked at Google, Vendor Relations Manager candidate.
“Just entertain me for five minutes; I’m not going to talk.” – Asked at Acosta, Leadership Development Program Associate candidate.
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“If Germans were the tallest people in the world, how would you prove it?” – Asked at Hewlett-Packard, Product Marketing Manager candidate.
“Given 20 ‘destructible’ light bulbs (which break at a certain height), and a building with 100 floors, how do you determine the height that the light bulbs break?” – Asked at QUALCOMM, Engineering candidate.
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“What do you think of garden gnomes?” – Asked at Trader Joe’s, Team Member candidate.
“Is your college GPA reflective of your potential?” – Asked at the Advisory Board, Strategic Marketing Associate candidate.
“Would Mahatma Gandhi have made a good software engineer?” – Asked at Deloitte, Analyst candidate.
“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?” – Asked at ADP, Inside Sales Associate candidate.
“How would you cure world hunger?” – Asked at Amazon.com, Software Developer candidate.
“Room, desk and car — which do you clean first?” – Asked at Pinkberry, Shift Lead candidate.
“Does life fascinate you?” – Asked at Ernst & Young, Tax Analyst candidate.
“Please spell ‘diverticulitis’.” – Asked at EMSI Engineering, Account Manager candidate.
“Name five uses of a stapler without staple pins.” – Asked at EvaluServe, Business Analyst candidate.
“How much money did residents of Dallas/Ft. Worth spend on gasoline in 2008?” – Asked at American Airlines, Revenue Management candidate.
“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?” – Asked at Tesla Motors, Mechanical Engineer candidate.
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“How would you get an elephant into a refrigerator?” – Asked at Horizon Group Properties, Office Assistant candidate.
“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?” – Asked at Epic Systems, Corporation Project Manager/Implementation Consultant candidate.
“How many planes are currently flying over Kansas?” – Asked at Best Buy, Demand Planning Analyst candidate.
“How many different ways can you get water from a lake at the foot of a mountain, up to the top of the mountain?” – Asked at Disney Parks & Resorts, Project Engineering Intern candidate.
“What is 37 times 37?” – Asked at Jane Street Capital, Assistant Trader candidate.
“If you could be a superhero, what power would you possess?” – Asked at Rain and Hail Insurance, Claim Auditor candidate.
“If you were a Microsoft Office program, which one would you be?” – Asked at Summit Racing Equipment, Ecommerce candidate.
Slide 23
“Pepsi or Coke?” – Asked at United Health Group, Associate Project Manager candidate.
“Are you exhaling warm air?” – Asked at Walker Marketing, Client Manager candidate.
“How do you feel about those jokers at Congress?” – Asked at Consolidated Electrical, Management Trainee candidate.
