What’s your favourite movie of all time? Which type of tree do you relate with the most? Why is your Instagram account private?
Think these interview questions are odd and outrageous? Think again.
Our recruiters share some of the weirdest questions candidates have been asked that were not remotely related to the roles they were interviewing for. Here are the top 10 most ridiculous questions that employers have asked.
10 most outrageous interview questions
- What’s your zodiac sign or horoscope?
- What’s your blood type? (for a non-healthcare role) I’ve seen what you have posted on Facebook. How open are you to changing your political views to get a job here?
- Which celebrity do you most look up to and why? (and you can’t say the Kardashians)
- Do you know morse code? (for a non-linguist role)
- A confusing math question.
- Who are you and why am I meeting you?
- Would you rather be a cat or a dog?
- Which soccer team do you support?
- Have you taken part in the Subaru challenge (or a similar-type of endurance challenge)?
bridging techniques candidates can use in an interview
As outrageous as these interview questions might be, it is a good thing that they are not commonly asked. Unless the job requires you to solve complex equations or have an eye for aesthetic appeal, you actually have nothing to worry about.
These odd questions will not help the interviewer objectively review your capabilities to do the job, or your personality to identify a culture fit. As a candidate, keep things professional and bridge your answer back to what you want to speak about. This is also a great opportunity to impress your interviewer.
use the ‘ABC technique’ to answer these difficult interview questions
a. acknowledge - Always respect who you are speaking with by acknowledging the questions that they had just asked you, no matter how weird it may be.
b. bridge - Use different bridging phrases to link ideas and bring the conversation back to the purpose of the interview, which is to evaluate your abilities and personality.
c. contribute - Promote your skills by sharing some of your achievements on how you can bring added value to the team and the company.
some of the most common bridging phrases include:
- Let’s not forget that…
- I think what is important here is…
- What I can tell you is…
example on how you can bridge an irrelevant interview question.
Interviewer: “What’s your zodiac sign or horoscope? We need to hire people with auspicious zodiac signs to help increase our team’s sales.”
Ideal answer: “That’s an interesting question, and I am a Capricorn. However, I think what is important here is my track record with the teams that I’ve worked with, as I’ve successfully managed a team of six and increase revenue by up to 20% year-on-year. Besides being self-driven, I encourage my team to achieve new heights by providing them the guidance they need.”
still nervous? we are here to guide you.
If you are the type who prefers to over-prepare for a job interview, including answers to odd interview questions, you should work with a specialised recruiter.
A specialised industry recruiter works with a small group of clients to hire talent in a targeted industry. These may include risk and compliance experts, developers for fintechs, or marketing professionals for FMCGs firms. As their time and resources are focussed on a small marketplace, they do not only know where the latest job opportunities are. They also know which talent to match their clients with and how to best prepare you for the job interview, such as the questions that you should expect from their clients.