What’s the hardest question you’ve been asked in an interview?
No, ‘where do you see yourself in five years’ won’t cut it, even if it did provoke an existential crisis.
Glassdoor has analysed hundreds of thousands of interview reviews left on the site to compile a list of the 20 toughest – and strangest – interview questions and challenges that have been posed by UK companies.
And then, to make sure we’re prepared for the unlikely scenario of one of these questions come up, they’ve put together advice on how to answer them.
Yes, a lot of them are gimmicky queries that feel designed to make you panic.
Just remember that an interview is just an opportunity to sell yourself. Stay calm, answer honestly, and don’t panic if you don’t have the perfect answer – a lot of the time employers just want to see if you’re easily flustered.
The weirdest interview questions:
- Tell us two truths and a lie. Asked at a Holiday Sales Associate interview at AllSaints Retail
- If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? Asked at Hospitality Team Member interview at Compass Group
- What one thing would you take to the moon? Asked at a Home & Leisure Colleague interview at ASDA
- Should you choose to jump from an aeroplane or climb a mountain? Explain why? Asked at a Warehouse interview at AO
- If you won £10 million, what would you do with it? Asked at a Finance Graduate Interview at Camelot
How to answer: What one thing would you take to the moon?
Jo Cresswell, a careers expert at Glassdoor, advises: ‘Depending on the role you’re going for, you need to consider what you want to convey in your answer. Do you want to come across as practical, sentimental or something else?
‘For practical answers, consider items such as moon boots, an oxygen mask/tank or first aid kit for survival. For sentimental answers, consider items such as your favourite book, photo of your loved ones or a diary to capture your experience.
‘You’ll want to have an item in mind and a reason as to why you’d take it to the moon. Make it relevant to the role you’re interviewing for, but ensure you remain authentic to yourself.’
How to answer: Should you choose to jump from an aeroplane or climb a mountain?
The answer to this really depends on the role you’re applying to. If it’s a role requiring a lot of quick thinking and perhaps risk-taking, you might say ‘jump from an aeroplane’.
If it’s a role in which you’d be expected to spend a lot of time problem solving, analysing and persevering at tasks, then ‘climb a mountain’ may well be your best response.
Make sure you explain your rationale in your answer.
How to answer: If you won £10 million, what would you do with it?
Don’t admit you’d immediately quit your job. That doesn’t look great.
Instead, use this as a chance to convey your passions and interests. This is a question that’s very much about getting a sense of you as a person, but also make sure to highlight the character traits that would make you a good fit for the role.
‘Be sure to make it relevant to the workplace,’ says Jo. ‘How do those values and passions make you a better employee or manager? How do you live your values every day in your interactions with other people?’
Physical interview challenges:
- Build a bridge on a table using straws and cardboard in a team. Asked at a Candidate interview at ADP
- Solve a Rubik’s cube. Asked at a Contractor interview at AlixPartners
- Can you make a tower using marshmallows and spaghetti to hold one of these cans? Asked at a Customer Service Advisor interview at Argos
- Play a ping-pong game app. Asked at a Platform Team PM interview at Ovo Energy
- Design a car park. Asked at a Summer Technology Analyst interview at Morgan Stanley
The most complex interview questions:
- If you had £50,000 to start up a new company where would you put the money and why? Asked at a Graduate interview at Admiral Group
- How many windows do you think there are in London? Asked at a Data & Analytics Assistant interview at Association of British Insurers
- How many taxis are there in Oxford? Derive your answer mathematically, not anecdotally. Asked at a Research & Publications interview at Aurora Energy Research
- Is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit? Asked at a Workshop Engineer interview at Barron McCann
- Estimate the annual revenue of an outdoor swimming pool. Asked at a Graduate Consultant interview at Bain & Company
How to answer: If you had £50,000 to start up a new company where would you put the money and why?
Jo says: ‘First up, prepare yourself with an idea of what new company you would want to start; what industry and what problem you’d be looking to solve or value you’d be looking to add.
Demonstrate your business acumen by acknowledging the priority areas in which investment needs to be made when starting a business.
‘You might want to consider overheads such as office space, equipment such as computers, costs of any product development or marketing requirements, etc.
‘This doesn’t need to be a complete scientific answer, but you will need to demonstrate an adequate level of business awareness and be prepared to respond to any follow-up questions.
‘Again, this could be a good way to demonstrate your values – for example, would your company’s mission be related to a social or environmental cause that you feel passionate about? Would your new enterprise be designed to help a certain segment of the population? How does it relate to your current career path?’
How to answer: Is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit?
‘An age old debate, be prepared to offer detailed reasoning behind your answer,’ says Jane.
‘For example, if arguing that a Jaffa Cake is a cake, you might want to mention its sponge base and the fact it goes hard when stale, as opposed to biscuits that go soft.
‘If arguing that it’s a biscuit, you might want to mention that Jaffa Cakes are stocked alongside other biscuits in shops and the fact they’re packaged in packets.
‘In addition, while this type of answer will help demonstrate your logic, this question is a great opportunity to show off your general knowledge by explaining that a court in 1991 ruled Jaffa Cakes to be cakes and therefore be exempt from VAT.’
The thinkers
- What do you consider a challenge for the world and what do you do to solve it? Asked at an Affiliate Marketing Manager interview at Airbnb
- Name a minimum of 15 qualities that define a great leadership. Asked at a Candidate interview at Glowing Global
- What makes you happy? Asked at an Account Manager interview at Brainlabs
- If you were inventing a product based on a fruit, what would it be and how would you market it? Asked at an Associate interview at Atheneum Partners
- How do your friends describe you? Asked at a Candidate interview at ASOS
How to answer: How do your friends describe you?
You already know to avoid any negative attributes. Telling someone your friends call you ‘the drunk one’ likely won’t help you get a job.
But don’t go for the cliched answers either. Not only will few people believe your best friend would describe you as ‘hardworking’, but it’s what everyone else will be saying. You need to stand out.
‘Instead, paint a picture of a few different scenarios which demonstrate how your friends see you,’ says Jo. ‘For example, the time you were able to support your friend with their business plan due to your strong knowledge of a certain business issue. Or when one of your friends was struggling with a personal problem, and turned to you as she sees you as honest and dependable.
‘These short stories will make you far more memorable to a recruiter and allow your personality to shine.
‘Maybe you could consider actually asking your friends and colleagues what they think of you before commencing an interview process, so you are basing this response on real world examples.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/30/the-toughest-interview-questions-asked-in-the-uk-and-how-to-answer-them-12145560/
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