Oddball Interview Questions
Job interviews are exciting, however bring anxiety to the job seekers at the same time. Over the years, job search process has evolved from simple face-to-face interviews to Skype interviews and from sending traditional paper CVs to visual CVs.
With several changes happening, the interview process has evolved and helped employers find the best talents for their companies. Interviews nowadays are not simply about asking, “Tell me about yourself”.
Hiring managers surprise the candidates with weird or oddball questions to see how well you think on your feet.
No matter what comes your way, to help you ace your interview, here’s more that you should know what are these oddball questions, how do employers ask them, and how to handle them. Read on…
What are oddball questions?
These questions are typically not related to your profession or job role.
These weird interview questions can talk about anything- a person, hypothetical situation, reasoning, etc., that encourages the job seeker to keep his creativity flowing.
These questions are popularly asked by MNCs to shortlist smart, enthusiastic and talented people. So, whether you are looking for a job abroad or in your home country, preparing for oddball questions is the trick to ace your job interview.
Oddball Interview question examples
Let’s take a look at some of the nerve-wracking questions:
- Can you tell us why a manhole cover is always round in shape?
- What was the last gift you gave someone and why did you choose it?
- How will you put a giraffe in a box in three steps?
- What was in your mind when you were coming for this job interview?
- Why does yellow color called– ‘“yellow’”?
- If you get superpowers, what would you do first?
- If you were an animal, which animal would you be and why?
And the list goes on…
Why do Employers Ask These Questions?
Before planning the right strategy, it is imperative to understand why hiring managers pick up such new and weird interview questions.
The simple reason is that answering such questions gives employers a chance to know more about your real thought process and confidence.
He/she wants to gauge how you handle an unexpected situation and can come up with some out-of-the-box thinking.
Everyone can easily answer the common interview questions, but impressing the recruiter with some really interesting answers is something that can land you to a great job.
How to handle these questions?
Giving a logical approach is more important than answering anything. The idea is not to jump on the conclusion and give an answer within few seconds.
In fact, there is no right or wrong answer to these weird questions. Therefore, the right drill is to take some time to think about the question and give an interesting, but a logical answer.
Oddball Interveiw Question Answers
Your answers should be based on these facts:
- The employer wants to know how you react to something that comes your way unexpectedly
- What’s your confidence level
- Can you think out of the box
- How you answer a question that has no textbook answer
Don’t take it too seriously as sometimes employers with such questions are not always looking for what is right or wrong, but how you leave an impression with your interesting answer.
So whatever you say, do come with a concept.
All the best!
About the Author:
Swati Srivastava is an avid writer who loves to pen down her ideas and professional tips for job search, finding your career goal, and working abroad. Currently she is working for Naukrigulf.com. Reach her on LinkedIn/Twitter
